On the first weekend of the Irish Chess Championship 2025, the youngest players were in the focus, demonstrating that Ireland has great potential and a solid foundation in the junior department at every level. On the second weekend, it was time for the Seniors to shine, while the best players competed for the title in the 104th Irish Championship. Four sections were organised: the Open Section, the Seniors 35+ (for players aged 35 or older), the Seniors 50+, and the Seniors 65+.
The Open Weekender
To view the full results and cross tables, please check the Open Weekender on the ICU's Ratings Site.
The Open Weekender attracted hardcore chess players of all ages. For instance, Klaus Weih (age 63) from Germany asked to be included in the Open Section instead of playing in the Senior 50+ Championship. He was registered with the ICU as an unrated player, and his only appearance in the FIDE database is under the Irish flag. However, according to various databases, a player named Klaus Weih once played at different levels in the Bundesliga, reaching a rating of 2077 in 2002 according to the ChessBase database, and even facing former World Champion Boris Spassky in 1983. Of course, it might be a completely different player with the same name. What we do know for certain is that in the Limerick Open 2024, he scored 3 points out of 4, losing only to IM Oleg Gubanov in Round 4.
In the Weekend Open, he also started very strong, 2½ out of 3, and later finishing unbeaten, ranked 4 with 4 points per 5 games, and performance level of 2,000. He found the right moments to achieve victory like in the game against Pawel Krawinski in Round 4 (see game). (In the broadcast, Toby Crothers is stated to play with White pieces which is incorrect.)
The position appears harmless: a lone Queen and a strong central Knight are attacking the King’s position. However, the King is quite exposed, and the White pieces are far away from their monarch. Not only are they distant from the King, but also from each other—there is no harmony between them. Another strategic error is that White has completely ceded the open file.
It is also worth noting that White has only 1 minute left on the clock, which is very little in such a critical situation. What to play here? There is an apparent threat from Black to deliver Qe1+ in the near future. That threat is relatively harmless at first glance, since Qf1 would defuse it. Almost… Black cannot attack with many pieces, but even a swift attack with just one piece against an undefended King can be fatal. White was unaware of the danger, so Pawel played 40. b4?, which loses immediately.
The solution is quite brilliant: Black exploits the weakness on e1 and the open file to quickly bring in additional firepower in the form of a rook. 40... Qe3+ 41. Kf1 (if 41. Kh1 Qe1+ 42. Qf1 Qxf1#) 41... Re7 42. Bc3 Qc1+—a 2 vs. 1 attack, with Black driving the White King toward the Knight. 43. Kf2 Qc2+ 44. Kf3, and from here Klaus easily finds the checkmate in three moves. There were not many alternatives to 44. Kf3; the mate is forced and can only be delayed—for example, 44. Kg1 Re2! followed by a couple of checks before sacrificing pieces to postpone the inevitable, or 44. Kf1 Ne3+, after which White must defend without a Queen.
The Senior 35+
To view the full results and cross tables, please check the Tournament Report on the ICU's Ratings Site.
The Senior 35+ is a new addition to the Senior competition, so everyone had a great expectation how this Section will turns up to be. All Senior events were proposed to be organised in a 5-round Swiss format, however, there having 6 players registered in this Section it was organised in a single round-robin (all play all) format.
The first winner of this category in Irish chess history was Stephen Stokes, who scored an impressive 4½ out of 5. His style of systematically, and patiently building up a solid position before launching an devastating attack was clearly shown in his game against David Haigney (ranked 2 in this tournament):
The game can also be viewed as a fine example of the power of creating harmony between pieces—especially when pawns actively participate in the attack—while still adhering to sound chess principles. In the position depicted above, Black already enjoys a tremendous space advantage, while White’s pieces are poorly coordinated. The rooks and queen are not working together, the knight is advancing without support, and the bishop is more of an obstacle than an asset. Moreover, the white king sits on a dark square, just like the opponent’s bishop—a typical theme in many chess puzzles.
