Cork County Chess Leagues

Junior Championship

Details (2025)

Official Website (registration and details)

Summary

  • Dates: 8-9 November, 2025
  • Venue: Davis College, 14 Whiteoaks, Mallow, County Cork, (P51 H589)
  • Format:
    • 5-round Swiss (Dutch) Tournament – U19 Open, U14 Open, Girls only
    • 7-round Swiss (Dutch) Tournament – U10 Open
  • Prize fund: €0
  • Sections U19 Open, U14 Open, U10 Open, Girls only
    • In the Open sections anyone can participate: girls and boys are all welcome.
    • Girls only section is for girls for all junior age groups
    • There are awards for best U8, U12, U16 players separately
  • Time control:
    • 60m + 30s (Default time: 30 minutes) in U19 Open, U14 Open and Girls only sections
    • 15 minutes (Default time: 15 minutes) in U10 section
  • Anyone who meet the age criteria can participate in the tournaments, but the trophy shall only be won by a resident in Cork County.

Aims of the Competition

The aim of the Cork Junior Championship is to

  • Provide opportunities for playing games to support chess junior development in Ireland.
  • Determine the winner of
    • the “Philip Short Cup” in the U19 age group
    • the “Maurice J. Coveney Cup” in the U14 age group
    • the “Joe Browne Cup” in the U10 age group
    • the “Kate Belinda Finn Cup” in the Girls only section
    • along with other placement awards through the competition
  • Build community through chess and promote an inclusive society, welcoming players of all genders, abilities, and backgrounds.
  • Offer practice at a competitive level in a joyful, safe, and inclusive environment.
  • Encourage talent development and recognition among junior players, giving them experience on a bigger stage.
  • Keep chess traditions in Cork alive by remembering former chess players and champions.

In Memoriam

Remembering Players

Organisers

Organiser

In cooperation with the the Cork Chess Club, the Cork Chess Leagues, and the Irish Chess Union (ICU) under the FIDE tournament regulations.

Arbiters

  • Arbiters: Andrew Kelly, Zsolt Kardkovács

Tournament Committee

  • Cian O’Mahony
  • Andrew Kelly
  • Sylvia Kardkovács

Structure

Seeding and Section Eligibility

Cork Junior Championship will be held across age sections to ensure players are matched with players with similar maturity while ensuring close to equal size of sections, and allowing for a clear winner to be determined in each category.

  1. Section U10 Open: for those who are 10 years old or younger on 31st December, 2025 (born on 1st January, 2015 or after)
  2. Section U14 Open: for those who are 14 years old or younger on 31st December, 2025 (born on 1st January, 2011 or after)
  3. Section U19 Open: for those who are between 15 and 19 on 31st December, 2025 (born between 1st January, 2006 and 31st December, 2010)
  4. Section Girls only: for those girls who are 19 years old or younger on 31st December, 2025 (born on 1st January, 2006 or after)

Prize winner categories: U19, U16, U14, U12, U10, Girls only. The reference date for age groups is 1st January (calendar years).

The following criteria shall be used to determine players’ seeding and eligibility for sections, in the order listed:

  1. The player’s date of birth makes the player eligible for playing in a specific section.
  2. The player’s preference among sections where the player is eligible.

Format

Individual competition, all sections are organised in a five (5) rounds Swiss (Dutch) tournament format under the FIDE regulations.

Participants

Participants are defined as players who have registered and paid the entry fee through the ICU website or the SumUp link, and who are not under suspension from participating in events organised by FIDE, the ICU, or any Irish Provincial Union.

A player may register for only one section, and only if they meet the eligibility requirements for that section.

Time allotment

  1. Section U10: 15 minutes after each move made on the board. No recording of the moves are required.
    • Default time: 15 minutes.
  2. Sections U14, U19, Girls only: 60 minutes + 30 seconds per move on the clocks. Based on the current Laws of Chess, players must record their moves until the end of the game.
    • Default time: 30 minutes.

