Participants in this weekend's EasyStream Irish Rapid and Blitz Championships will be playing for the following trophies courtesy of AwardsAndGifts.ie

Those finishing 1st to 3rd in the Rapidplay event will be taking home one of these Jade glass trophies. The champion will also take home the new JJ Walsh perpetual trophy and an EasyStream Andriod Digital box, as well as gaining entry to the World Rapidplay Championships later in the year.

The two entrants who happen to win a Rapidplay grading prize will be taking home one of these cups for their troubles.

The blitz champion will take home the new John Moles perpetual trophy and an EasyStream Andriod Digital box, as well as gaining entry to the World Blitz Championships later in the year.

Entries can be made here. The Rapidplay event will kick off at 11am on Saturday morning (5th March) in the Esplanade Hotel, Bray while the Blitz event will be played in the same venue the following day, again starting at 11am.

The events will be run as 2015 events as no such events were held on the 2015 calendar. This is done with a view to putting as many tournaments on the ICU calendar as we can to get as many people playing as possible. We also would like to establish Blitz and Rapidplay events on the calendar as the number of these events is quite small compared to traditional weekender events. The 2016 Irish Blitz and Rapidplay Championships will be held later in the year. This has already proved successful with the Irish Women's Championships which will hold its 2016 edition during the Irish Championships in July.