So the last round of the tournament and everything to play for. Potentially a very exciting end to what had been a very tough and tight contest was now very much on the cards. There were a few possibilities but only one outright winner possible. If I lost then Phillip Short would be the 2013 Champion, while if I drew or won then it would be me who wins the title outright. I would have the White pieces, had a very good record against Phillip generally, having last lost to him in 2007, so there was every reason to be confident of success?

Well yes and no. On paper all this was true, but my form was still not as it should be, my chess was/is far from optimal and the whole scenario of only needing a draw against such a competent and experienced player as Phillip actually meant that I was potentially in a very perilous situation. If I played for a draw too strictly it would show a certain lack of confidence and or indecision which could easily be exploited by Phillip if I gave him the chance.

The idea being for example that he could go for complications knowing I would always want to steer the game back into calm waters and make a draw, release the tension and be done with it all. This was very much on my mind when I was getting myself ready for this game. A real danger which I was all too aware of.

First thing was to enjoy myself with a nice meal the night before the last round and not bother with any chess preparations. I had hardly done any real preparations for and during the event worth mentioning and so no point now to get sucked into some frenzy of chess study and or preparation for such a big game. More important would be for me to remain calm and confident and believe in my ability to focus at the board during the game and just play a game with as open a mind as possible. If a chance to play for a win came along, embrace it and go for it, just don't take any risks which were not needed or wise now.

TO BE CONTINUED

It could perhaps be said that the question of who would win the title of Irish Champion was really answered in this round, as the two big games on board one and two between David Fitzsimons versus Phillip Short and Paul Walsh versus Colm Daly were central to this question.

On board one we again had a battle of youth versus experience, and with David having apparently recovered so well from his loss in round 6 by defeating Mel in round 7 comfortably, it seemed that the momentum was perhaps back with him. Plus, having the White pieces again too, he might be too strong for Phillip.

However I think there was also a feeling about that if Phillip could survive the opening he might well go on to outplay and beat David, and so it turned out to be. David got nothing out of the opening phase with Phillip playing a very solid variation that allowed him scope to gradually outplay an increasingly frustrated and unsure opponent who drifted little by little, only to then find himself in a difficult and then lost position out of nowhere.

A fine display and nice finish by Phillip, who showed why he can still play chess with, and against, the very best. Which is also why I had said, in my preview of the event, that it would be foolish to rule him out as a serious contender to win the tournament. His results in the past year had made it clear that he was playing some of his best chess ever. After this win he would have just one more obstacle to overcome and become Irish Champion again for the first time in 25 years! 1988 being the last time he was Champion.

That obstacle, as it turns out, would be me. In this round I played one of my better games against a dangerous and potentially very good opportunistic tactical player in the person of Paul Walsh. Paul had obtained a winning position against David and a very good position, if not also winning, against Mel in earlier rounds, only to lose both. I knew that if I continued with the sort of “carry on” I had engaged in from the previous round against Killian Delaney, and the sort of malarkey involved with my play from that game, then I would most likely find my luck run out and I would be punished by Paul.

The game plan therefore was to really focus and concentrate, with the key idea for me being patience and resolve. From my point of view I knew that if I won today then I would be White in the last round playing to win the title. That was very nice motivation indeed and I usually get the best out of myself when I can find such motivation to force me to really put in the effort. The game was a model of patience and how to squeeze an opponent more and more so his resolve and alertness fades and falters.

I actually seen a nice winning move and idea, which involved a pawn sacrifice in the game around move 29, but because of the tension of the occasion I instead played it much more safely and went for a nice advantage in which I could grind down White for as long as it took. Even after the game Paul asked me was I trying to torture him? I took this as a compliment even though I was quite puzzled at the time. It seems he had not appreciated that the position was a lot more tricky than it appeared and I had to be very careful about how to make the breakthrough. In the end Paul snapped and went for a tactical trick which only made it easy for me to wrap it up quite easily in the end.

So with one round to play, all I had to do was draw my last round game with White against Phillip Short and the title was mine again. A very nice position to be in indeed. However there were certain very risky aspects to being in such a situation and without the experience acquired over many years of playing in this and various other tough events over many years, it would have been even tougher than it was and a real risky situation to be in psychologically.