Points

  • Each individual game is determined by a win (1 point), a draw (½), or a loss (0 point).
  • In the case of an uneven number of players in a round, the unpaired player shall receive 1 point (a full-point bye). If late entries are accepted and this results in an uneven number, the last player to register shall instead receive ½ point.
  • A player may not request up to one half-point bye during the tournament.

Tie-breaks

In case of a tie, the individual ranking is determined by so-called:

  • result of a direct encounter if any
  • modified Buchholz (cut 0,1), i.e. by the sum of the opponents’ points except the lowest one.
  • Buchholz points, i.e. by the sum of the opponents’ points
  • Sonneborn-Berger points, i.e. by the sum of the opponents’ points the player won against, and half of the points if the game was drawn.
  • progressive value
  • drawing a lot

Dates and Venue

  • Venue: Davis College, 14 Whiteoaks, Mallow, County Cork, EIR: P51 H589
  • Location: On Google Maps
  • Registration deadline: We strongly encourage to register no later than 6th November, 2025, 23:59 Dublin Time on the event page. In U10 Section, players can also register on site, as well, no later than 20 minutes before the 1st round.
  • Schedule of events (U19, U14, Girls only):
    • Checking presence of players ends at: 9:45 (pairings are made afterwards).
    • Opening ceremony: 8th November, 2025 9:45
    • Round 1: 8th November 2025, 10:00
    • Round 2: 8th November 2025, 14:00
    • Round 3: 9th November 2025, 10:00
    • Round 4: 9th November 2025, 14:00
    • Round 5: 9th November 2025, 18:00
    • Prize giving is shortly after the last round (around 5pm).
  • Schedule of events (U10):
    • Opening ceremony: 9th November, 2025 9:45
    • Round 1: 9th November 2025, 10:00
    • Round 2: 9th November 2025, 10:35
    • Round 3: 9th November 2025, 11:10
    • Round 4: 9th November 2025, 11:45
    • Round 5: 9th November 2025, 12:20
    • Round 6: 9th November 2025, 12:55
    • Round 7: 9th November 2025, 13:30

Fees

All Sections: * Standard rate: €25 for Sections Girls only, U14, U19, and €15 for U10. * Late entry (on the day, except U10): €25 if accepted.

Awards and Prizes

Grading Prizes (GP) will be awarded in each section using tie-breaks where necessary (see also Terms and Conditions).

  • Tournament winners are awarded by trophies
    • The overall winner of the U19 Section gets the Philip Short Cup
    • The overall winner of the U14 Section is awarded by the Maurice J. Coveney Cup
    • The overall winner of the U10 Section is awarded by the Joe Browne Cup
    • The overall winner of the Girls only Section is awarded by the Kate Belinda Finn Cup
  • Medals
    • In Section U19, the placement awards (1st-3rd):
      • for age bands: U19, U16
    • In Section U14, the placement awards (1st-3rd):
      • for age bands: U14, U12
    • In Section U10, the placement awards (1st-3rd):
      • for age bands: U10, U8
    • Placement awards (1st-3rd) for the Girls only section.

