Information from Irish Chess Union
Greetings,
The ICU has a number of big events coming up which offer something for everyone. The first of these classical events is the ICU Easter Festival which takes place from the 28 March to April 1 in the Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan and features:
- 7-round Under & over 1600 sections for players aged 40 or over.
- 10 player 9-round events with 3 rating bands; Over 1800, 1300-1900, Under 1400. These sections are open to anyone within those ICU rating bands.
- 2 Norm events which are now filled and feature 10 of Ireland’s best players.
- A Sunday evening Blitz to close the event.
All of these sections are FIDE rated and there will be free parking available at the venue.
The National Club Championship 2018 is next up and takes place from April 21-22 in the Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe. This event has been hotly contested in the last few years with 10-14 clubs vying to become the nation’s top dog and earn one of the three spots on offer for the European Club Cup.
The showpiece event of the Irish Chess calendar is the Irish Championships and this year, like the Easter Festival, it will take place in the Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan from August 4-12. 20 of Ireland’s top 50 players have already committed to play it and the week-long event will feature a 4,000 euro prize fund thanks to sponsorship from Blackthorne International Transport. Further details can be found here for that and the other events on during the week: Championship, First Weekender, and Open.
However, if you can’t wait that long for some chess – why not try the inaugural Connaught Chess Festival which takes place from the 23-25 March in the Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe. Or if you’d prefer some quicker games, there are several blitz events including the ICU Blitz Championship 2018 on March 11th in Buswells Hotel and the UCD Blitz Championship on March 18th in UCD. These events are also FIDE rated.
If you’d like to get involved with the ICU in any capacity, great or small, please contact us here.
Kind Regards and well wishes,
The ICU team
The ICU team
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