News
See Team > Leagues and Team > Junior Players and Fixtures links for team line-ups and results.
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16 Nov 2024 Portmarnock - Skerries A - A Tough Match, but Spirits Remain High
16 Nov 2024 Ennis team lost 6 - 0 away to MCC
03 Nov 2024 Resilience in Defeat: Skerries 3A team Match Against Drogheda B
30 Oct 2024 Portmarnock exact revenge against our first team
16 Oct 2024 Community Games - enter Early for €20
10 Oct 2024 First team lose away to Lucan
09 Oct 2024 Skerries A Kicks Off Season with Victory Over Skerries B
28 Sep 2024 Second Team Off to a Winning Start!
14 Sep 2024 Ennis team lose to Drumlish
27 Jul 2024 Killane team come third
17 Jul 2024 Cup Finals to be held in Skerries
17 Jul 2024 Guinness World Record Attempt
13 Jul 2024 Second team draw with Drumlish
09 Jul 2024 First team win makes qualification for semi-finals in Killane Shield likely
28 Jun 2024 Skerries first team grab a draw against Inchicore
26 Jun 2024 Skerries squeeze a win in the Killane Shield R1
21 Jun 2024 Willie Brennan Teams score some points
01 May 2024 Fingal Open a big success
13 Apr 2024 Community Games U11s progress to Leinster semis while U13s and U16s are knocked out
10 Apr 2024 Promotion hopes lessen after loss to Balbriggan
11 Mar 2024 Great Experience for 3rd team in Division 6N Bodley Cup
28 Feb 2024 Another 4 - 2 win for the first team at home to Phibsboro
17 Feb 2024 First team win 4 - 2 away to KoE/Rathmines
12 Feb 2024 Not a great result for our 3rd Team away to Drogheda.
30 Jan 2024 2nd team lost 0.5 - 5.5 away to Elm Mount
23 Jan 2024 Skerries Students' Success in Simul
15 Jan 2024 Junior U16s get Skerries' Best Result Ever in the Mick Germaine Cup
13 Jan 2024 Narrow win over Dundalk
17 Dec 2023 Two draws against the odds for 1st team
14 Dec 2023 Fingal Open Championships, Club Chs and Chess For All Programme
16 Nov 2023 3rd Team results - Division 6N Bodley Cup
08 Nov 2023 2 - 4 loss to St. Benildus for the first team not without hopeful signs
27 Oct 2023 1st team lose in Portmarnock
26 Oct 2023 Skerries Community Games Chess competition starts Tue 7 Nov
24 Oct 2023 2nd team landslide win vs Drumlish!
17 Oct 2023 1st team win and 2nd team start well
17 Oct 2023 Win for 3rd Team - in Division 6N Bodley Cup
10 Oct 2023 1st team get 1.5/2 so far vs. Lucan
07 Oct 2023 Mixed results for our two teams in Kilkenny
26 Sep 2023 Div 4 O'Hanlon Round 1
02 Sep 2023 Club reopens
16 Aug 2023 Willie Brennan Cup Win
29 Jul 2023 Silver in Leinster for U13s, 1st team through to Final of WBCup
24 Jul 2023 William Brennan Cup, Community Games, Irish Championships coming up
18 Jul 2023 1st team in Semi-final
04 Jul 2023 Willie Brennan Group B - R3 Win
27 Jun 2023 Great experience for 2nd team in WB Cup Group A
26 Jun 2023 Willie Brennan Group B - R3 begins
23 Jun 2023 First team draw with Dublin CC in WB Cup Group B
18 Jun 2023 Rd. 1 - William Brennan Cup 2023 - Group A - 2nd team
14 Jun 2023 Summer events, WBCup
15 May 2023 Enter Summer events, AGM tomorrow with Prizes for many
08 May 2023 Second team promoted, first team misses out, Martín's coaching, AGM and Prize giving.
03 May 2023 Martín's talks and other news
27 Apr 2023 First team drew 3-3
26 Apr 2023 Coaching Prizes, other news
04 Apr 2023 2nd team win!
21 Mar 2023 First team top the table after great win
11 Mar 2023 League Teams Questionnaire
03 Mar 2023 Ennis - Division 3 - Portmarnock v Skerries
01 Mar 2023 Assess your position and find Active Play, said Alice
25 Feb 2023 U13s are Dublin CG champions, Alice's talk on Active Play.
18 Feb 2023 1st and 3rd team win v Balbriggan and Drumlish
02 Feb 2023 1st team win, Players in Sligo
25 Jan 2023 Martín Krug talk, Results, Ratings, Alice Chess
21 Jan 2023 Community Games Dublin Finals U13 and U11 Team Events announced, 1st team lost today.
19 Jan 2023 Krishiv selected for National Junior Squad Coaching!
18 Jan 2023 Results, Pairings, Ratings, Matches, Talk from Martín, Coaching prizes
16 Jan 2023 Coaching, Games, Talks, Nikolai wins Cavan minor!
09 Jan 2023 Club Champs begin, ICU and LCU tournament results
13 Dec 2022 Test item
13 Dec 2022 Fourth in Mick Germaine Cup
05 Dec 2022 Mick Germaine Cup
23 Oct 2022 Community Games after Halloween
01 Oct 2022 First and third teams play first matches
13 Sep 2022 Alexiei competes in IM Norm event
11 Jun 2022 Skerries U13s win Silver Medals in Community Games Dublin Finals
29 Mar 2022 John Bolger Cup Skerries results
23 Mar 2022 Skerries finish second in Hibernian League Division 1!
Tue 26 Nov 2024 - Mark Allidine
2nd team narrowly defeated by Aer Lingus
Our second team narrowly lost 3-2 to Aer Lingus last night in the BEA Div 5 away match. Brian lost with black on board 1 vs Peter Conneely, a strong player. Mark played in advance vs Jim Kenny in Skerries and drew. Another draw came from Rory on board 3 vs a strong opponent. Our one win came from Adam who defeated a player rated 200 points higher! Charlie lost a hard game vs our old club mate Andrew Conneely. This result puts us on 11 points overall and towards the top half of the table with one more match to play before Christmas.
