The Limerick Start of Season Blitz was held on Thursday 24 September 2026 at 8 pm at Limerick Lawn Tennis Club. It was a six-round event with 33 players, played at 5 minutes a side plus 2 seconds per move, with time handicaps. The tournament controllers were Stephen Clancy and Devis Gardin and the organiser was Phillip Foenander. Entry was €5 for adults and €3 for juniors, and the club provided all sets and clocks.
Results
Joint 1st: James Naughton, Korneliusz Bartczak and Jamie Comley, 5/6.
Joint Best Juniors: Cathal Murphy and Aayan Sanuj.
In round 5 James Naughton beat Korneliusz Bartczak in a blitz endgame played with only seconds left on both clocks.
Source: Limerick Chess Club archive.
Photographs
Start of season blitz held on 24th Sept 2026, Cathal Murphy and Aayan Sanuj finished as joint Best Juniors scoring 4.5/6 points
Start of season blitz held on 24th Sept 2026, Round 5 James Naughton v Korneliusz Bartczak in the most exciting blitz endgame seen in the club. Kornel (about to play) has 3 seconds and James has 8 seconds. Both players were cool under pressure playing the final moves at super speed, repeating moves to gain time and James somehow managed to win.
Start of season blitz held on 24th Sept 2026, Runnd 1 games with Sveinn Geirsson v Robert Arellano nearest
The Hunt Museum Garden Summer Chess Knockout Tournament was held on Sunday 6 September 2026 in the garden of the Hunt Museum, Rutland Street, Limerick, with thanks to the museum management for providing the venue. It was a four-round knockout for 16 players, open to all chess players and members of the public who know the rules of chess. It was a non-rated event with free entry and a time limit of 20 minutes per player with no increment. Prize trophies sponsored by the Hunt Museum were awarded for 1st, 2nd, Best Junior and Best Female player. The tournament controller was Ray O’Brien.
Results
Winner: Robert Arellano.
Runner-up: Jamie Comley.
Best Junior: Devah Chandrasekar.
Best Woman: Avery Machnicka.
The first three rounds were played indoors in the Hunt Museum café because of windy weather, and the final was played on the museum’s giant chess board. The final and the junior play-off each needed a 5-minute blitz play-off to decide the winner.
Source: Limerick Chess Club archive.
Photographs
Round 1 game shows Jamie Comley v Wiktor Hoffmann. Jamie is getting to be a strong player and played in a recent European Youth championship at Cetinje in Montenegro. Wiktor is a new player on the local chess scene.
Round 1 game Trijal Rai v Devah Chandrasekar, with the Hunt museum’s giant chess board outside the window.
Hunt tournament 2026 Best Junior playoff Henry Williams v Devah Chandrasekar. They drew the first and Devah won the decider.
Hunt tournament 2026 Round 3 game between Robert Arellano and Avery Machnicka. Avery did well to get to the semifinal match, but her fine run was ended by AGM Arellano.
Hunt museum Sept 6th tournament 2026 round 2 Henry Williams v Avery Machnicka. Adam and Hamilton are setting up the pieces for a friendly game just outside the window, and another game is being played on the giant chessboard. This illustrates the popularity of chess in Limerick.
The Limerick End of Season Blitz, with the club prizegiving, was held on Thursday 21 May 2026 over six rounds. The tournament controller was Neal Kirby.
Blitz results
1st: Robert Arellano, 5.5/6.
Joint 2nd: Jamie Comley and Rory Heffernan, 5/6.
Joint Best Juniors: Korneliusz Bartczak and Scott Fitzgerald.
Tom White Cup prizes presented
After the blitz the Tom White Cup 2025-26 prizes were presented: Korneliusz Bartczak (winner, who received his trophy from Neal Kirby), Jamie Comley (2nd), Stephen Clancy, Robert Arellano and Adam McCoy (joint 3rd) and Cathal Murphy (Best Junior).
Source: Limerick Chess Club archive.
Photographs
Club winners at the Limerick End of Season blitz held 21st May 2026. L-R Cathal Murphy(Tom White Best Junior), Stephen Clancy(Tom White joint 3rd), Robert Arellano (Tom White joint 3rd), and Adam McCoy(Tom White joint 3rd).
Jamie Comley finished in joint 2nd in the End of season blitz on 21st May 2026, and also 2nd in the Tom White Cup.
Korneliusz Bartczak was presented with his Tom White Cup winners trophy by Neal Kirby after the Blitz on 21st May 2026.
Joint 2nd in the End of Season blitz on 21st May 2026 was shared by Jamie Comley and Rory Heffernan on 5/6 points.
Best juniors in the End of Season blitz 2026 was shared by Korneliusz Bartczak and Scott Fitzgerald.