In serious time trouble, White played the very reasonable 25. Rfc1, securing the open file, which is generally a sound principle. However, in such a situation, the first priority should be to defuse the tactical threats. Another useful principle here is to remove attacking pieces using passive ones—so 25. Nxd6 followed by 26. Qb5 on the next move would likely have been stronger. Black has two major threats: creating a formidable pawn center and winning a rook.
A rook? How? The white king is on the same colour as the black bishop, which allows a nasty combination: 25... d3! forking the rook and queen. The pawn cannot be captured because 26. Qxd3?? Bc5+ wins the queen, so White would eventually have to sacrifice the rook.
Instead, Black chose an even more pressing course while keeping this option in reserve: advancing in the center with 25... e4 (now even Bxh2+ becomes a possibility). After 26. exf4 fxe4?!, the threat of d3 and the spatial advantage are crystal clear. Here, Black focused more on positional domination than on immediate material gain. The rook will eventually have to be sacrificed, or one of the pawns will promote. Either way, the position is easily winning for Black from this point.
The Senior 50+
To view the full results and cross tables, please check the Tournament Report on the ICU's Ratings Site.
In this section, six players competed for the first place in an all–play–all format, and Pat McCarrick left no doubt about who was in the best form, finishing with a perfect 5/5. His Round 2 game, where he commanded the black pieces against overall runner-up Das Tanmoy (see game below), is a fine example of his fighting spirit. Even with a material deficit, McCarrick pressed forward relentlessly, demonstrating that he will not hesitate to sacrifice for the sake of a powerful attack.
At first glance, White’s position appears solid: there is “only” an attack on the White king, with a lone knight as compensation for Black. Two pieces are attacking and two defending, and White’s rook is even applying pressure from behind the Black king. However, there are cracks in the fortress. The White knight is ineffective in defence—in fact, it requires protection itself—and the advanced black pawn on h4 is a constant source of danger.
These elements mean White must play with absolute precision just to hold the draw. One wrong queen move could be fatal. For example: 39. Qe1?? Qf3+ 40. Kh2 Qg2# or 39. Qh2?? Qc1+, after which mate is inevitable.
White chose to meet the threat head-on, deciding to stop Qf3+ at all costs with 39. Qd1. The idea was that if Black replied with Qxf2, White could deliver a series of checks to expose the Black king and balance the chances. Unfortunately, this calculation was flawed. After 39... Qxf2 40. Qc1+ Rg5!, the checks run out eventually—and mate cannot be stopped.
The Senior 65+
To view the full results and cross tables, please check the Tournament Report on the ICU's Ratings Site.
In the Senior 65+ Section, eight players registered, prompting the arbiters to adjust the tournament format. With this number, a traditional round-robin was too short for five rounds, and a standard Swiss risked pairing jams from Round 4 onwards. To avoid repeated pairings and ensure variety, the players were divided into two groups of four based on their starting ranks: Group A consisted of players ranked 1, 4, 5, and 8, while Group B included ranks 2, 3, 6, and 7. This arrangement balanced the average ratings between the groups.
In Rounds 1 to 3, each group played a round-robin internally. Then, for Rounds 4 and 5, the top two finishers from each group formed the Top Group, and the remaining players formed the Bottom Group. In these final two rounds, players faced only opponents from the other group, ensuring no repeated pairings and a fair competition structure.
This format also required an adjustment to the tie-break rules. The first tie-breaker was the direct encounter between tied players, followed by Berger–Sonneborn points.
The Senior 65+ first place went to Padraig Mac Cartaigh (1776), who delivered a brilliant performance throughout the weekend. He topped his initial group and then, in Round 4, faced the other group winner, Tim Harding (1967). In a tense and strategic battle (Tim Harding – Padraig Mac Cartaigh), Padraig emerged victorious. In the final round, he confidently secured the necessary draw to clinch the championship, becoming the 2025 Senior 65+ winner.