Sat 16 Nov 2024 - Rui Caneira
Portmarnock - Skerries A - A Tough Match, but Spirits Remain High
Despite a 4-1 loss in the Bodley today by our 3rd team, the true victory lies in the effort, determination, and love for the game our team showed. Every match is a step toward growth, and the most important part is having fun while giving it our all.
Special thanks to Aarathya and Adhisya for stepping in as subs—an extra shout-out to Aarathya for securing the win! A big round of applause for Niamh, who did an excellent job leading the team as captain today.
Sat 16 Nov 2024 - John Loughran
Ennis team lost 6 - 0 away to MCC
League leaders, Master Chess Club, with 3 players rated over 2000, proved too strong for our 1st team, who fought bravely. Our subs Rui and Ethan played really well while Miguel was in with a shout right up to the end in a Q + P ending. Hoping for better at home to St. Benildus B on 10 Dec. Meeting up on Sunday at 1:30 pm in the Gladstone Lounge to go over our games. All welcome. Third team should bring theirs too.
Sun 3 Nov 2024 - Rui Caneira
Resilience in Defeat: Skerries 3A team Match Against Drogheda B
On Saturday 2 Nov, Skerries A faced Drogheda B and unfortunately lost 0.5 - 4.5 in the Bodley North division. Despite the result, our players put in a commendable effort, with Yuri managing to secure a draw.
While this wasn’t the outcome we hoped for, our team remains in a strong position within the division, and all options are still on the table moving forward.
Wed 30 Oct 2024 - John Loughran
Portmarnock exact revenge against our first team
Two years ago we beat them 6 - 0 away. This year they got revenge in style winning 4.5 - 1.5 despite conceding a walkover on board 6. While all our players fought well to try and salvage worse positions, the only one who managed a draw was Mark. While our results are disappointing, at least we are picking up a few points in each match so far.
Wed 16 Oct 2024 - John Loughran
Community Games - enter Early for €20
The Community Games Skerries Chess Finals will again run in Skerries Chess Club (in the Bridge Club premises) on 6 Tuesdays from 5 Nov to 10 Dec, from 7 - 8:15 pm.
It is open to all Skerries residents who are under 16 on 31st July 2025. There are medals for U16s, U13s and U11s and the event will be used to select teams to represent Skerries in the Dublin finals in these age groups next spring. Last year we won in all age groups but then lost the Leinster finals.
A reduced entry fee of €20 is available for those who enter by this Tuesday 23 Oct (or €30 by Mon 4 Nov, or €35 after that).
To enter please ring John Loughran 086 3745410, who will help you to do Join > Apply/Try and to Enter on the skerrieschess.com web app.
Thu 10 Oct 2024 - John Loughran
First team lose away to Lucan
Our Ennis team lost 4 - 2 to a very evenly matched Lucan side in the Prebyterian church there on Thursday night. Miguel was our only winner while John Loughran and Mark Allidine drew. This leaves us lower mid table after two rounds. Full results on pages linked above.
Wed 9 Oct 2024 - Rui Caneira
Skerries A Kicks Off Season with Victory Over Skerries B
Skerries A celebrated a successful start to their season by winning their opening match 3.5 - 1.5 against Skerries B. The team displayed solid skills and determination, highlighted by wins from Rui Caneira and Chadwick Samuel. Well-deserved draws came from Yuri Gaspar and Neel Raparthi, while Charlie Leonard secured a clever draw that added to the team's overall performance. Notable moments included some tense endgame showdowns. With a blend of experienced members and enthusiastic newcomers, Skerries A’s teamwork and spirit suggest a promising season ahead.
Sat 28 Sep 2024 - Mark Allidine
Second Team Off to a Winning Start!
Our second team began their league campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Chess Kings. Wins came from Mark, Damian and Adam on boards 2, 3 and 4 respectively. Skerries also collected a point for a walkover for Charlie on board 5. Brian suffered a hard fought loss vs Dariy, a very strong junior player on board 1. Overall, a very positive result for the team and nice to start the year with a statement of intent versus a strong side! Tús maith leath na hoibre.
Sat 14 Sep 2024 - John Loughran
Ennis team lose to Drumlish
Our 1st team lost 4 - 2 to Drumlish at home this afternoon. John Costello had travelled to Drumlish last night to play their board 1 and managed a win, while John Loughran won today. The others lost but the games were close and at least two could have gone in our favour. The quality of our play was good and creative, especially among our two subs. A reasonable start against a strong team. Results on the links above.
Sat 27 Jul 2024 - John Loughran
Killane team come third
We lost our semifinal 3.5 - 2.5 against a determined UCD team despite great wins by Alexiei and John C and a draw by Mark. In the finals UCD went on to give Dundalk a good run for their money though Dundalk won the Shield in the end. As DCU gave us a walkover in the playoff we at least got 3rd place plaques for all members of the team: Alexiei, John C, John L, Lorcán, Owen, Mark, Paul, Rory, Yuri - well done to all! Detailed results in links above. John Loughran has just published a history of the Leagues and Cups on the LCU website League History link.
