Page 87 - The Gonzaga Record 2004
P. 87
C hess
The School Chess Champion for 2003 was John McMorrow, who defeated
Graham Neary in the final round of a tight School Championship. After a near
perfect start, the seeded players did not have it their own way, opening interesting
possibilities down the order. John Me Morrow and Graham Neary drew in the final
round, but Graham had drawn earlier in the tournament (a Swiss gambit as it's
called, drawing to get an easier few games, play people who aren't on full points
and get to the final by winning all of them, and then hopefully winning the final)
so John with 5.5 took the title. Graham Neary, Thomas Kinsella, Jonathan Wyse
and Ronan O'Connell all came second with 5 points.
This year's Millfield International Chess Tournament saw us make the
Championship section which is always the main aim of the trip. We experienced
the pleasure of playing against the best schools and players in Britain and Ireland
with Brian Murphy as captain and Graham Neary as vice-captain. Much praise
must go to Rob Crowley who won a board prize on board 7 on the A team with a
fantastic performance. The B team also showed a lot of promise. Michael Hennessy
got perfect 7/7 while John Moriarty seriously impressed on board 2, punching well
above his weight against the top players from various English schools. Many thanks
to Mr Gerry Murphy and Mr David Murray for giving up their weekends to
accompany the teams. Thanks are also due to past pupils David Murray, Daniel
Lynch and Mark McGovern who also made the trip to lend their expertise.
The chess year ended on a high note, later than usual, when our Minor and
Senior teams won the Leinster Championships. We haven't won the Leinster
Minor title for several years - 1998 was the last year — so this must be a good omen.
Another Senior Leinster title continues a run unparalleled in Irish Schools' Chess.
Long may it last! We are bidding farewell this May to a very talented a long-serv
ing bunch of Sixth Years, one of the best we've had. On 23rd May they were called
on to compete for, not one, but two All-Ireland titles simultaneously. The result of
the All-Ireland Schools' and Colleges' Championship narrowly did not go our way.
On the same day however, our B team went to the finals of the 3rd All-Ireland
Checkmate Secondary Schools' Championship, and beat all comers, retaining their
title for a third time. For a team which spent most of the past two years playing
second fiddle to the A team, this was a staggering achievement, all the sweeter for
being unexpected.
Daniel Lynch
L e in s te r M in o r C ham p ion s 2004
Cian Ruane (2A - Capt.), Michael Hennessey (2A), Chris Mounsey (2B),
Conor Casey (2A), David Collier (IB)
Page 85
The School Chess Champion for 2003 was John McMorrow, who defeated
Graham Neary in the final round of a tight School Championship. After a near
perfect start, the seeded players did not have it their own way, opening interesting
possibilities down the order. John Me Morrow and Graham Neary drew in the final
round, but Graham had drawn earlier in the tournament (a Swiss gambit as it's
called, drawing to get an easier few games, play people who aren't on full points
and get to the final by winning all of them, and then hopefully winning the final)
so John with 5.5 took the title. Graham Neary, Thomas Kinsella, Jonathan Wyse
and Ronan O'Connell all came second with 5 points.
This year's Millfield International Chess Tournament saw us make the
Championship section which is always the main aim of the trip. We experienced
the pleasure of playing against the best schools and players in Britain and Ireland
with Brian Murphy as captain and Graham Neary as vice-captain. Much praise
must go to Rob Crowley who won a board prize on board 7 on the A team with a
fantastic performance. The B team also showed a lot of promise. Michael Hennessy
got perfect 7/7 while John Moriarty seriously impressed on board 2, punching well
above his weight against the top players from various English schools. Many thanks
to Mr Gerry Murphy and Mr David Murray for giving up their weekends to
accompany the teams. Thanks are also due to past pupils David Murray, Daniel
Lynch and Mark McGovern who also made the trip to lend their expertise.
The chess year ended on a high note, later than usual, when our Minor and
Senior teams won the Leinster Championships. We haven't won the Leinster
Minor title for several years - 1998 was the last year — so this must be a good omen.
Another Senior Leinster title continues a run unparalleled in Irish Schools' Chess.
Long may it last! We are bidding farewell this May to a very talented a long-serv
ing bunch of Sixth Years, one of the best we've had. On 23rd May they were called
on to compete for, not one, but two All-Ireland titles simultaneously. The result of
the All-Ireland Schools' and Colleges' Championship narrowly did not go our way.
On the same day however, our B team went to the finals of the 3rd All-Ireland
Checkmate Secondary Schools' Championship, and beat all comers, retaining their
title for a third time. For a team which spent most of the past two years playing
second fiddle to the A team, this was a staggering achievement, all the sweeter for
being unexpected.
Daniel Lynch
L e in s te r M in o r C ham p ion s 2004
Cian Ruane (2A - Capt.), Michael Hennessey (2A), Chris Mounsey (2B),
Conor Casey (2A), David Collier (IB)
Page 85
