Ulster Chess Championship

The Ulster Chess Championship is an annual chess tournament organised by the Ulster Chess Union which has been held since 1892. It is currently open to all players who qualify as having been born in any of the 9 counties of Ulster. Nearly all Championships since 1982 have been played in Belfast. Among the winners in recent years have been two players, both also Irish Champions, who now have the title of International Master (IM), Mark Orr (4 times, most recently in 2001/02) and Brian Kelly (1994/95). Recent winners are

Michael Waters (4 times)
Stephen Scannell (8 times)
Eugene O'Hare (6 times)
Adrian Gillen (3 times)
Tom Clarke (3 times)
Michael Holmes (twice)
Stephen Gillen (twice)
David Houston (4 times)

Some winners have represented Ireland at chess Olympiads and European Team Chess Championship.^[1]^[2]

Champions

Early Champions

1892 - E.A. Robinson
1893 - E.A. Robinson
1895 - Ernest Louis Harvey
1897 - William Steen
1899 - C.E. Smith
1902 - J. J. O'Hanlon

After 1932

The Ulster Chess Union was founded in 1932 and relaunched the Ulster Championship.

1933 - William John Allen
1934 - W. J. Allen
1935 - P. J. (Joe) McMahon
1936 - J. Watson
1937 - R. Lennox
1938 - J. D. Peebles
1939 - William Minnis
1944 - A. L. Davies
1945 - William Minnis
1946 - R.A. Heaney
1947 - J.D. Peebles
1949 - J.A. Flood
1950 - G. A. Kearney
1951 - W. D. Kerr
1952 - Robert Jones
1953 - G. J. Boyd & W. D. Kerr
1954 - Douglas Eric Arnold Riley
1955 - R. A. Heaney
1956 - A. Torney
1957 - Jack Wrigley
1958 - G. J. Boyd
1959 - E. McGlinchey
1960 - Eugene O'Hare
1961 - E. O'Hare
1962 - H. Harte & E. O'Hare
1963 - E. O'Hare & Edward Whiteside
1964 - Hugh MacGrillen & E. O'Hare
1965 - John Larkin Moles & M. O'Leary
1966 - H. Boyd
1967 - J. L. Moles
1968 - M. O'Leary
1969 - E. O'Hare
1970 - F. Coll
1971 - John Nicholson
1972 - Ray Devenney
1973 - J. Nicholson
1974 - Adrain McDaid
1975 - P. Hadden & D. Harkin
1976 - J. Nicholson & E. Whiteside
1977 - J. Nicholson
1978 - Keith Allen
1979 - K. Allen
1980 - K. Allen, John Hegarty, John Kennedy & Derek McGill
1981 - James Quigley
1982 - David Houston & Michael Smyth
1983 - M. Smyth
1984 - M. Smyth & Tom Clarke
1985 - Mark Orr
1986 - K. Allen
1987 - Tom Brown & Niall Carton
1988 - K Allen, D. Houston & M. Orr
1989 - K. Allen & M. Orr
1990 - D. Houston
1991 - Diarmuid Simpson
1992 - Kieran Greer
1993 - Adrian Gillen
1994 - Stephen Gillen & K. Greer
1995 - S. Gillen & Brian Kelly
1996 - A. Gillen
1997 - A. Gillen
1998 - Michael Holmes & James McDonnell
1999 - J. McDonnell & Stephen Scannell
2000 - Timothy Douglas, M. Holmes & S. Scannell

Champions since 2000

2001 - Stephen Scannell
2002 - Mark Orr IM
2003 - Tom Clarke^[3]
2004 - Stephen Scannell
2005 - Tom Clarke
2006 - Michael Waters & Stephen Scannell
2007 - Stephen Scannell
2008 - Stephen Scannell
2009 - Stephen Scannell
2010 - Michael Waters
2011 - Michael Waters
2012 - Michael Waters
2013 - Mike Redman
2014 - Gábor Horváth
2015 - Gábor Horváth
2016 - Stephen Rush (QUB)
2017 - Stephen Scannell
2018 - Thomas Donaldson^[4]
2019 - Daniil Zelenchuk^[5]
2020 - no championship due to covid
2021 - Thomas Donaldson^[6]

References

^ UCU Archive
^ Winners of the Ulster Chess Championship
^ Tom Clarke
^ Ulster Championship 2018 www.irlchess.com
^ New Ulster Champion crowned - Daniil Zelenchuk Ulster Chess Union, www.ulsterchess.org
^ A brilliant tournament - face to face play at the Ulster Championships 2021 Ulster Chess Union, www.ulsterchess.org

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[1] UCU Archive

[2] Winners of the Ulster Chess Championship

[3] Tom Clarke

[4] Ulster Championship 2018 www.irlchess.com

[5] New Ulster Champion crowned - Daniil Zelenchuk Ulster Chess Union, www.ulsterchess.org

[6] A brilliant tournament - face to face play at the Ulster Championships 2021 Ulster Chess Union, www.ulsterchess.org

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