Report by Neal Kirby. The Limerick Chess Club junior team won the West of Ireland Junior League 2016-17, beating Ennis 3.5–0.5 in the final on 15 January 2017. The Limerick team was James Naughton (board 1), Con Kirby (board 2), Colm McElwain (board 3) and Frankie Naughton (board 4).
Rounds 1–2
Held at the West County Hotel, Ennis, on Sunday 16 October 2016. Limerick won 7 of the 8 games. The Ennis team, who all play in Limerick, put up a strong display against Limerick in the first round. The Ennis team was Evan Forde, Dylan Murphy, Sean Hehir and Aaron Lillis.
Rounds 3–4
Held at the Oranmore Lodge Hotel, outside Galway City, on Sunday 13 November 2016. Limerick won 3 of the 8 games, while Ennis won 7 of 8 and took the lead, with Ennis on 10.5 and Limerick on 10 before the final rounds.
Round 5 and the final
Held at the Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe, on Sunday 15 January 2017. Limerick won round 5 by 4–0 against Briarhill, giving them 14 out of 20 for the league after five rounds. Ennis took round 5 by 3–1 against Ballinasloe for 13.5. The top two teams then met in the final, and Limerick beat Ennis 3.5–0.5 to take first place.
| Place | Team | Points after round 5 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Limerick | 14 |
| 2 | Ennis | 13.5 |
| 3 | The Bish | 11.5 |
| 4 | Galway | 10.5 |
| 5 | Ballinasloe | 7.5 |
| 6 | Briarhill | 3 |
A second Ennis team, Ennis National, won the West of Ireland Shield, taking 22 of 24 games and a 4–0 win in the Shield final.
Source: Limerick Chess Club archive.