Tournament Rules and Terms

  1. FIDE Laws of Chess and standard tournament regulations apply, including, but not limited to, FIDE’s Anti-Cheating Regulations and Anti-Cheating Protection Measures.
  2. Ratings
    1. Games Sections U19, U14 and Girls only are FIDE-rated.
    2. Tournament is not rated by the ICU.
  3. Presence and Defaults
    1. Default time is 30 minutes with exception to U10 where it is 15 minutes.
    2. Players will be defaulted if they are not present at their board within the default time.
    3. Should a player fail to appear for a round and not inform the arbiters, they shall be withdrawn from the tournament.
  4. Parings and re-pairings
    1. The format of the game, including the type of the format and/or the number of rounds in each section may change if that specific section cannot be organised under normal circumstances.
    2. Pairings, where appropriate, will be conducted according to the FIDE Swiss Pairing rules using FIDE-approved software.
  5. Appeals against decisions
    1. A Players’ Committee will be appointed before the start of the tournament.
    2. Decisions of an arbiter may be appealed to the Players’ Committee, provided that the appeal is submitted in writing, and the fee for appeal is paid within 30 minutes of the arbiter’s decision. The fee is refunded if the appeal is accepted.
  6. Electronic devices
    1. FIDE tournament rules and regulations shall apply. Players must not have any electronic device powered on, carried (regardless its power state), accessed, or used to communicate in the Playing Area during the game, unless explicitly permitted by an arbiter (e.g., for medical devices). Failure to comply will result in forfeiture of the game.
  7. Playing conditions
    1. Chess sets and clocks will be provided for all games. This may include digital boards and online broadcasting.
    2. At the end of each game, players must reset the board and pieces correctly.
    3. Chess sets and clocks must not be removed from the playing area.
  8. Recording of moves
    1. All moves must be recorded on the provided scoresheet in accordance with the FIDE Laws of Chess, including situations when a player’s remaining time falls below 5 minutes with the exception of Section U10.
    2. In Section U10, the rules of rapid games apply: no recording of moves are required.
    3. If a player is unable to record their moves, they may provide an assistant, acceptable to the arbiter, to record the moves. The arbiter shall adjust the clock in an equitable manner, except in cases where the player has a disability.

Terms and Conditions

Entries

  1. Submission of an entry form and payment of the entry fee constitutes acceptance of the tournament terms and conditions (on behalf of a junior player where applicable).
  2. Players entering the tournament must not be under suspension from participating in events organised by FIDE, the ICU, or any Irish Provincial Union. Suspended players are ineligible until their suspension has been officially lifted.
  3. A player may register for only one section, and only if they meet the eligibility criteria for that section.
  4. If a player is entered into a section for which their age (or gender in the Girls only section) makes them ineligible, they will be moved to the appropriate section.
  5. The organisers will take into account participants’ preferences for playing in any section for which they are eligible.
  6. To maximise opportunities to play (see Aims of the Competition), if two overlapping sections have an uneven number of players and no participant has volunteered to be reseeded before Round 1, the following procedure shall apply:
    1. The two (2) lowest-ranked players in the higher section and the two (2) highest-ranked players in the lower section will be consulted, in that order, about moving section.
    2. If none of these players agree to change sections, the arbiter will decide which player(s) to reseed.

Prizes

  1. Only the winners are awarded by trophies.
  2. No player may win more than one medal.
  3. A player shall only be awarded by the age bands of the section the player plays in.
  4. Placement awards (medals, 1st–3rd) will be shared among the tied players.

Data protection and privacy

  • All entries are handled by the ICU
  • Data Collection. All players must be uniquely and accurately identified before the tournament begins. The following player data will be submitted to the ICU and FIDE to enable post-tournament rating:
    • Full name
    • Player’s federation (for first-time rated players, this will default to Ireland)
    • Date of birth
    • ICU ID
    • FIDE ID (if any)
    • Results of all games played.
  • Contact information. We need to be able to contact all competitors to resolve any issues that may arise during the tournament and to enable distribution of prizes after the tournament has finished. Some contact information is provided by the ICU along with the list of registered entrants prior to the start of the tournament.
  • Photographs. All players over 18 years of age are deemed to allow publication of photographs taken at the event by the organisers for publicity purposes, unless they inform the organisers otherwise.
  • Data sharing. Collected and processed data will not be shared with third parties unless required for tournament organisation or to comply with legal obligations. All data and results, however, will be publicly accessible through the ICU and FIDE rating websites.
  • Your rights. On your request, we will send you the personal data we have for you, or delete it. For such requests or complaints, please, contact the organisers. You are also entitled to complain to the Data Protection Commission whose website is www.dataprotection.ie.

Code of Conduct

  1. General Rules.
    • The ICU’s Code of Conduct applies to all participants, organisers, arbiters, and spectators.
    • All players are expected to behave in line with the Aims of the Competition.
  2. Special rules of the tournament
    • Smoking or consuming alcohol is strictly prohibited in the venue.
    • Parents, adult players, and spectators are expected to respect children, and be a role model for them.

Abbreviations

  • ICU: Irish Chess Union
  • FIDE: International Chess Federation
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