IRISH CHESS NOTES BY David McAlister
IRISH CHESS NOTES BY David McAlister
1 . Colin Kennedy
For over 50 years one of the most significant wins ever by an Irish player has lain forgotten . You ’ ll not find it in any of the standard databases like BigBase . It ’ s not even in the ICU online database . However that might change now the excellent internet reference website Olimpbase has published all the games from the 1959 Students ’ World Team Championship . Even at the time , the game didn ’ t garner the attention it deserved . It wasn ’ t included in the official tournament book . J . J . Walsh did feature the game in his weekly chess column in the Irish Times but didn ’ t give all the moves because the game was too long ! The only place where the game was given it due regard was in the pages of B . H . Wood ’ s “ Chess ” magazine , where it was annotated by K . W . Lloyd , a member of the English team at the Student Olympiad . [ Lloyd and Kennedy were Cambridge University team-mates ] The winner of the game , Colin Kennedy , never played in an Irish Championship . His biggest tournament success in Ireland was probably the 1955 Ulster Schools Championship . Yet he played Board 1 for the Irish Students ’ Team , while the 1953 Irish Senior champion and possibly the most talented Irish player of his generation , the ill-fated Noel Mulcahy , was only on Board 2 . Here ’ s why . R . C . Kennedy ( IRL ) – B . Gurgenidze ( USSR ) 6th Students ’ World Team Championship , Budapest , Round 7 , 7th July 1959 1 . e4 c5 2 . Nf3 Nc6 3 . d4 cxd4 4 . Nxd4 g6 5 . c4 Bg7 6 . Be3 Nh6 7 . Nc3 0 – 0 8 . f3 f5 9 . Qd2 Nxd4 10 . Bxd4 d6 11 . Be2 e5 12 . Bf2 fxe4 13 . fxe4 Be6 14.0 – 0 Nf7 15 . Be3 Qa5 16 . Rac1
Rac8 17 . b3 a6 18 . Rc2 Rc6 19 . Qc1 h5 20 . Nd5 Qd8 21 . Bd3 Rc8 22 . Rcf2 Bxd5 23 . exd5 Nh8 24 . Kh1 Qh4 25 . g3 Qg4 26 . Bg5 Rxf2 27 . Rxf2 Nf7 28 . Bf6 Bh6 29 . Qe1 Re8 30 . Qe4 Qxe4 + 31 . Bxe4 Kh7 32 . Kg2 Bg5 33 . h4 Be3 34 . Rf3 Bc1 35 . Kh3 Bd2 36 . g4 hxg4 + 37 . Kxg4 Nh6 + 38 . Kh3 Bf4 39 . Bg5 Rf8 40 . Be7 Rf7 41 . Bxd6
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Kennedy has just forced the win of a pawn . Lloyd here tells us : “ At this stage the game was adjourned . It was generally assumed that Black ’ s sealed move would be 41 … Nf5 and that White would have to manoeuvre very carefully in face of all the traps conjured up by the analytical battery of the Russian team before beginning to capitalise on the extra pawn . However Kennedy and the rest of the Irish team [ Mulcahy , Desmond Mac Carthy and Brian Hannon - DM ] put in a great deal of high-powered analysis themselves , and it soon became obvious that Gurgenidze was completely unprepared for the fine combination which follows .” 41 … Nf5 42 . h5 Nxd6 43 . Bxg6 + Kg7 44 . Bxf7 Nxf7 45 . Rxf4 “ The climax of White ’ s combination . Before entering on the whole plan initiated by 42 . h5 , he had to envisage the ensuing ending as far as move 53 , but 45 . Rxf4 represents the inspiration … the rest was mere perspiration !” – Lloyd . 45 … exf4 46 . Kg4 Kf6 47 . Kxf4 b6 48 . Ke4 Nd6 + 49 . Kd4 Nf5 + 50 . Kc3 Ke5 51 . Kb4 Kd4 52 . a4 Ne3 53 . a5 b5 54 . cxb5 Nxd5 + 55 . Ka3 axb5 56 . a6 b4 + 57 . Ka4 Kc5 58 . h6 Nb6 + 59 . Ka5 Nc4 + 60 . bxc4 b3 61 . a7 1 – 0
[ Sources : Chess Vol . 25 , pages 105- 107 ; Irish Times 13th August 1959 ; Olimpbase website ]
2 . Under-promotion
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T . Ireton – G . McCurdy IRL-ch , Cork , Round 3 , 12th July 1971 Here McCurdy under-promoted to a Knight with 34 ... f1N + and Ireton resigned . The promotion to a Queen with 34 ... f1Q would only have led to a draw by perpetual check after 35 . Rxh7 + Rxh7 36 . Rd8 + Kg7 37 . Qxh7 + Kxf6 38 . Rf8 + Ke6 ( and not 38 ... Kg5 39 . h4 + Kg4 40 . Qxg6 + Kxh4 41 . Rh8 + Qh7 42 . Rxh7 mate ) 39 . Qxg6 + Kd5 ( best ) 40 . Rd8 + Kc5 41 . Qd6 + Kb5 42 . Qb4 + Kc6 43 . Qd6 + Do readers know of any other examples in Irish chess where underpromotion was necessary for scoring a win ?
[ Source : Irish Chess Championships Cork 1971 by Maurice Coveney .]
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