Shannon Chess Club are grateful to Treacy’s, Oakwood Arms Hotel, Shannon for hosting their most recent rapidplay tournament. The tournament was a huge success thanks in no small part to the wonderful facilities of the hotel and the helpfulness of their staff. The tournament was a sell out and sadly we had to refuse last minute entries as we were at full capacity with 119 players entered into the four levels of the competition. We are most indebted to the support of the local chess clubs who all promoted the event and sent players. Indeed we would have had many more from Ennis only that they were competing in the European chess club championships. And we also lost players to the Hindu festival of Diwali. I kid you not the calendars that event organizers have to check before running a tournament.
We were delighted to see so many families playing. The Heydemann’s from Mountshannon had five family members taking part we also had numerous father and son combinations, father and daughters and brothers and sisters. Christy McInerney and Stephen Walsh had the honour of being the only grandfather and grandson pairing.
Level 1 Summary
This level is for those who are new to chess and the majority of the participants were 9 and under. Matthew Tyler from Limerick was the clear winner on 4.5 points. Matthew now living in Limerick is from a well-known Shannon family. Diordichuk Sviatoslav from Kilkee chess club took 2 nd place on 4 points also on 4 points in third place was Neil Kulkarni from Tuam. All players in this section got participation medals. Aimy Rose Ramish took home the girl’s prize on a very respectable 3 points. For all of them this would have been their first chess prize and the smiles and tears of joy were a sight to behold.
Level 2 Summary
Level 2 was the biggest and most competitive section with 38 players challenging for places, and provided plenty of drama. After five rounds, three players tied on 4.5 points for first place, Avi Sahota from Shannon, Daivik Sai Narsini from Limerick and visiting Spanish foreign exchange student Nicolas Alvarez. This led to a thrilling three-way playoff. Daivik Sai Narsini of Limerick first defeated Nicolas Alvarez, before taking on Avi Sahota from Shannon in the final. It took two tense blitz games to separate them, with Avi just edging through to claim 1st place, giving the home crowd plenty to cheer for. Rowan Briggs from Limerick captured the girls’ prize after a consistent showing throughout the day, only dropping points to this sections winner.
Level 3 Summary
The Level 3 section, open to all ages and typically featuring players rated 1000–1400, was fiercely contested. Ramon Palding led from the early rounds and secured outright first place with 4½/5. Close behind were Eshaan Dunna (Ennis), Martin Rothschild, Joselito Escobido, and Denis Santos, all finishing on 4/5 after strong runs through the middle rounds. The girls’ prize went to Leonie Heydemann (Ennis) on 2½/5, part of a strong Ennis delegation that featured across several levels.
Level 4 Summary
The top section brought together many of the region’s strongest players, including several 1700+ rated competitors and WFM Maryna Petrenko. After five rounds, Maryna and Robert Arellano (Limerick) were tied on 4½/5, having drawn their head-to-head encounter earlier in the day. A blitz playoff was arranged to decide the title, and in a tense finish that drew a crowd around the top board, Maryna edged out Robert to take first place. Michal Surowka finished third on 4/5, with Maslen Briggs and Philip O’Connell sharing fourth on 3½. The girls’ prize went to Khushi Maddu (ICU 1332), who scored 2/5 against tough opposition - including games against players rated several hundred points higher. Special mention to 8 year old Chirag Senthilnathan who opted for the challenge of competing in the top level of the competition, picking up points and providing scares to much higher rated opponents along the way.
We were delighted to see such strong representation from across Clare, including players from Kilkee, Kilrush, Cratloe, Sixmilebridge, and Ennis, as well as from the wider Munster region. It was particularly heartening to see parents and grandparents taking part alongside the juniors, reinforcing the sense that chess is truly a game for all ages, families, and the wider community.
Sincere thanks to everyone who contributed to the day’s success, both on the board and behind the scenes.
