The Bunratty Effect

A castle for the Kings and Queens

What are the chances of meeting not one but two Romanian chess friends, both from your city and the very same chess club, whilst thousands of kilometers away from your hometown?! It felt like home. What are the odds of continuously having the likes of Wesley So, Peter Svidler, and Veselin Topalov in a rather 'small' event over the years? Moreover, this year's edition featured not one, not two but five (!) Shorts were present. How odd is that?!

Brothers in arms: chess and (high) spirits: Nigel, Philip, Stephen, Don and Jack Short (no, they are not actually related to each other)

What are the chances of getting an offer you can't refuse, such as drinks on the house (ales, stouts, shots, lagers, you name it) just because the bartender feels like?! Yes, there truly is a joy to giving. But we weren’t playing the odds, we were playing the Bunratty tournament.

Busy days - busy times around the premises

Sunshine for my eyes seeing so many kids interested in chess instead of video games

It was my third time here and once again it didn't disappoint. More than 300 chess enthusiasts gathered in this 'middle of nowhere' to compete in yet another marathon of six (somewhat) classical games (90 min + 15 sec) in only three days.

Experience always helps

(Chess) reflections... I should make a series one day (Ed: Yes, you should!)

Former candidate and all-round chess legend Jonathan Speelman

Speelman – Bates

We all know how the double rounds, let alone the triple games from Saturday 18th can play tricks with a tired brain

Since there's no clear-cut remedy on how to relax after a hard day at work, any objective advice would be far too subjective. Common sense, however, would tell you: when in Ireland do as the Irish do.

Off to the pub!

For all its fame and excesses, the bar is the center of the social (chess) universe in Bunratty. It's much more than just a drinking place –  It's where the chess players engage with the sense of community, friendship and conviviality which I rarely see elsewhere.

When that's too crowded, there is always a Plan B: more pints and more music. And more tales with GM Raymond Keene, chess raconteur and Times chess journalist.

Of course, some would argue that alcohol and its lovely effects have a say in it but I would rather emphasize the unique atmosphere created by those charming Irish people.

Gerry and the organizers had every reason to be proud

No wonder they are called the Latins of the North... and one more reason for your author to feel at home. I could finally be casually late without bumping into grumpy faces afterward. Beautiful souls and features are certainly preferable:

The French WFM Cécile Haussernot is neither an actress nor a model, but a great companion, a fierce chess player and soon she will be studying Art, too.

But what was it that propelled Nigel to a maximum 6.0/6?

The Bunratty Effect?

“Guinness is good for you” - the old slogan could actually be true. Or at least a happy coincidence. Nigel completely crushed the field while I also regained my strength and finished off with a 4.0/4.

Short vs Short followed by Short

Short games

The Masters winner with a maximum 6.0/6!

Mikhail Pavlov, the Challengers' winner with 5.5/6. We expected nothing less with...

… such beautiful support!

To celebrate properly the 25th anniversary, the organizers are planning a bigger and even friendlier edition for the next year.

This time we get to enjoy once again the famous:

“I don't see you guys rating
The kind of mate I'm contemplating
I'd let you watch, I would invite you
But the queens we use would not excite you”
-- Murray Head (One Night In Bangkok)

That may be partially true, unless you're watching one of Mark Hebden's signature games:

Rawlinson – Hebden

So if you are into facing strong opponents, this is the place to be. If you crave playing a lot of games without being forced to take days off from your work – write this down in your calendar (Bunratty 23rd - 25th February 2018). If your family gets bored to death while you're playing chess, then worry no more: Bunratty settings allow for quite some touristy experiences.

This is a tournament for the hedonist in you.

Links Official tournament site All games in PGN You can use ChessBase 14 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs to replay the games in PGN. You can also download our free Playchess client, which will in addition give you immediate access to the chess server Playchess.com.