Page 118 - Gonzaga at 60
P. 118
The Lower House, May 1952.
This is where chess began in
earnest in the 1970s
What made the club so special was the sheer number of players who used to play week in
week out, before heading of to rugby training or home. While I was the only really enthusiasic
player in my own class (another talented natural player, Gerald Parkinson never caught the chess
bug), in the class ahead of me there were at least twenty regular players, who were extremely
commited players. Alan Peart would become by far the strongest of the players in this class
and go on to represent Ireland at the Glorney Cup. Gerry was quick to recognise that the huge
‘My greatest claim popularity of the game in Alan Peart’s year was something that might be built upon, and he
to fame as a chess began to encourage us all to play in compeiions outside school, and take part in the large open
player is that I was tournaments that used to be run in Dublin at this ime, oten in the Mansion House. He entered
the irst Dubliner ‘A’, ‘B’ and someimes even ‘C’ teams in the Dublin school chess leagues and it wasn’t long before
Gonzaga began to dominate at junior and senior level, winning several Leinster and All-Ireland
to become an Championships. At one stage, if I remember correctly, Gonzaga dominated to such a degree that
International Master they won the Leinster Senior chess championships for ive years in a row.
back in 2000 and Gerry’s contribuion was, however, far more than simply organising the club and picking the
have represented teams. He used to accompany the various junior and senior teams all over Leinster and eventually
Ireland in seven overseas to Marlwood, the premier schools chess team event in Great Britain or Ireland. What
chess Olympiads made the Marlwood tournament unusual was that the teams consisted of 12 players, which
since 1994. To meant that any school that had ambiions to win the tournament had to have strength in depth.
be honest, Sam Equally, the system by which players were drawn against each other, meant that teams would
never face of against each other directly. Players on each board would play in diferent rooms
is a much more and never knew how the rest of the team were doing or how or our closest rivals were faring.
serious player and The only thing that was certain was that every single half point was like gold dust.
I suspect that he We irst went to Marlwood in about 1989. I can sill recall the intense excitement of
will soon become a being dropped of to Dun Laoghaire where Gerry, Denis Cusack and David Murray, two other
grandmaster. I have enthusiasic chess playing teachers in the school around 1800 Elo in strength, were waiing to
some catching up take the team over to Holyhead. The trip to Marlwood was the highlight of every year, and
to do after the PhD provided non-stop chess over a three day period, from blitz and analysis on the boat and train,
but hope to get back to the sifest compeiion against the best schools that England and Wales had to ofer.
Gonzaga’s victory at Marlwood in 1992/93 is in many respects the crowning achievement
to the game in the of Gerry Murphy and Gonzaga chess. No other team that I have ever played in had such a strong
coming months. sense of team spirit, commitment and loyalty. Despite the immense ability of various individuals
in the team such as Alan Peart, Francis Sweeney, John Carroll, William Mulligan to name just a
Mark Quinn few, each of us all knew that every single player, regardless of our diferences in age or strength
or personality, had to pull together and support everyone else if we were going to win the
This is where chess began in
earnest in the 1970s
What made the club so special was the sheer number of players who used to play week in
week out, before heading of to rugby training or home. While I was the only really enthusiasic
player in my own class (another talented natural player, Gerald Parkinson never caught the chess
bug), in the class ahead of me there were at least twenty regular players, who were extremely
commited players. Alan Peart would become by far the strongest of the players in this class
and go on to represent Ireland at the Glorney Cup. Gerry was quick to recognise that the huge
‘My greatest claim popularity of the game in Alan Peart’s year was something that might be built upon, and he
to fame as a chess began to encourage us all to play in compeiions outside school, and take part in the large open
player is that I was tournaments that used to be run in Dublin at this ime, oten in the Mansion House. He entered
the irst Dubliner ‘A’, ‘B’ and someimes even ‘C’ teams in the Dublin school chess leagues and it wasn’t long before
Gonzaga began to dominate at junior and senior level, winning several Leinster and All-Ireland
to become an Championships. At one stage, if I remember correctly, Gonzaga dominated to such a degree that
International Master they won the Leinster Senior chess championships for ive years in a row.
back in 2000 and Gerry’s contribuion was, however, far more than simply organising the club and picking the
have represented teams. He used to accompany the various junior and senior teams all over Leinster and eventually
Ireland in seven overseas to Marlwood, the premier schools chess team event in Great Britain or Ireland. What
chess Olympiads made the Marlwood tournament unusual was that the teams consisted of 12 players, which
since 1994. To meant that any school that had ambiions to win the tournament had to have strength in depth.
be honest, Sam Equally, the system by which players were drawn against each other, meant that teams would
never face of against each other directly. Players on each board would play in diferent rooms
is a much more and never knew how the rest of the team were doing or how or our closest rivals were faring.
serious player and The only thing that was certain was that every single half point was like gold dust.
I suspect that he We irst went to Marlwood in about 1989. I can sill recall the intense excitement of
will soon become a being dropped of to Dun Laoghaire where Gerry, Denis Cusack and David Murray, two other
grandmaster. I have enthusiasic chess playing teachers in the school around 1800 Elo in strength, were waiing to
some catching up take the team over to Holyhead. The trip to Marlwood was the highlight of every year, and
to do after the PhD provided non-stop chess over a three day period, from blitz and analysis on the boat and train,
but hope to get back to the sifest compeiion against the best schools that England and Wales had to ofer.
Gonzaga’s victory at Marlwood in 1992/93 is in many respects the crowning achievement
to the game in the of Gerry Murphy and Gonzaga chess. No other team that I have ever played in had such a strong
coming months. sense of team spirit, commitment and loyalty. Despite the immense ability of various individuals
in the team such as Alan Peart, Francis Sweeney, John Carroll, William Mulligan to name just a
Mark Quinn few, each of us all knew that every single player, regardless of our diferences in age or strength
or personality, had to pull together and support everyone else if we were going to win the
