Irish Championship 2018

I was looking for a complete crosstable for the 2017 Irish Championship but I can't find one on the ICU site, the chess results server(it only goes as far as round 8 for some reason) or the Irish chess history site. Anyone know where there is one?

Thanks for that.
The numbers in the top section over the past few years haven't been great even with ineligible players being allowed in to artificially boost the numbers.. I think this year the fact that so many titled players entered well in advance has been a big attraction for others. I have been arguing for years that stronger fields attract more players and this certainly seems to be the case this year.

Here is a list of the runners and riders for the upcoming Irish Championship with the prices I'd give if I was a bookmaker.
A. Lopez I.M 2476 9/4 Fav An I.M with G.M talent. A naturally gifted player who knows what it takes to win an Irish Ch. A worthy favourite.

S.Collins 2425 11/4 Another with G.M quality. Perhaps not as natural a player as Lopez but theoretically probably more knowledgeable. It could come down to who has White when he plays Lopez to who will win the title.

C O'Donnell 2342 6/1 Recently gained an I.M norm so obviously in form and improving fast but not quite the finished article yet. Not without a chance though.

S .Jessl 2337 4/1 A very talented player who again has form over the course and distance. If he is on form certainly not one to dismiss lightly.

C. Murphy 2336 5/1 The dark horse. I know nothing about him but a 19 year old with a 2336 rating has got to be feared.

J.Ryan 2281 10/1 Another ex champion who will give anyone a tough game but perhaps lacking the extra gear needed to win this.

S. Brady 2279 8/1 Multiple Irish champ with (I think the most wins ever) but not as active as he used to be so perhaps vulnerable to the guys who are playing very strong opposition regularly. Good each way value at 8/1.

C.Daly 2263 8/1 Has won a huge amount of tournaments and capable of beating anyone on the day but also a bit more likely to lose to a lower rated player than Lopez and Collins are. Again, a decent each way bet at 8/1

T O'Gorman 2226 16/1 I've never played him but he seems to be a very talented up and coming player. I can't see him winning this.

H. Li 2207 16/1 Similar to O'Gorman, perhaps a champion one day but not this year.

K. Delaney 2206 25/1 Would have a chance if it was a bullet or blitz tournament, but it isn't.

J. Delaney 2122 20/1 A four time champ but not the force of old. Sure to have some of the most interesting games of the tournament but I can't believe that he will be as up to date with his openings as the favourites.

100/1 bar

No offence to all the lower rated players but I can't imagine that any of us will mount a challenge.

I'm going to stick my neck out and predict a win for Jessl 7.5 ahead of Lopez and Collins7 followed by Murphy, O'Donnell and Daly 6.5. If Short plays 6.5

sodacat makes a fair point. If there's going to be a rule then it should be the same rule for everybody, regardless of ancient history or future potential.

Also I don't agree with this practice of FIDE rating tournaments that don't accept FIDE ratings for the purposes of meeting rating requirements.

Retd.LoyolaCpt wrote: »

A few more entrants recently - 20 in all (2 IMs, 8 FMs):

IM Alex Lopez
IM Sam Collins
FM Conor O'Donnell
FM Stephen Jessel
FM Conor Murphy
FM Stephen Brady
FM Colm Daly
FM Joe Ryan
FM Tom O'Gorman
FM John Delaney
Jonathan O'Connor
Killian Delaney
Gordon Freeman
Gerry O'Connell
Henry Li
Stephen Moran
Anthony Fox
John McMorrow
Peter Carroll
Peter Cafolla

See the entries from a couple of months ago; you are well aware of exactly what happened. A player who was over 1900 when he entered (and higher rated than you), subsequently went under 1900. You can't expect players to vanish off the list automatically as their ratings fluctuate. Just let the tournament controller sort out the final entry list in July or whenever he decides.

He has complained about more than one player. You can go to the site and enter whether you are eligible or not. I think Sodacat entered when he was under 1900 ICU but presumably still over 1900 FIDE, which is fine, but the system doesn't know that. It's up to the organiser to confirm the final entry.

must have a jest wrote: »

He has complained about more than one player. You can go to the site and enter whether you are eligible or not. I think Sodacat entered when he was under 1900 ICU but presumably still over 1900 FIDE, which is fine, but the system doesn't know that. It's up to the organiser to confirm the final entry.

Just to put the record straight, I would not be such a hypocrite as to enter the Irish Ch if I was under 1900.What happened was my rating dropped 100 points to 1896 in the space of a few weeks at the beginning of the season so I played in more tournaments than I normally do to get my rating back up. Once I was over 1900 again on the live list I entered the Irish Ch but my rating popped up as being still 1896 even though I was something like 1929 in reality.
As for bumping people out, that is exactly what happened to me in Bunratty, my rating had dropped so even though I had entered the Masters when around 2000 I got demoted to the Challengers where I then rightfully belonged . I had no problem with that but then a few players rated even lower than me did get in for reasons known only to the organisers. As it turned out I very much enjoyed playing in the Challengers.
Must have a Jest is also wrong when he says that Carroll was over 1900 when he originally entered the Irish Ch, he WAS NOT. Sanjay Menon has never been 1900 on either list.
Eamon Keogh IS over 1900 on the FIDE list, and is a past Irish champion, so I've no problem with him playing.

must have a jest wrote: »

See the entries from a couple of months ago; you are well aware of exactly what happened. A player who was over 1900 when he entered (and higher rated than you), subsequently went under 1900. You can't expect players to vanish off the list automatically as their ratings fluctuate. Just let the tournament controller sort out the final entry list in July or whenever he decides.

I think perhaps an apology is due to me as everything quoted above was pure balderdash and completely untrue. :P

Well thank you for clearing that up. Seeing a 1700 player on the list was like a red rag to a bull for me.
My one remaining bone of contention is this silly wild card or invitee business, other terms for nepotism if you ask me.
I can see the logic in giving the organiser the right to invite one player but only if there is already an uneven number and only if the player concerned is the highest available.
This business of junior or regional nominees is a load of bullocks (sic) and just another way to sneak people in under the radar. The motion was carried at an AGM but mostly by people who never were and never will be 1900 rated players. What right have these tin pot dictators to make the rules for a tournament that doesn't concern them? You may as well ask Donald Trump to make the rules for the E.E.C.s monetary policy. It is blatantly wrong to let some promising junior play just because he is from Kilkenny for example instead of Donegal or because his father is sponsoring the tournament or because he might go to the same school as someone on the ICU when another player of similar talent might have no useful connections or live in the wrong part of the country. The rating system may not be perfect but it is the fairest system that we have. Players should be made to earn the right to play in an Irish Championship like the rest of us have had to do. No special cases, no favouritism, no nepotism.

Just of topic there for a moment,
Does anybody have any information about the Drogheda Congress that concluded this weekend ?????