Wed 17 Jul 2024 - John Loughran
Cup Finals to be held in Skerries
On Sat 27 July in St. Patrick's Senior NS, Skerries will host the semi-finals and finals of the Branagan, Killane and Brennan Cups, a great honour for us. All are welcome to spectate, from 10:00 - 19:30. Our Killane team may still qualify depending on the result of a match on 20 July between Dublin and Inchicore. Last year we won the Brennan Cup and in 2019 the Killane Shield, which you can see on our new club History page under WhatsOn > History.
Wed 17 Jul 2024 - John Loughran
Guinness World Record Attempt
On Saturday 20 July in Scotch Hall, Drogheda CC are hosting an official Guinness World Record Attempt for the most games played in 24 hours. All are welcome to come and go as they please. See icu.ie event page.
Sat 13 Jul 2024 - Tomasz Florczak
Second team draw with Drumlish
Today our second team drew a match 3 - 3 with the Drumlish team at home. Mark, Damian and Peadar were our winners. All the games were close and everybody had great fun.
Tue 9 Jul 2024 - John Loughran
First team win makes qualification for semi-finals in Killane Shield likely
Our 1st team beat St. Benildus 5.5 - 0.5 tonight at home in R3 of the Killane, thanks to wins by Alexiei and Paul, and a draw by John. They could only field 3 players and Lorcán arrived late hence the switch in board order. We have to wait and see how Inchicore do against Dublin. They each had 1/2 point more than us after two rounds so unless one of them wins by a massive margin it is likely we will top the group and qualify for the semifinals. The semis and finals of all the Cups will be held on Sat 27 July in St. Patrick's SNS, Skerries. Unfortunately our third team lost tonight and will not qualify for the Brennan Cup, while our second team play their last group match this Sat 13 July.
Fri 28 Jun 2024 - Rory Clarke
Skerries first team grab a draw against Inchicore
In R2 of the Killane Shield, our first team faced off against Inchicore away. The game ended 3-3, with great wins from John Costello and John Loughran. Owen was able to nick a draw in a worse position, and Paul also was able to pick up a draw. Losses came from Rory and Lorcán, who fought well. In the end though, the team grabbed a great draw against a strong team.
Wed 26 Jun 2024 - Rory Clarke
Skerries squeeze a win in the Killane Shield R1
We had a great first game in the Killane Shield last night for the first team, where we hosted Dublin. We had three wins, from Owen, who got a great position out of the French defence, from Mark, who luckily got out of a worse rook endgame into a winning R+P ending and then a winning K+P ending, and Lorcán, who converted a kingside attack very well in a QID. We nicked a draw thanks to Yuri, who graciously subbed for us, and was unlucky to take a draw in a great position. Finally, the two captains ended up with the only losses of the team. Round ended 3.5-2.5
Fri 21 Jun 2024 - John Loughran
Willie Brennan Teams score some points
Both our 2nd and 3rd teams did well in the last few days. While not winning they left themselves with a fighting chance of qualifying in the remaining rounds. Our 2nd team lost 4 - 2 away to Phibsboro on Monday, and our 3rd team lost 3.5 - 2.5 away to Naomh Barróg on Thursday. Well done to new captains Tomasz Florczak and Adam Scanlon respectively who selected and organized the teams and entered results which can be seen on the pages linked above. These included some wins and some fine draws against stronger opposition and gives great experience not only to our fearless junior combatants but also to some adults who are new to league and cup chess matches. Well done to all! Good luck to our 1st team who host Dublin at home in the Killane this Tuesday 25th June. See News > Calendar for all fixtures as well as the Fixtures links above.
Wed 1 May 2024 - John Loughran
Fingal Open a big success
The Fingal Open, co-funded by Fingal Co. Co. Development Fund, was a great success with 58 entrants from 10 different countries of origin, including 10 from other clubs and another 10 who had no club. Lots of adult and junior beginners took part and got hooked, and the club gained quite a few new members. Prize giving last night was covered by Skerries News which will have a pictorial report out this Friday! Overall joint winners of the Fingal Open Championship Cup were Emmet O'Rourke from DCU and John Loughran who is also Club Champion. The Boys' cup was retained by Lorcán McDonnell Ryan while Aarathya Muthu Thirupathi won the Girls' cup. Other prize winners can be seen if you choose the Tournament link above. The beginners and seasoned players learned a lot from FIDE Master Zalan Nemeth, who concluded his coaching series with the fifth lesson, on rook endgames. All his lessons are available on the lichess study. Fun games this Tuesday coming.
Sat 13 Apr 2024 - John Loughran
Community Games U11s progress to Leinster semis while U13s and U16s are knocked out
Enniskerry beat Kilcullen 4.5 - 0.5 in the 1/8 finals and were then beaten 3 - 2 in the 1/4 finals today in Skerries by our U11s who progress to the Leinster semi-finals and possibly finals on Sat 27 April in Longford. Today our U16s were knocked out by Kilcullen 3 - 2 in the 1/8 finals, who then lost to Enniskerry 3 - 2 who progress. Last Tuesday our U13s lost 3 - 2 to Kilcullen who went on to beat Enniskerry 5 - 0 and progress. With such a narrow loss we cannot help wondering what might have been if one of our players had not entered availability late and another two arrived late, or indeed if we were given more time to organize our team, which had to be done during school holidays. Great credit is due to all players who played well and in a sporting manner and to the managers Eva (U16s), Frank (U13s) and Sandra (U11s) and John. At least each county has one team going forward to the semis. You can see who won in each match in the Players link for each team on the Team > Junior page linked above.