Level 4 Standings (places decided in blitz playoff)
| Place | Name | Loc | Score | Buch. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Petrenko, Maryna | 2128 | 4.5 | 16.0 |
| Arellano, Robert | 2151 | 4.5 | 16.0 | |
| 3 | Surowka, Michal | 1759 | 4 | 14.5 |
| 4-5 | Briggs, Maslen | 1552 | 3.5 | 15.0 |
| O'Connell, Philip | 1854 | 3.5 | 12.5 | |
| 6-11 | Danaher, James | 1816 | 3 | 16.5 |
| Marshall, Roy | 1759 | 3 | 15.5 | |
| Meaney, Robbie | 1625 | 3 | 13.5 | |
| Bhattacharya, Abhiroop | 1538 | 3 | 13.5 | |
| Kozlov, Alexander | 1725 | 3 | 13.0 | |
| O'Connell, Joseph | 1531 | 3 | 10.0 | |
| 12-15 | Sreekumar, Sreekanth | 1794 | 2.5 | 14.0 |
| Chandrasekar, Devah | 1558 | 2.5 | 12.0 | |
| Daros, Lukasz | 1733 | 2.5 | 11.5 | |
| Heydemann, Norbert | 1605 | 2.5 | 10.5 | |
| 16-18 | Bennett, Kieran | 2 | 14.0 | |
| Maddu, Khushi | 1332 | 2 | 11.5 | |
| Heydemann, Tobias | 1527 | 2 | 9.0 | |
| 19-20 | Patil, Vihan | 1571 | 1.5 | 11.5 |
| Williams, Henry | 1406 | 1.5 | 11.0 | |
| 21-23 | Senthilnathan, Chirag | 1320 | 1 | 10.5 |
| Blackwell, Sean | 1360 | 1 | 10.0 | |
| McInerney, Christy | 1692 | 1 | 8.5 | |
| 24 | Horrigan, James | 1342 | 0 | 10.0 |
Level 3 Standings
| Place | Name | Loc | Score | Buch. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palding, Ramon | 4.5 | 16.5 | |
| 2-5 | Dunna, Eshaan | 1366 | 4 | 16.0 |
| Rothschild, Martin | 4 | 15.5 | ||
| Escobido, Joselito G. | 4 | 14.5 | ||
| Santos, Denis | 4 | 14.5 | ||
| 6-7 | Wainwright, Owen | 3.5 | 15.5 | |
| Jansen, Jade | 3.5 | 13.0 | ||
| 8-12 | Heydemann, Manuel | 1327 | 3 | 14.5 |
| Keohane, Pearse | 1222 | 3 | 13.5 | |
| Cabida, Sean | 1317 | 3 | 12.0 | |
| Dagohoy, Ken | 3 | 12.0 | ||
| Crowe, David | 1162 | 3 | 9.5 | |
| 13-15 | Heydemann, Leonie | 1150 | 2.5 | 14.5 |
| Ramesh, Aiden Jos | 2.5 | 14.0 | ||
| Profutkin, Theodore | 1097 | 2.5 | 11.5 | |
| 16-22 | Paliichuk, Taras | 2 | 13.5 | |
| Dhake, Siddhant | 2 | 13.0 | ||
| Harty, Shane | 2 | 12.5 | ||
| Heydemann, Carina | 1073 | 2 | 12.0 | |
| Walsh, Jason | 2 | 11.0 | ||
| Grigatis, Aaron | 1278 | 2 | 10.0 | |
| Marshall, Noel | 2 | 10.0 | ||
| 23-28 | Ramesh, Aiben Steve | 1 | 13.5 | |
| Peter-Burke, Ruth | 1 | 11.0 | ||
| Kaliappan, Senthilnathan | 1 | 10.0 | ||
| Tiu, Christopher | 1 | 10.0 | ||
| Ryan, Oliver | 1 | 8.5 | ||
| Shingare, Prathmesh | 1 | 8.0 |
Level 2 Standings
