Rooks, kings and queens in Ennis for the weekend

Up to 200 chess-playing children and teenagers, ranging in age from five and 19, will descend upon Ennis this weekend to take part in the 2010 All-Ireland junior chess tournament.
Children are expected to travel from all four provinces and from several counties. Connie Danaher, who runs the Killimer-Knockerra Chess Club in west Clare, is organising the event and is expecting a large turnout.
“There’s over 150 players booked in at the moment but always at the last minute kids turn up. We’ve bookings from Derry, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Kilkenny and Longford. Hopefully, every county in Ireland will be represented. There are chess clubs throughout the country and each of the clubs usually send a couple of kids,” Connie explained.
Competitors don’t have to pre-qualify and can take part even if they are not affiliated to a chess club.
“It’s an opportunity for children to aim for a national title. Those who win are the cream of Ireland and they will then be picked to represent Ireland abroad. One of the great things about it is, you don’t have to win your way through.
“You can actually just turn up and have a shot at a national title without actually winning through. Kids who haven’t access to a club, could be playing at home at their kitchen table or on the Internet playing with somebody in China and have built up a huge level of chess skill. They can take part and hopefully represent their country aboard,” Connie said.
The championship was held in Leinster last year and Connie applied for it to be held in Clare in 2010.
“This event takes place in a different province each year. Last year it was in Kilkenny. I put in an application because we have the biggest children’s chess club in Ireland back in Knockerra. We have been travelling to these events all over the country in the last number of years and I thought it’s about time we had it in our own county,” she said.
Hiram Wood-Hennessy from Carrigaholt finished joint first in the U-10 category in Kilkenny and is again eligible for the same age group. Another local chess playing youngster, Cian Wall, is the U-8 Munster champion.
Limerick man Gerry Graham will act as international controller for the tournament, which will run in the Auburn Lodge Hotel, Ennis, from Friday until Sunday.
On the final afternoon of the three-day event, Minister for Defence Tony Killeen will present the winners with their prizes.
The Clare chess community is planning to host a decent weekend and showcase many of the other talents that Clare has to offer, such as music, dancing and singing. Kate Purcell will present a selection of Clare’s finest musicians and singers at a variety show on the Saturday night after the second day of the event.
The championship will be held over three days, with one game on Friday night, two or three on the Saturday and more on Sunday.
The rules and regulations governing the championships will be the same for all age groups, while parents will only be allowed into the room where U-6s to U-10s are playing, to help the children go to their places.  More details can be obtained from www.icu.ie/icu/junior or from Connie Danaher at 087 9777011 or connie.clarechess@gmail.com.