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Irish Chess Union
The Irish Chess Union (ICU; Irish: Aontas Fichille na hÉireann) is the governing body for chess in Ireland (the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) since its formation in 1912. ICU is a member of FIDE since 1933 and the European Chess Union. The ICU promotes chess in Ireland and maintains the chess rating for players registered with the ICU, which are published monthly. It runs competitions such as the Irish Chess Championship and selects teams to participate in international competitions for Ireland.
In 2005, in a dispute over fees, the Ulster Chess Union (UCU), which administers and develops chess in Northern Ireland, decided to end its affiliation with the Irish Chess Union, although the UCU accepted the ICU's continued organisation of the All-Ireland Championships. The UCU's application to affiliate to FIDE was rebuffed. In September 2018 the UCU re-affiliated to the ICU.
Leagues are held in the provinces, with the winning teams (and runners-up) playing off in the National Club Championships (although in recent years the Ulster leagues have not participated). The winning team and runners-up are entered into the European Club Championships.
Chess has been played in Ireland since medieval times. Chess was played and groups met with different degrees of formality in Dublin in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as an early incarnation of a Dublin Chess Club from 1813 to 1819 and the Dublin Philidorian Chess Society, which was formed at the Harp Coffee House in Dublin in 1819. Before the establishment of the ICU in 1912, chess competitions in Ireland were run under organisations named the Irish Chess Association (formed in 1885), the Hibernia Chess Association, or various chess clubs. Thomas Long, who organised the 1865 Dublin Masters, was the first president/chairman of the Irish Chess Association. He also helped found the Dublin Chess Club in 1867, the oldest chess club in Ireland. The Armstrong Cup is the oldest Irish team league competition and has been played every year since 1888, perhaps giving it a claim on the longest running chess competition in the world.[original research?][citation needed]
A book by Brian Nugent claims that "The Irish Invented Chess". While little details of the game played are given, a game bearing the same name as the modern game in Irish, ficheall, was played by the Fianna, using fir fichille, or chess men as far back as the 10th century according to The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne (Irish: Tóraíocht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne). In this ancient text a tale is told of a game between Fionn and Oisín. At three times during the game Oisín had a critical move to make but each time he was helped by Diarmuid, in the tree above him, dropping berries onto the right man to move.
The ICU has previously published magazines, such as the Irish Chess Journal, for members of the association. In 2007, to reduce costs, this was curtailed to a biannual online magazine. Since 2009, no journal has been produced. Junior Chess Corner was a magazine/ezine produced in 2007 by the ICU aimed at juniors and beginners.[citation needed]
There have been a number of incarnations of the official magazine from the ICU, such as Ficheall/Irish Chess Magazine in the 1950s and Chess in Ireland in the 1960s.
Competitions are held throughout the year mostly run by individual clubs or by provincial Unions such as the City of Dublin, Cork Congress (Mulcahy Cup), Bunratty, Limerick Open, Gonzaga Classic, Galway Congress, Drogheda, Malahide, Bray, Kilkenny Congress, Ulster and Leinster Championships. A number of tournaments have been held in the past:[citation needed][when?]
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Irish Chess Union AI simulator
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Irish Chess Union
The Irish Chess Union (ICU; Irish: Aontas Fichille na hÉireann) is the governing body for chess in Ireland (the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) since its formation in 1912. ICU is a member of FIDE since 1933 and the European Chess Union. The ICU promotes chess in Ireland and maintains the chess rating for players registered with the ICU, which are published monthly. It runs competitions such as the Irish Chess Championship and selects teams to participate in international competitions for Ireland.
In 2005, in a dispute over fees, the Ulster Chess Union (UCU), which administers and develops chess in Northern Ireland, decided to end its affiliation with the Irish Chess Union, although the UCU accepted the ICU's continued organisation of the All-Ireland Championships. The UCU's application to affiliate to FIDE was rebuffed. In September 2018 the UCU re-affiliated to the ICU.
Leagues are held in the provinces, with the winning teams (and runners-up) playing off in the National Club Championships (although in recent years the Ulster leagues have not participated). The winning team and runners-up are entered into the European Club Championships.
Chess has been played in Ireland since medieval times. Chess was played and groups met with different degrees of formality in Dublin in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as an early incarnation of a Dublin Chess Club from 1813 to 1819 and the Dublin Philidorian Chess Society, which was formed at the Harp Coffee House in Dublin in 1819. Before the establishment of the ICU in 1912, chess competitions in Ireland were run under organisations named the Irish Chess Association (formed in 1885), the Hibernia Chess Association, or various chess clubs. Thomas Long, who organised the 1865 Dublin Masters, was the first president/chairman of the Irish Chess Association. He also helped found the Dublin Chess Club in 1867, the oldest chess club in Ireland. The Armstrong Cup is the oldest Irish team league competition and has been played every year since 1888, perhaps giving it a claim on the longest running chess competition in the world.[original research?][citation needed]
A book by Brian Nugent claims that "The Irish Invented Chess". While little details of the game played are given, a game bearing the same name as the modern game in Irish, ficheall, was played by the Fianna, using fir fichille, or chess men as far back as the 10th century according to The Pursuit of Diarmuid and Gráinne (Irish: Tóraíocht Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne). In this ancient text a tale is told of a game between Fionn and Oisín. At three times during the game Oisín had a critical move to make but each time he was helped by Diarmuid, in the tree above him, dropping berries onto the right man to move.
The ICU has previously published magazines, such as the Irish Chess Journal, for members of the association. In 2007, to reduce costs, this was curtailed to a biannual online magazine. Since 2009, no journal has been produced. Junior Chess Corner was a magazine/ezine produced in 2007 by the ICU aimed at juniors and beginners.[citation needed]
There have been a number of incarnations of the official magazine from the ICU, such as Ficheall/Irish Chess Magazine in the 1950s and Chess in Ireland in the 1960s.
Competitions are held throughout the year mostly run by individual clubs or by provincial Unions such as the City of Dublin, Cork Congress (Mulcahy Cup), Bunratty, Limerick Open, Gonzaga Classic, Galway Congress, Drogheda, Malahide, Bray, Kilkenny Congress, Ulster and Leinster Championships. A number of tournaments have been held in the past:[citation needed][when?]