| Place | Name | Loc | Score | Buch. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Sahota, Aviraj | 4.5 | 17.0 | |
| Sai Narsini, Daivik | 1087 | 4.5 | 16.0 | |
| Alvarez, Nicolás | 4.5 | 12.0 | ||
| 4-6 | Wainwright, Olly | 4 | 16.0 | |
| Sahota, Siraj | 4 | 13.5 | ||
| Briggs, Rowan | 4 | 13.0 | ||
| 7-8 | Paliichuk, Oleksandr | 825 | 3.5 | 14.0 |
| Bond, Donagh | 3.5 | 11.5 | ||
| 9-17 | Byrnes, Oscar | 3 | 16.5 | |
| Keane, Lauren | 3 | 16.0 | ||
| Kulkarni, Soham | 3 | 16.0 | ||
| Cunneen, Christian | 3 | 13.0 | ||
| Spellacy, Zak | 3 | 12.5 | ||
| Jain, Arth | 3 | 11.0 | ||
| Byrnes, Tadhg | 3 | 10.5 | ||
| Loxton, Josh | 3 | 10.5 | ||
| Bond, Rossa | 3 | 9.0 | ||
| 18-21 | Khmelevskyi, Yan | 2.5 | 15.0 | |
| Bursky, Matas | 2.5 | 13.0 | ||
| Ryan-Friel, Saoirse | 2.5 | 11.5 | ||
| Paliichuk, Oleksii | 942 | 2.5 | 10.0 | |
| 22-28 | Quevedo Delfino, Dante | 2 | 16.0 | |
| O'Donnell, Eoghan | 2 | 14.0 | ||
| Wallace, Michael | 2 | 12.5 | ||
| Mulcahey, AJ | 825 | 2 | 12.0 | |
| Kinnane, Kayleigh | 558 | 2 | 11.5 | |
| Waters, Jonathan | 2 | 11.0 | ||
| Cunneen, Ethan | 2 | 10.5 | ||
| 29-34 | Sacramento, Matias | 1.5 | 14.5 | |
| Mellett, Sadhbh | 1.5 | 10.5 | ||
| Massey, Darragh | 1.5 | 10.0 | ||
| Walsh, Stephen | 1.5 | 10.0 | ||
| Mahon, Thomas | 1.5 | 8.5 | ||
| O'Loughlin, Ava | 1.5 | 8.0 | ||
| 35 | Profutkin, Andrew | 1 | 16.0 | |
| 36-38 | Peter-Burke, Joshua | 0.5 | 12.5 | |
| Patil, Vedika | 0.5 | 11.5 | ||
| Conway, Lexi | 762 | 0.5 | 8.5 |
Level 1 Standings
| Place | Name | Loc | Score | Buch. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tyler, Matthew | 4.5 | 16.0 | |
| 2-3 | Diordichuk, Sviatoslav | 4 | 15.0 | |
| Kulkarni, Neill | 4 | 11.5 | ||
| 4-6 | Patil, Rudraraj | 3.5 | 15.0 | |
| Iyappan, Mithran | 3.5 | 14.0 | ||
| Ramasamy, Arya | 3.5 | 12.0 | ||
| 7-10 | Chernenko, Nikita | 3 | 14.5 | |
| Ramesh, Aimy Rose | 3 | 13.5 | ||
| Kilroe, Diarmuid | 3 | 13.0 | ||
| Maddu, Lakshya | 3 | 8.5 | ||
| 11-15 | De Castro, Daniel | 2.5 | 15.5 | |
| Daly, Ben | 2.5 | 14.5 | ||
| Farhan, Ayaan | 2.5 | 14.0 | ||
| O'Donoghue, Ronan | 2.5 | 13.0 | ||
| O'Loughlin, Aran | 2.5 | 12.0 | ||
| 16-18 | Cleary, Sean | 2 | 12.0 | |
| Kuruvatti, Atharv | 2 | 11.5 | ||
| Furber, Tomas | 2 | 8.5 | ||
| 19-20 | Khanna, Rackshan | 1.5 | 11.5 | |
| Kulkarni, Kiaan | 1.5 | 10.5 | ||
| 21-22 | Carey, Logan | 1 | 14.0 | |
| Maxwell, Liam | 1 | 11.5 | ||
| 23 | Cabiddu, Sebastian | 0.5 | 11.5 |