Wed 10 Apr 2024 - John Loughran
Promotion hopes lessen after loss to Balbriggan
Our first team lost 1.5 - 4.5 at home to Balbriggan last night who fielded a very strong team including new players. All played well including John, Joe and Rory who got draws against stronger players. Greg defended bravely as did Mark but were eventually overcome. Miguel got down to defending a R+P v R ending, in the Philidor position. He lost but he says this will motivate him to study his endgames. Zalan's next coaching session covers R+P endings. While not impossible, promotion is less likely now, though all depends on our last two rounds when we will have strong players available.
Mon 11 Mar 2024 - Samuel Basker
Great Experience for 3rd team in Division 6N Bodley Cup
Our third team lost to 0.5-4.5 to a strong Drogheda B side, but gained valuable experience, Mati drew his game. Great experience for new players.
Wed 28 Feb 2024 - John Loughran
Another 4 - 2 win for the first team at home to Phibsboro
A great result against a strong Phibsboro team with Greg and Joe drawing and Miguel, John and Rory winning. Yuri played well and lost but spent ages analysing which is the best way to improve. This leaves us in 3rd place in the table with promotion hopes very much intact, though other teams have games in hand and one or two may overtake us. The second team got a handy 6 - 0 walkover against Gonzaga who could not field a team, which helps with their hopes of staying up in Div 4. 3rd team game next Tuesday is off as Drogheda B never materialized. Coaching with Zalan next Tuesday.
Sat 17 Feb 2024 - John Loughran
First team win 4 - 2 away to KoE/Rathmines
The first team beat Knights of Éanna/Rathmines 4 - 2 in Div 3 last night with wins for debutants Miguel Silveiro and Rajiv Gicale. John Costello also won while John Loughran and Joe Dunne drew. This keeps us close to the promotion zone and gives us a boost ahead of our home match against Phibsboro on 27 Feb. Full results in links above.
Mon 12 Feb 2024 - Samuel Basker
Not a great result for our 3rd Team away to Drogheda.
Our 3rd team lost 0 - 5 to the Drogheda A team. Thier A team had strong players with high ICU ratings, but our boys and girls put in amazing hard work. Despite losing, our players learned a lot from the match, and gained valuable experience.
Tue 30 Jan 2024 - John Loughran
2nd team lost 0.5 - 5.5 away to Elm Mount
Mark did a great job getting a team out to play away in Elm Mount last night. He writes "Owen nicked a draw for us and I lost a tough one against Peter Scott. Adam very nearly got us a good result as well. We live to fight another day." Unfortunately we are now in the relegation zone and will need all hands on deck in the next two home games and an away match to the Curragh to ensure our survival before the final round. Na Sceirí abú!
Tue 23 Jan 2024 - Rory Clarke
Skerries Students' Success in Simul
The Skerries Chess Club's masterclasses were a complete success yesterday in Skerries Community College as John Loughran gave a simultneous exhibition against eleven TY students in the canteen during their lunch break. While he won all his games bar three, he was forced to concede two draws against Sam Zomer and our newest member Nikita Shrobotko and one loss against Rory Clarke. The event was a great publicity stunt for chess in the College and hopefully the start of a strong relationship between the school and the club! ♟️
Mon 15 Jan 2024 - Helena Flynn
Junior U16s get Skerries' Best Result Ever in the Mick Germaine Cup
Our Junior under 16s came third (on tie break for second) in The Mick Germaine Cup on Sunday.
This was the team's highest placing ever and it was well deserved.
It was a fantastic day with some nail biting matches for the team and for us as spectators.
Well done to Shane (Captain), Neel and Yuri who tied for the board prize and to Mati who played in his first ever tournament.
Everybody played their part and an enjoyable day was had by all.
Sat 13 Jan 2024 - John Loughran
Narrow win over Dundalk
Our first team beat a strong Dundalk team 3.5 - 2.5 in Div 3 Ennis today thanks to wins by Joe, John Loughran and Mark and a draw by Paul. John Costello and Greg played boards 1 and 2. Though they lost, their presence there made our win possible by pushing the rest of us down the boards. See full results in links above already!
Sun 17 Dec 2023 - John Loughran
Two draws against the odds for 1st team
Despite fielding an incomplete team, for the first time in memory, our first team got two draws away to Drumlish yesterday, thanks to Rory who travelled, and Lorcán, who played on 5 Dec in Skerries. John, Joe and Yuri also travelled, played well but lost against mostly stronger opponents. Even though we lost 5 - 1, the point we gained may be crucial later on so well done to all who made the journey so close to Christmas. Our next match is at home to Dundalk on Sat 13 Jan, when we hope to have a stronger team available.
Thu 14 Dec 2023 - John Loughran
Fingal Open Championships, Club Chs and Chess For All Programme
The Fingal Open incorporating the Club Championships are advertised on the icu event page, with full details in the article. Also see the Tournament > Play page. This includes details of coaching sessions being given by FIDE Master Zalan Nemeth in between rounds. Thanks to funding from the Fingal Co. Co. Development Office we are encouraging participation in the coaching or chess tuition from some groups in Skerries including the Red Bank, our Ukrainian visitors and Skerries Autism Friendly Town, and also in the tournament if some are interested.
Thu 16 Nov 2023 - Samuel Basker
3rd Team results - Division 6N Bodley Cup
Our third team lost 1.5 - 3.5 against a strong team, Blanchardstown A at home on Tuesday. Chadwick won, and Shane Adams showed great endgame technique and tenacity to draw his game. This keeps us in the top half of the table as you will see in the links above.