Meanwhile Mel O Cinneide seem to play a good game against Jonathan O Connor to put himself back in contention for second place with a last round match up against a resurgent John Redmond.

This round featured David Fitzsimons rebound from his loss the previous day, with a fairly easy win against Mel O Cinneide who had been undefeated thus far. An end to any ambitions Mel had to be Irish Champion surely? A major step closer for David who is back on track to gain his first Irish Champion title.

Meanwhile on board two, words alone can hardly describe the farce that unfolded in my game against Killian Delaney. I can not even begin to try explain, excuse or understand how on earth I firstly played so badly and then secondly not only did not win, but actually won from such a hopeless position! To say I was lucky would be an understatement. At the very end it seemed I might escape with a draw but when he played Ne1 instead of Re1 I could hardly believe my luck. I went from thinking about maybe drawing, to totally winning in an instance.

As I have often said before about chess, sometimes there are freak occurrences which the result alone does not reflect or capture. In this instance, the ideal result would be a loss for both players as while I surely deserved to lose, my opponent at least perhaps did not deserve to win for failing to grab what was such a golden opportunity. Or maybe a draw for him and a loss for me would be the correct result if only it were ever possible.

He could have wrapped things on move 25 with a move he had actually seen and shown me after the game but instead went into something which looked as good but allowed me some wriggle room and at the end on move 29 could have gone a piece up for some pawns which should really be a win but might have afforded me some chances of a draw. In the end he blundered with Ne1 and I have no clue why, other than to say I have done worse myself. My loss to Mark Hebbden earlier this year comes to mind as there too I had been winning quite easily for most of the game and in the end when having already blown the win, blundered a piece and duly lost. Chess is cruel and the hard part is still staying optimistic or hopeful and be willing to get back on the saddle even after a huge fall.

Anyway the game is available to see and feel free to leave a comment [as many funny ones all the better- Like I was seriously thinking of making some wild bets after this game]

I will fill in the rest of the Daly reports after the event with notes on some of the games and highlights from each round.

Again for obvious reasons of time I will confine myself to saying a few words about my own game from round six.
Well as my late Father might have put it, with one of his funny catch phrases. “What a day here in Chapolizod” another typical one being “A little bit of levity” which is a thought that has got me through many an ICU committee meeting with my sanity just about intact.

Well no doubt my Da would have been thrilled with proceedings from round six and the tall tales I might have to regale him with over a few pints. What a game it was indeed. This game had all the ingredients for a mini Opera. It had all the tension and drama for sure. The young challenger sweeping almost all before him versus the declining and wavering defending champion, against whom the challenger had even beaten only days before the event. A full point ahead, playing White against a Champion needing to beat him to just stay level and keep in touch, or contention with the race for the 2013 title.

Probably one of the most emotional and toughest games I have ever played. A real roller coaster ride in which I have to admit that at times it felt like I was an aging boxer on the ropes taking all the blows from a player half my age who was in fine form, me desperately trying to hang on in there and grab my chance when it might come. For long periods it felt like it never would, as after my opening strategy to gamble with an off beat line and simply have a game of chess seemed to backfire I was not at all sure I had got it right on the day.

The idea was to avoid a memory competition, and get my much younger opponent out of the books as soon as possible. Try to make him think from early on and force him to have to work things out for himself, and in doing so, also keep the position tense and strategically complex. All the while hoping to be able to outplay him in a situation in which nerves and experience might come into play more than usual. Well initially in the opening I missed a chance to get an equal position but as I was more interested in a complex and double edged game equality per say was not of interest to me. I wanted to have serious winning chances which often means also having serious losing chances too.

In the event David played fantastic chess, He saw and calculated both the tactics and positional themes and strategies flawlessly, establishing what I feel for sure must have been a winning advantage. Indeed it was just the type of position I could all too easily have seen myself play years ago. In fact, after the game I was quick to show him a line and concept which I felt won for him. In fairness he had seen it himself anyway but for some reason or other had seen some ghosts in the position that really were not there at all.

Gradually despite being on the verge of defeat for quite some time but still just about hanging on David started to drift a bit and failed to play the most accurate plan or moves. I took great hope from this throughout and was just waiting for my moment to break out and shine myself.

