Ennis Congress 2025
Fri 16th - Sun 18th May 2025. A modern tournament in a medieval town.
Treacy's West County Hotel, Limerick Road, Ennis, Co. Clare, V95 C9CT
Google map | Ennis Chess Club | ICU event page
Live Boards in each section
Currently we have a problem with the live boards. When ready perhaps in R2 or R3 they will be here:-
Masters
Prize fund
€2,500 subject to entry.
Provisional breakdown of prizes is detailed below.
Playing Sections
Masters: 1850 +
Cathal Walsh: 1700 - 1900
Michael Meaney: 1500 - 1750
Jim Hussey: U1550
Players will be entered into the section appropriate to their ICU or FIDÉ rating, taking their preference into consideration, but rating ranges will be strictly enforced, especially as there is a 50 point overlap between sections. See note on Players Ratings below.
Time control
90 mins + 30 sec/move in Masters, Cathal Walsh and Michael Meaney sections
60 mins + 30 sec/move in Jim Hussey section
FIDÉ and ICU rated
Round Times
In Masters, Cathal Walsh and Michael Meaney sections
Fri 16th May, R1: 8:00pm,
Sat 17th May, R2: 10.00am, R4: 2.30pm*
Sun 18th May, R5: 10.00am, R6: 3.00pm
Prize giving shortly after last game finishes, around 7.15pm.
*Players involved in R2 games that finish close to 2 pm will be allowed to start R3 at 2:45 to allow time for lunch.
In Jim Hussey section
Fri 16th May, R1: 8:00pm,
Sat 17th May, R2: 10.00am, R4: 2.00pm
Sun 18th May, R5: 10.00am, R6: 2.00pm
Prize giving shortly after last game finishes, around 5.15pm.
Default time 30 mins.
Live Boards
Top boards in most sections transmitted live, linked from the event page.
Entry fee
Adults €40 and Juniors/Students/Retired €25 by Wed 14 May, €15 extra after that if accepted.
Free entry for titled players (GM, WGM, WIM, IM, FM) who contact John Cassidy as below, by Tue 6th May, full fee after that. For family or group reductions contact the organiser.
Entries
All entries on ICU event page. Some discounts available on discussion with the organiser.
Irish residents must be registered with the ICU. Entrants from abroad should register for a small fee (€5) please here.
Pairings
Pairings for round 1 will be published there before 6 pm on Thu 15th May. Late entries will be paired with each other or with anyone who gets an unrequested bye.
Organisers
Chief Organiser: John Cassidy, 087 249 5913, ennischessclub@hotmail.com (Add address?)
Chief Arbiter: John Loughran
Accommodation
Hotels
Phone the West County Hotel on 065 686 9600 for very good rates for chess players. Woodstock Hotel and Temple Gate are more central.
B&Bs
Stonehaven and Banner Lodge are nearby.
Other suggestions:
Airbnb
Booking.com
The town centre still retains its charm from medieval times with lots of small shops. The tour is to be reccommended.
Provisional Breakdown of Prizemoney
Current Prizefund € 2,500 subject to entry. Grading Prizes (GP) will be awarded in each section for players within certain rating bands who do not win another prize, using tie-breaks where necessary. Where a player has no FIDÉ rating, their national rating will be used to determine their rating band. In general prize money is shared between players on equal points, although tie-breaks are used where there are multiple players sharing 1st - 3rd prizes, at the organisers' discretion.
Prizemoney will be given in cash to prize winners during the prize giving soon after the final round.
The Jim Hussey Cup will be awarded to the winner in the Masters. If necessary there will be a playoff for the cup as follows between the top two players on tiebreak: Two blitz games (3+2). If not decisive this is followed by an Armageddon game - 5 mins for white, 4 mins for black who wins the cup if the game is drawn.