Wed 8 Nov 2023 - John Loughran
2 - 4 loss to St. Benildus for the first team not without hopeful signs
Despite the result, the games were close. Rory beat a seasoned veteran, no mean feat for a relative beginner. Shane's endgame play impressed me. Though he lost he made his opponent work hard to beat him, a great sign. Full results in links above. We maintain our third place in the league table and look forward to our visit to Drumlish on 16 Dec.
Fri 27 Oct 2023 - John Loughran
1st team lose in Portmarnock
Our 1st team lost 2.5 - 3.5 in Portmarnock last night, though Alexiei is still on 100% and Adam got a draw on his debut.
Thu 26 Oct 2023 - John Loughran
Skerries Community Games Chess competition starts Tue 7 Nov
Open to all Skerries residents (including non members) or members of Skerries Chess Club who will be U11, U13 or U16 on 31/7/2024. For full details see the Play menu > Tournament. To enter please Contact us. We will explain how to Apply (under Join when you log in), Enter (under Play) and pay.
Tue 24 Oct 2023 - Mark Allidine
2nd team landslide win vs Drumlish!
Our second team picked up a crushing victory over Drumlish tonight. Wins came from Mark and Lorcán with Owen securing a victory last week alongside an important half point from Rory. Walkovers on boards 5 and 6 mean we scored a 5.5 - 0.5 win which should propel us up a few places on the leaderboard as the fight to stay in division 4 continues!
Tue 17 Oct 2023 - John Loughran
1st team win and 2nd team start well
The first team won 5-1 at home to Lucan tonight in Div 3 Ennis. In the four games played tonight Lorcán drew, Greg had a very tactical and strategic win, Joe was better from the opening and won a rook ending. The last game to finish was Mark who won a fine queen and minor piece ending finishing in style by gaining the opposition in a classic pawn ending that Jeremy Silman would have been proud of. The second team played two boards in advance against Drumlish with a fine win by Owen and a tense draw by Rory.
Tue 17 Oct 2023 - Samuel Basker
Win for 3rd Team - in Division 6N Bodley Cup
Fantastic results for 3rd team against Blanchardstown B at home 3-2. The two losses were close ones, and great kudos to all!!!
Tue 10 Oct 2023 - John Loughran
1st team get 1.5/2 so far vs. Lucan
Alexiei won and I drew against Lucan tonight leaving us a point ahead for the remainder of the games which are on next week, alongside the third team match, both at home.
Sat 7 Oct 2023 - John Loughran
Mixed results for our two teams in Kilkenny
Our first team beat Kilkenny's Div 3 Ennis team today 4 - 2 with wins by Alexiei, Joe and two subs Owen and Krishiv. John Costello and John Loughran both lost but played well. Having supplied two subs to the first team our second team could only field a team of three players, partly due to some late withdrawals. Mark, Rory and Adam played well against some high rated players (1500 - 1300) but in the end were overwhelmed although Mark said he narrowly missed a win against the 1500 player. Full results in the links above in due course. The two rookie captains Owen and Mark did a great job in fielding any team at all given the circumstances. Despite our slow start in Div 4 O'Hanlon there are other teams struggling too and our hopes of staying up are nowhere near over and will depend on how we do over the whole season, starting with a home match against Drumlish two weeks from today.
Tue 26 Sep 2023 - Mark Allidine
Div 4 O'Hanlon Round 1
Our second team got off to a tough start last week vs Finglas at home. Lorcán salvaged our only half point on board 3 with a comfortable opposite coloured bishop and pawn endgame. There were other closely fought battles that saw our players narrowly miss out on some additional points and half points. The game finished 0.5-5.5 in favour of Finglas. The battle to stay in division 4 is only getting started!
Sat 2 Sep 2023 - John Loughran
Club reopens
Chess club reopens in the Bridge Club on Tue 5 Sep at 7 pm.
Wed 16 Aug 2023 - Cian Griffin
Willie Brennan Cup Win
Our first team won the Willie Brennan Cup on Wednesday night away in Greystones (3.5-2.5). An extremely tight match going down to the last seconds on the final board where John L. was able to turn a tight position into a win. Mark and Cian also had wins while Joe had drawn his game played previously in Skerries. Great work by everyone involved throughout the Cup and a brilliant end to the season. Full results as above.
Sat 29 Jul 2023 - John Loughran
Silver in Leinster for U13s, 1st team through to Final of WBCup
Our U13s won silver medals in the Leinster finals of the Community Games today in Longford! In the semifinal they beat Enniskerry 3.5 - 1.5 but lost 5 - 0 in the final to a strong team from Westmeath. There was great excitement and thanks to captain/manager Eva and accompanying parents. In other news our first team beat Master Chess Club 4 - 2 on Tuesday to progress to the final away to Bray/Greystones on Wed 16 Aug.
Mon 24 Jul 2023 - John Loughran
William Brennan Cup, Community Games, Irish Championships coming up
Under News > Calendar you can see that the first team play the semi-final of the Cup tomorrow in the club. Spectators are welcome. Our U13s do battle on Saturday in the Leinster finals in Longford (round times not confirmed yet). There are tournaments to suit all ratings in the Irish Championships which are in Stillorgan in early August, and rapid and blitz events too. See ICU link above for all details.
Tue 18 Jul 2023 - John Loughran
1st team in Semi-final
As we hoped, our first team topped Group B on tie-break and are through to the semi-final of the W.B.Cup against Master CC, the runners up in Group A. All are welcome to watch the match at 7:30 on Tue 25 July in the club. Members can see team order in the Players link on the Team page. Apart from these matches the club is closed for the summer and reopens on Tue 5 Sep.