Then around and approaching the first time control I felt the position was turning. David became ever more nervous and frustrated, probably agitated with himself for not making more from the position he had earlier. Then when the position became obviously comfortable for me and I made the time control David went badly astray and instead of digging in and finding the best defense played a vital mistake which allowed me to wrap up things with a very nice sequence.

Eventually I was able to shine after all and as they say, to the victor go all the spoils. A huge result for me which keeps me very much still in contention, and no doubt a blow to David who faces an in form Mel with Black. I think he is still well capable of going on to win the tournament so it would be premature of me to even try guess how things might pan out over the next three rounds. I have been wrong already with some of my guess work so I will just have to see how things go from here on in.

Either way I think David is the future of Irish chess and with more stability and experience he will be easily one of our best players, if not our best player, in the years to follow. As for me? Well there is still life in the auld dog yet and that title is still mine until it is taken from me! I am not giving it away without a fight.

Just stick with my own game for this round as again time is an issue and I will fill in my impressions from each round after the tournament. I have a few notes made but to put them down into a coherent report is beyond me at this moment in time.

My game with Mel was an odd one, as after the game I did not feel any real frustration or anger at myself for not winning (I normally would, as overall I have a very good record against Mel and would be expecting to win more often than not) but the fact is that after we followed about 16 moves of theory, with me deviating on move 17 (not is any significant way – a slight improvement according to the chess engine, but as always, though chess engines are a great tool they are not always right or even particularly helpful in some type of positions,especially in the context of two living, breathing human beings. Players with emotions, stress and any number of things going on under the surface)

Mel never did make any critical mistakes and the position was only slightly better for me for most of the game. The critical moment perhaps being around move 29 when maybe I missed some clear winning chances? In the position given maybe Kd2 or Rb2 offered more? Even after 30 exf6, Qxf6 31 Rb2 keeps winning chances alive.

But anyway there might just have been no more than mere chances. On the other hand, I was also again relying too much on the fact that with a massive time advantage I was sort of hoping or expecting Mel to go wrong, but he didn't, and a draw was the inevitable result.

A curious and interesting game which gave me the impression that Mel is playing as well as I have ever seen him play and will be hard for anyone in this field to beat. David has a good record against him too I think but he has never played him in an Irish and this is the very tournament in which players often up their game as I think Mel is doing. So who knows how their game will pan out. A huge game for me against David awaits so I need to focus on that now.

Still too pressed for time to do much reporting but I have annotated my game from round four which I think was a very exciting and tense affair. I was never really worse but was under pressure both on the board and the clock at certain moments. My best win and best game so far.Just maybe I am getting into gear again. Let's see if I can keep it up.

So for now just check out the Win from round four.

This was the position in my game against Anthony Fox which had been rather a messy affair (needlessly so too) . We had just come out of the time scramble and I had plenty of time to work things out. I was very happy to discover I was just winning. See if you can figure it out and then click on the diagram to see what was played.

A more full report will have to be held over as time is against me and I have some preparation to do - first time so far in the tournament!

Well after a good nights sleep I was all set to get back into the swing of things. It can be hard to adjust after such dramatic and careless losses as I had in round one, but it is a sort of wake up call and reminder of how fine a line one walks when being too dismissive of players you have beaten countless times.

Today I faced Martin Crichton who I have known for years but whom I have not actually played much at all over the years. I knew from his good draw from the first round that he would potentially be a tough nut to crack, and so it was to be.

I was doing well out of the opening when he sacrificed a pawn on move 14 with f5. I had to take the pawn but was happy to do so. However the position soon got very messy and I even missed a win that Martin showed me after the game.

Black had the better chances in general but I was a little shaken up by the difficulty of the position. In the end only prevailing after Martin missed a few precise options which would have left the game very much in the balance. Check out the game yourself and see what how it all unfolded. I will add annotations later. It was a very interesting game actually.

Overall a win I was glad to have, breaking my three losses in a row since Tuesday of last week. Time to start to really shift gears now and focus on each game fully as it comes.

