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Ulster Chronicles

Contemporaneous reports on tournaments and events from past few decades; web content since 2004 with additional archival material dating back to the 80's

Welcome to the UCU Chronicles.

Here we offer archival reports of activity in local chess clubs and the UCU itself. This part of the archive is composed of contemporaneous reports, that is reports which were created at the time or very soon after an event had finished. This gives the reports a unique flavour.

At the end of each season, usually soon after the Union's AGM, all reports for the season published on this site, are gathered together and moved to this location - the Ulster Chronicles. This gives members a clean slate for the incoming season while keeping the analysis, discussion, lists, games and photos available in a convenient location for browsing, chronologically if you want. At the moment, this local material dates back to 2004 when the UCU Website started to expand with its own content.

We have also been able to acquire archival material from a variety of sources to supplement this content. Checkout our Contributors Page which credits the sources for this additional material and includes indexes for these specific catalogues. Generally though, all reports are gathered together by season so it is possible to follow events as they unfolded.

Many of these historical reports included local games; these are collectively available in our Games Archive which we hope to collate into a more convenient form for downloading. These games, in particular, offer a unique perspective on local chess over the years.

Table of Contents

Listed below are the seasonal catalogues making up the Chronicles

Additional Material

Retrospective reports and other specific archival material is also available

Player Biographies: personal notes on players and personalities who have made an impact on Ulster Chess over the years. Active players are listed in our Membership List showing their game and rating histories

The Time Traveller: retrospective reports looking back over the UCU's history since its formation in 1932 and even beyond to the 19th Century when local chess were being formed and loosely organised amongst themselves. Some our trophies, such as the Williamson Shield, were first competed for in these early days

Trophy winners, donors and dedications: listing the trophies offered by the Union and providing lists of their winners, profiles of those who donated them or after whom they were named. Since 2004, complete details of all UCU events are available in our Results Service showing fixtures/rounds and final standings

News
Standings in the UCU Summer Tournament with 3 weeks to play. With 3 rounds left - we check the current standings of the Summer Tournament and repeat the rules for the last 3 rounds. Sep 03, 2024
September 2024 FIDE NI rating report The 1st September FIDE rating list covers Northern Ireland tournaments that were held over the past 5 weeks and were rat... Sep 02, 2024
Its with fondness we remember William McGrattan who passed just over a year ago. William was a much loved member of Bangor Chess Club - Captaining their A team and a key member of the club for many yea... Sep 01, 2024
Football, Family activities, Live Music, Live Dancing and Chess at EMSONI Festival. We were honoured to be invited to the EMSONI Festival on 3rd August 2024 and enjoyed Chess, fantastic company and conver... Sep 01, 2024
The Annual UCU Summer School took place on August 7th/8th/9th 2024 In the brilliant surrounds of the Ormeau Bowling Club in Ormeau park we had 3 days of chess coaching and fun. With tourn... Aug 31, 2024
More news…
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Upcoming Events
The Summer Tournament Weds 11th September at Civil Service Pavilion PlayBall Room We are into the last weeks of the Summer Tournament. 2 more Wednesdays followed on the last Wednesday 25th Sept with a f... Sep 11, 2024 07:15 PM - 10:30 PM — NICS,Maynard Sinclair Pavilion, Stormont, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3TA
Open Day at Bangor Chess Club Sep 14, 2024 11:00 AM - 04:00 PM — Church of Ireland Parish Hall, Groomsport
The Summer Tournament Weds 18th September at Civil Service Pavilion We are into the last weeks of the Summer Tournament. This is the last evening of slow play chess - followed on the last ... Sep 18, 2024 07:30 PM - 10:45 PM — NICS,Maynard Sinclair Pavilion, Stormont, Upper Newtownards Road, Belfast, BT4 3TA
FIDE RATED City of Bangor Autumn Blitz 2024 [event 1 of 8 in Gold Coast Blitz Grand Prix 2024/2025] Sep 19, 2024 07:30 PM - 10:00 PM — Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport, County Down, BT19 6JR, Northern Ireland
FIDE RATED Downpatrick Autumn Rapid 2024 Sep 25, 2024 07:15 PM - 10:30 PM — Denvir’s Hotel, 14 English Street, Downpatrick, BT30 6AB, Northern Ireland
Upcoming events…