Tue 4 Jul 2023 - Mark Allidine
Willie Brennan Group B - R3 Win
Skerries finished off the job vs Phibsboro at home last night. Wins came from Mark on board four and Lorcán on board six. Joe played out a comfortable draw on board three to put Skerries through to the semis as 5-1 winners over Phibsboro.
Tue 27 Jun 2023 - John Loughran
Great experience for 2nd team in WB Cup Group A
We lost 1.5 - 4.5 tonight at home to Elm Mount. See results in links above. The highlight for me was Adam's draw a piece down. His K, moving between h1 and g2, held back a black P on h2 supported by a N on g4, with a black K that was powerless to intervene without giving stalemate. Fantastic experience for all the players.
Mon 26 Jun 2023 - Cian Griffin
Willie Brennan Group B - R3 begins
Three first team members traveled to Phibsboro on Monday night scoring well, 2.5 / 3. The remaining matches will take place on Tuesday July 4th in Skerries. Spectators are welcome (club nights will have finished by then!). Results in Team link above as usual. We have qualified which is great, and we still have a chance to top the group.
Fri 23 Jun 2023 - John Loughran
First team draw with Dublin CC in WB Cup Group B
Our 1st team drew 3 - 3 with Dublin Chess Club last night in Fitzwilliam Sq. All results as in links above. This means that to top the group we have to win at least 5 - 1 against Phibsboro on 4 July, though 3 of us are playing this Monday as we are not around on 4 July. A tall order. To qualify we need 2.5 points/6. Last club night this Tuesday, see you there!
Sun 18 Jun 2023 - Leonardo Latorre
Rd. 1 - William Brennan Cup 2023 - Group A - 2nd team
We came home with a loss against Master Chess Club but it was a well fought one.
Every single player from Skerries had to play seasoned higher rated players across all boards. Fair play to Nicolai who battled with a 1207 rated player. Hands up for Chadwick too, who managed to score a win. John adds: Unfortunately as an ineligible player who had not played in the leagues for us this season, his win only counts for rating, not for the team. Well done to captains Sridhar and Leo!
Wed 14 Jun 2023 - John Loughran
Summer events, WBCup
Summer events continue next week and the week after, which is our last week officially. Pairings up since last Wednesday. Please update availability for both events on the Play > Tmt page links as usual.
The WBCup continues into July. See Team > Leagues links for 1st and 2nd team to see what board you are, if you are playing. If you are selected and need to change that, contact your team captain.
Last night we had great fun playing friendly Swap Chess games.
Nikolai and Krishiv won prizes for best in the Fox and the Murray sections in the Drogheda congress.
Mon 15 May 2023 - John Loughran
Enter Summer events, AGM tomorrow with Prizes for many
We have our Annual General Meeting tomorrow with Prize Giving tomorrow (See News >. Many have won prizes so do not miss out! If passed at the AGM the late fee will be €10 from now on so do not be late entering the Summer Handicap and Classic on the Play page, deadline tomorrow. More news tomorrow at the AGM followed by friendly games. See you there! Juniors do not forget to enter the Community Games Leinster finals on the Team > Junior page, and all may enter the William Brennan Cup on the Team > Leagues page. We have to submit a team/teams soon.
Mon 8 May 2023 - John Loughran
Second team promoted, first team misses out, Martín's coaching, AGM and Prize giving.
Yesterday in Coláiste Éanna the second team won 5 - 0 and will be promoted to Div 4 O'Hanlon Cup. See all detailed results in the links above. The first team missed out on promotion by 1 point, which reminds me of a few games that got away from me during the season. Martín gave us three coaching sessions over the weekend, and will invite some members to an experimental remote video coaching series. Invitees will see details later on the Learn page.
The Blitz is on tomorrow and the AGM with Prize giving is on Tue 16 May at 7 pm.
Wed 3 May 2023 - John Loughran
Martín's talks and other news
See News > Calendar for details about Martín's talks this Friday and Saturday. See the post below about our final round chances this weekend. Ratings done, coaching recorded, pairings for Blitz will be done later today, after which a late entry fee applies. Prizewinners on Play page for Rapid Tournament. Well done to all!
Thu 27 Apr 2023 - John Loughran
First team drew 3-3
The first team drew 3 - 3 in St. Benildus last night. Full results on Team > Leagues page. This keeps us in contention for promotion if get 1½ points more than our rivals in the last round on Sunday week. While Kilkenny face a tough game agains St. Benildus, Gorey have arguably an easier match against Portmarnock than we have against Knights of Éanna/Rathmines, especially in their home venue. The match starts at 3 pm in Coláiste Éanna and spectators are welcome to support both our 1st and 2nd teams in their bids for promotion. Meanwhile in a minor side show Ding faces Nepo in their final classical game for the World Championship this Saturday live on the internet at 10 am.
Wed 26 Apr 2023 - John Loughran
Coaching Prizes, other news
Coaching prizes were won by John Loughran (coaching) and by Owen Johnston (being coached) last night. They were awarded by chance using cards. The number of cards a person got depended on the number of minutes they coached and were coached, respectively. More coaching prizes later so please record all coaching given and received on the noticeboard. Please answer the League Teams questionnaire below if you have not done so.
Ratings and Pairings for next week are done, including for new members who we welcome as always. Please enter the Blitz on the Tournament page by 2 May to avoid the late fee. The AGM will probably be on the 16 May. See News > Calendar later for the date.
Tue 4 Apr 2023 - Mark Allidine
2nd team win!
Great result for the 2nd team vs Phibsboro B at home. 4.5 - .5. Wins on all boards except for a great recovery from Owen to clinch a draw. An excellent result for promotion hopes!