There was plenty of drama on offer in this round with Phillip Short suffering  shock defeat to Rory Quinn who had an impressive and nice win when he caught out Phillip in the complicated Max Lange attack. Clearly Phillip had forgotten the critical moves in this wild variation, blundered and was then just lost. A great result for Rory and a bit of a blow to Phillip who has ceded the cushion my first round loss had given him and my other main rivals.

Meanwhile on board one I could not be at all sure what was going on in what seemed like a very complex Sicilian, which at first I thought looked good for David but later was far from sure. Regardless, despite some bumpy moments he won pretty comfortable in the end. This has set him up for a nice clash with John Redmond, who beat him last year.. John had also been busy dispatching Killian Delaney after it seemed  Killian played a really good game only to get worn down in an endgame that had for a long time looked pretty level or at least defend-able?

Mark Orr had a pretty easy win in just 20 moves after Jonathan O Connor seemed to get confused in the opening and allow Mark free reign. He will be disappointed not to have given of his best as he really never got out of the opening alive.

Mel O Cinneide struggled at first in his game with Ciaran Quinn but gradually outplayed and asserted himself to obtain a fairly easy win in the end. A pity for Ciaran as a result today would have consolidated his huge gains so far and set him up nicely in round three. Still he gets another juicy pairing with a game against Phillip Short in round three.

The most odd game by far was however when Gordon Freeman became Gordon FreeRook for the day after he had a momentary lapse and just after the exchange of queens played b7-b6 which would be fine except for the fact that is rook was undefended on a8 and White had a bishop on e4! A tragedy for Gordon who had got off to a good start in round one and seemed certain to draw this otherwise sterile position. I think he must have somehow had his rook on b8 in his minds eye or something. Unfortunate but Gordon can and may well bounce back to play a vital role in proceedings later on.

Anthony Fox out foxed Martin O Grady after an opening that seemed to promise more for Martin than it was able to deliver. Thereafter Martin was gradually pushed back on all fronts and duly lost. If it is tough at the top it is even tougher at the bottom, zero from two not really reflecting the fighting chess that has been played by both Martin or Pat Twomey so far. Pat went down to Gerard MacElligott after Gerry got a bind in the opening and never let it go. Ray O Rourke on the other hand turned around a difficult if not lost position against Kevin O Flaherty with some amusing tactics. If Ray can get into his stride now he will pose a real danger to all of the top seeds. Roll on round three!

It is not good enough to be good chess player, you must play good moves! A simple and sound thought which I first heard some 30 years ago. Never was it more true than today in my comical first round game loss. A game and result which is more embarrassing than particularly relevant to the final outcome of the event. Unless of course Ciaran goes on to win or finish in the top 5 places. Be great if he did, but sadly such is the way of my gifts in these tournaments that they often turn out to be just that. Aberrations which reflect poorly on me more than too well on the benefactor of my stupidity and complacency.

That all said Ciaran did play very sensible moves for most of the game. I played very lamely from the get go and was anything but sharp or incisive. Still I amassed a huge time advantage and was on the verge of starting a very long process of pressure with a view to grinding him down when in Ciaran’s time pressure I overlooked a crucial but rudimentary tactic which ripped my whole game apart.

Thereafter I lost all balance and coherence and got crushed! That's chess for you. While a draw would be an awful result, but easily had for most of the game, losing is just madness. My tthird loss in a row in a week, and this time to a player who had just recently beaten me in the Dublin Easter e2e4 event, even then for the first time in 20 years and now yet another win where Ciaran only had to wait months rather than years for another well deserved result.

Al I could think of at the end was something along the lines of “it is going to be a very interesting week” which is another way of saying I have already made a balls of things and will have to work extra hard to get back on target now. Daly Command Central will be in crisis management now for a few days.

As for the other games well not too much by way of surprise, a few draws which were fairly likely or certainly possible. I thought David was in a spot of bother and certainly it looked to me as though Anthony had great chances to hold the position, but in the end David was too strong and Anthony folded fairly easily at the end. A good start then after an initial hiccup. Surely any objective guess has to have him as the clear favorite now? Still a long way to go and many very tough games yet to be played. I will have to sharpen my tools now for sure. Ah well at least plenty of chance to get a good sleep tonight as the starting time of 3 gives plenty of time for late nights and late mornings.