Masters total prizes: € 1020
1st € 500
2nd € 250
3rd € 130
GP € 70
GP € 70
Cathal Walsh total prizes: € 650
1st € 300
2nd € 150
3rd € 80
GP € 60
GP € 60
Michael Meaney total prizes: € 450
1st € 200
2nd € 100
3rd € 50
GP € 50
GP € 50
Jim Hussey total prizes: € 390
1st € 100
2nd € 70
3rd € 40
GP € 40
GP € 40
Woman € 100**
**Awarded to the highest placed woman or girl who does not win a bigger prize.
Playing Conditions
Expect airy, spacious and pleasant playing conditions with some professional touches. These include name cards on all boards and board numbers, as well as live boards in most sections.
Members and Friends
Jim Hussey was Ennis chess coach for a long number of years. When he taught Ennis juniors we won a lot of titles, most notably the British Schools Championship in 1987. He was a brilliant coach, a great ambassador for Irish chess and a wonderful person.
Michael Meaney was a member of the Limerick Chess Club for years. Having lost his sight while very young, he played in many Braille Chess tournaments. He was a great encouragement for younger players and a fine musician.
Cathal Walsh played for Lucan chess club but was a regular participant in chess events all over Ireland including Limerick and Ennis, a great character and very popular in the Irish chess circuit.
Rules
General
Overall we hope to provide a pleasant atmosphere in which to enjoy your chess. Players will be asked to contribute to this. Speak to the arbiter if in doubt. While quiet is expected in the playing hall, players will be allowed to spectate quietly after they finish playing.
FIDÉ rules apply. If you need something explained or feel your opponent may be breaking a rule please do not hesitate to stop your clock and raise your hand to call an arbiter.
Electronic devices are not permitted in the playing hall, corridor, toilets or outdoor smoking area. An exception is if they are left near the controller's desk, switched off, not on silent. Electronic devices include anything that may make a noise or vibrate including watches, alarms.
The organizers have the right to refuse entry without giving a reason.
Byes
A player may receive up to two half point byes, except in the last round, provided a request is made before pairings are done. Players should ensure that a bye request was written down and may check that one has been registered on chess-results by choosing the "unpaired" link after the latest round.
A player who receives a 1 point bye due to an odd number should still turn up as they may be offered a game against a late entrant or another player whose opponent failed to show within 30 mins. They may refuse, but if they wish to play they should turn up. These games will count and will be rated unless agreed otherwise.
Any player requesting a bye after pairings are done will get a 0 point bye but will not be excluded from the tournament, which might happen otherwise if they are a ‘no show’, i.e. they do not turn up without warning.
Before games
- Bring your name card with you to your board from the table. At the end return them.
- Be seated early to hear announcements
During games
- With a 30 second increment players are required to record their moves to the end of the game, and keep their scoresheet up to date.
After games
- Place the two kings in the centre of the board first (especially on live boards, to register the result). Only then reset the pieces. If white won place both on white squares. If black one place both on black squares. If the game was drawn place them on e4 and e5.
- Do not analyse at the board, but in the analysis room, where sets are provided.
- Return your name card to the tables on the side and
- Mark in your score on the sheet on the wall before leaving the room.
Please write the result on the pairings sheet on the wall or noticeboard. If your opponent fails to show 30 mins after the round started call the arbiter to claim a win by default (a walkover), who will mark in + - or - + on the pairings sheet rather than 1-0 or 0-1, or who may offer you a new opponent. A new pairing will count for the tournament and for rating unless otherwise agreed, and the time will be shortened by 15 mins each.
Players’ Ratings in Sections
On the event page, some players’ current ICU rating nay be over the top rating limit for the section they entered. This is because they entered earlier (last month) when their (lower) rating allowed them to. A similar thing happens for players whose current ICU rating is below the lower limit for a section; it was above it when they entered. This is one benefit of entering early, though players may still be moved at the controller’s discretion, for example to get an even number. A player qualifies for a section either by their ICU or FIDE rating at the time they enter, or later if it changes and the controller approves a request. The controller may move players between sections, if their rating change since they entered is large, at their discretion.