Tue 21 Mar 2023 - John Loughran
First team top the table after great win
Our first team beat Phibsboro at home 5.5 - 0.5 tonight. Alexiei drew, while Greg, John, Joe, Owen and Cian on his debut, all won. In fairness we were trying to emulate the success of our second team. Now we have a real chance of promotion.
Sat 11 Mar 2023 - John Loughran
League Teams Questionnaire
All members are required to fill out the short League Teams questionnaire, to gauge interest for next season, including if you do not wish to play. This link is at the top of the Team > Leagues page too.
Fri 3 Mar 2023 - Paul Ryan
Ennis - Division 3 - Portmarnock v Skerries
Our first team had a fantastic win away to Portmarnock, winning 6-0. Enda played a particularly amazing game. We are now in contention for promotion. See full results on Leagues page.
Wed 1 Mar 2023 - John Loughran
Assess your position and find Active Play, said Alice
Irish international Alice O'Gorman gave an inspiring talk last night to members. For a summary and link to the positions and games she showed us see Learn - Master Classes.
Sat 25 Feb 2023 - John Loughran
U13s are Dublin CG champions, Alice's talk on Active Play.
Our U13s won gold while our U11s won silver medals in the Dublin Finals of the Community Games Chess competition held in Coláiste Éanna last night. See reports with pics on Team > Junior page.
Do not miss the talk from Irish International player Alice O'Gorman this Tuesday soon after 7 pm in the club, who may give some tips to our youngsters on how to progress from playing for Skerries to playing for Ireland.
Sat 18 Feb 2023 - John Loughran
1st and 3rd team win v Balbriggan and Drumlish
Today Skerries first team won 5 - 1 at home to Balbriggan as shown below while our third team won 3 - 2 at home to Drumlish, their first match victory, well deserved with wins by Lorcán, Dermot (captain) and finally Jacob in a nail biter. Full results soon on Leinster leagues - see Team > Leagues in the Fixtures, results links.
Thu 2 Feb 2023 - John Loughran
1st team win, Players in Sligo
After Martín's talk which Joe and John attended, among others, we three drove to Dublin chess club. Joined by Alexiei, Greg and Paul we beat second placed Dublin 4.5 - 1.5, perhaps inspired by Martín. This weekend John, Nikolai and Mary play in Sligo. See icu.ie for details. To find Results just search for it on the new search page. The Fixtures, results link on the League page has full details. We have climbed out of the relegation zone for now to above mid-table, looking forward to our next match versus Balbriggan. See Calendar for full schedule of matches and club tournaments and talks. Will the next talk by Alice inspire you in your next match?
Wed 25 Jan 2023 - John Loughran
Martín Krug talk, Results, Ratings, Alice Chess
Martín Krug will give a talk in the club next Tuesday at 5 - 6 pm on 'Chess Lies'. He is a strong player from Argentina living in Spain who plays for us the odd time and always entertains us with his chess talks, training us and inspiring us before our first team head off to play Dublin. In the normal club from 7 on we have friendlies and catch up games. Results and Ratings from last night are done and on our site. On Tue 28 Feb we will have a talk from a young Irish International player Alice O'Gorman at 7 pm. See News > Calendar for details of all events.
Sat 21 Jan 2023 - John Loughran
Community Games Dublin Finals U13 and U11 Team Events announced, 1st team lost today.
See details and enter your availability for selection for the U13 or U11 teams, or for both, on the Team > Junior page. In other news our first team lost to Kilkenny today. Results on Team > Leagues page in Player panels link. 2nd team play Blanchardstown on Monday. You should see results there too.
Thu 19 Jan 2023 - John Loughran
Krishiv selected for National Junior Squad Coaching!
Krishiv Thoppe has been selected for coaching by the coaches for the international team (including GMs and IMs). For full details see ICU - National Junior Squad Coaching 2023 - Selections. This may be based on his ICU rating of 734 and his age. We all know many strong juniors of a similar age in our club who would perhaps qualify if they had an ICU rating. Many will get one once the leagues are over, which may be too late for selection. To get a rating faster juniors should play in external tournaments. See the Calendar on the ICU website to see when these occur. Myself and Leo are playing in Sligo. Alas we are too old for selection! :-)
Wed 18 Jan 2023 - John Loughran
Results, Pairings, Ratings, Matches, Talk from Martín, Coaching prizes
Results, pairings, ratings updated (Section D to follow). See Play, Rating pages. Round 2 in club ch. is this Tue 24-Jan.
Members, parents can now see contact details in Play-Members page.
Lots of matches coming up - see News-Calendar.
Coaching was well attended but poorly recorded. Please record on chart on noticeboard. There will be prizes for coaching given and received, decided by a random drawing of tickets. 1 ticket = 1 hour coaching.
Martín Krug (ESP) will give a chess demonstration lecture on 31-Jan from 5 - 6 pm in the club on "Chess Lies", aimed at juniors and seniors.
Mon 16 Jan 2023 - John Loughran
Coaching, Games, Talks, Nikolai wins Cavan minor!
Coaching starts at 7 pm this Tuesday 17-Jan. Coaches and students please find each other at the start, and record coaching done on the sheet on the notice board. Use the skills cards from the folder if you like and replace them in alphabetical order by first name after coaching. Use extra cards as a coaching diary if you like. See the new Learn page on the club web app (website), and study one topic e.g. mate with 2 Bishops. John will give a talk tomorrow on 4.Ng5 in the Giocco Piano opening.
Games this Tuesday include catchup club ch. games and friendly challenges (rated). Enter all results on the Results Sheet and Club Ch Results sheet on the noticeboard.
Also practice for Rapid tournament coming up soon by playing games using 15+10s time control.
Supervisors - please update your availability for the rota on the Join page, or you may be assigned to supervise on a night that does not suit you. Deadline this Tuesday please.
Third team players please indicate availability for changed fixtures on Team - Leagues - 3rd Team page.
We will soon have a visit from John Costello from the Isle of Man, who will play for our first team on 21-Jan. Then on 31-Jan Martín Krug will come from Spain to play and give a talk in the club. We plan to have another talk from Irish international Alice O'Gorman soon too.
Nikolai Dimitrov came first on 4.5/5 in the Cavan Minor (U1200) section this weekend. See results, event page.
Mon 9 Jan 2023 - John Loughran
Club Champs begin, ICU and LCU tournament results
This Tuesday 10 Jan the Club Championships begin with four sections A, B, C and D. These are all-play-all (round robin) events apart from Sec D which is a Swiss, the usual format. Go to Play, Tournament, Club Ch... to see Pairings.
In the last few days Nikolai got 2/7 in the Irish Over 65s Champs in Stillorgan. Jacob got 3/5 in the Leinster U12 Champs there too. Charlie got 2/6 in the U8s and enjoyed it. Result for that were not uploaded.
2nd team match on Tuesday see Calendar.
Tue 13 Dec 2022 - John Loughran
Fourth in Mick Germaine Cup
Our junior team came fourth in the Mick Germaine Cup on Sun 11 Dec 2022, our highest placing ever. Well done to the team: Krishiv (captain), Lorcán (board prize), Shane and Stan. Details on Team Junior page. Pics on WhatsApp.
Mon 5 Dec 2022 - John Loughran
Mick Germaine Cup
A junior team event in Droumcondra on 11 Dec 2022, which is open to all who are under 16 on 1/1/23. See Team > Junior for details and to enter.
Sun 23 Oct 2022 - John Loughran
Community Games after Halloween
We are again hosting the Community Games Skerries Chess Finals, starting at 7 pm in the Bridge Club 73B Strand Street on Tuesday 8th November.
The Entry Fee is €2 for non members, to cover the cost of Community Games Medals for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place in each of the U-16, U-13 and U-11 age groups. Players must be under 16 on the 31st July next year, with an address in the Skerries area. For the duration of the competition players will be free members of the Skerries Chess Club. They must Login and Join on the website. One parent of each player must be Garda vetted and should bring Photo ID and Proof of Address with them on the first night or contact our Vetting Officer in advance. For more information see our website or contact us. The tournament will be used to select players to represent Skerries on the U16, U13 and U11 teams in the Community Games Dublin Finals next spring. Encourage your friends to enter. For an account of last year's Dublin finals with photos see Team > Junior. Prizegiving for the Autumn tournaments will be on Tue 8 Nov 2022.
Sat 1 Oct 2022 - John Loughran
First and third teams play first matches
The first team won 3.5 - 2.5 at home to the Curragh this afternoon in the Bridge club with wins for Joe and Paul, while Greg drew and John (captain) and Mark both lost. Owen got a walkover on board 6 as they were unable to field a full team. Not so for our captain Dermot who organized a full team of mainly novices to play away in DCU. While they lost 5 - 0 many of the games were close, Dermot lasting the longest. Playing for DCU was our former member Finn Woodlock. They all enjoyed their games and for some their first compeditive games. Soon you will be able to see detailed scores, ratings, team line ups on the Team > Leagues page, by choosing the link for each team, as well as the latest fixtures following recent changes.
Tue 13 Sep 2022 - John Loughran
Alexiei competes in IM Norm event
Currently Alexiei Bottino, who will play for us this year in the leagues, is competing in an International Master Norm event. See results here: https://www.icu.ie/articles/984.
Sat 11 Jun 2022 - John Loughran
Skerries U13s win Silver Medals in Community Games Dublin Finals
Skerries came second to Marley Grange. See full pictorial report with pictures on Teams > Community Ganes > 2022.
Tue 29 Mar 2022 - John Loughran
John Bolger Cup Skerries results
Three Skerries players played in the John Bolger Cup in Coláiste Éanna, Ballyroan at the weekend. In the 2nd section (<1900 ICU ratings) John Loughran scored 3.5/6 and Nikolai Dimitrov got 1/6 while in the third section (<1200 icu) Andrew Conneely got 4/6 in his first tournament!
Detailed results can be seen on chess-results.com. There is more information on upcoming events on icu.ie and on our own Calendar page in the menus above.
Wed 23 Mar 2022 - John Loughran
Skerries finish second in Hibernian League Division 1!
On 22nd March 2022 the Skerries first team, playing in Division 1 (of 3 divisions) in the Hibernian Online Chess League, drew 2 - 2 with Drogheda, to secure second place. This was behind the winners, Dublin Chess Club, but ahead of 17 other teams that entered from Ireland. The team consisted of Martin Krug, Greg Pawlowski, John Loughran (captain), Marco Mancosu and Mark Allidine. The top scorers were Martin and Marco who scored 3.5/5 and 3/3 respectively but everyone contributed to the success, gained by a margin of 1/2 point over third placed Dun Laoghaire. Meanwhile one of our junior players, Tom Jackson, got his first win playing for our second team as they continue their matches in Division 3. The club is abuzz with excitement as this may be our best team performance ever in the club`s history! Currently we play online, due to Covid, but we will resume over the board play in April when we compete in the William Brennan knockout cup (see Teams menu above). The last time the cup competitions were held, Skerries won the Killane shield.
For older news posts see News page