The idea of a lightning tournament was first proposed by Sam Ferris, secretary of the CPA Chess Club at a committee meeting of the Ulster Chess Union on the 28th April 1950. The first Lightning Tournament was held in the Ard Scoil, Divis Street on Wednesday 21 June 1950 by kind permission of the Gaelic League, who themselves took advantage of the occasion to present to the winners the medals won at the Belfast Feis. The tournament continued as an annual event, played on a Wednesday evening in mid to late June, until 1970. It was combined with a prizegiving ceremony, not just for the Feis, but also for all the trophies and medals won throughout the chess season.
The games were played to a fixed time-limit for each move. For the first few years, the time allowed varied from 7 to 9 seconds per move, before becoming standardised at 10 seconds per move from 1957 onwards. The games had a fixed limit to prevent long-running games delaying the schedule. Initially this was a time limit but in 1953 this was changed to 48 moves. In 1957 this was changed to 60 moves. From 1957 onward the standard conditions were 10 seconds a move with a maximum of 60 moves.
Unfinished games were adjudicated, but it seems that players checkmating their opponents received 3 points while those who won on adjudication only took the normal 2 points for a win.
1950 J.A. FLOOD 1951 W.D. KERR 1952 J.W.A. MILLS 1953 A.W. TURNER 1954 T.C. GALLERY 1955 A. TORNEY 1956 T. ALCORN 1957 F. GREEN 1958 H. HARTE 1959 J. GIBSON 1960 A. TORNEY 1961 E. WHITESIDE 1962 A. PINKERTON 1963 A. PINKERTON 1964 A. YOUNG 1965 J.B. TOMSON & L. GRAHAM 1966 H. MACGRILLEN 1967 P. HENRY 1968 W.J. COLLINS 1969 P. HENRY 1970 P. HENRYFive-Minute Championship of Ulster 1970-1972
Raymond Bateson, the secretary of the QUB Chess Club, proposed in late 1969 that the Ulster Chess Union establish a five-minute championship which he would organise. Circulars were sent out to the other clubs testing the waters as to what support the event might receive.
On the evening of Thursday 1st January 1970 the UCU committee met in room 16 of the CIYMS Club. Despite considering it likely that the event could be staged successfully, the committee had reservations about this proposed new venture. The minutes stated:
“There is a good case for this event to be organised and run by any club which wishes to do so, but the Ulster Chess Union is reluctant to allow it is to be called the “Five Minute Championship of Ulster” or to afford it official status, as yet.
The popularity of such an event may be transitory, as also may be the sojourn in Ulster of the initial organisers.
Consequently, we visualise the disappearance in the near future of those who are now so confident of the permanence of such a “Championship” and the Ulster Chess Union would be left with a championship for which there are no competitors.
The fact that the British Chess Federation states in its annual report that “Five Minutes chess is strictly prohibited, owing to the risk of damage to clocks” is only mentioned in passing, the real reason for our non-acceptance of this event as an established Championship, for the maintenance of which we would be committed, being stated above.
This does not prevent us wishing every success to any club, or combination of clubs, which may wish to proceed with the venture.”Despite the lack of official approval the QUB Club organised the five minute championship on Friday 17 April 1970. There were 20 entrants and an eight-round Swiss was won by John Moles. The minutes of the 1970 UCU Annual General Meeting report a more positive response to the Championship:
“Mr Bateson said that as the event had been a success with 20 entries there was no reason why the Ulster Chess Union should not support it and give it official status.
The general feeling of the meeting was that Mr Bateson was correct and it was agreed to call the next competition the “Five Minute Championship of Ulster” and to accept responsibility for its maintenance.”The QUB Club organised two further editions of the now officially recognised championship, both held on the last Friday of April, before the fears of the New Year committee-men seem to have been realised.
1970 J.L. MOLES 1971 J. NICHOLSON 1972 J. NICHOLSONUlster Rapidplay Championship 2000-2019
The first time an event carried the title of Ulster Rapidplay Championship was on the 3rd December 2000. It was a one-off event, part of the Target Recruitment sponsorship of the Ulster Chess Union in the 2000-2001 season. The next time the Championship was held was on 2nd January 2006 and it continued to be held over the Christmas/New Year Period until the 2010-2011 season championship held on 2nd January 2011. For the 2011-2012 season the UCU decided to hold an Ulster Blitz Championship over the holiday period, moving the Rapidplay Championship to a new Spring slot in the Calendar. The 2013 renewal saw a further tweak with the Rapidplay Championship finding a new holiday in Easter Monday.
2000 S. SCANNELL 2005/06 G. ANNESLEY, J. CAIRNS & N. PILKIEWICZ 2006/07 S. SCANNELL 2007/08 S. SCANNELL 2008/09 G. ANNESLEY, J. CAIRNS, M. HOLMES, C. LEITCH & S. SCANNELL 2009/10 G. ANNESLEY & J. CAIRNS 2010/11 J. CAIRNS 2012 M. WATERS 2013 J. MASTERSON 2014 C. QUINN 2015 C. QUINN 2016 G. HORVATH 2017 Daniil ZELENCHUK 2018 N. JOSHI 2019 Daniil ZELENCHUKUlster Blitz Championship 2011-2018
In the modern era of online chess, most of which is played at very fast time limits, over-the board blitz tournaments have also become increasingly popular. In the 2011-2012 season the UCU decided to join the trend by establishing an Ulster Blitz Championship during the Christmas holiday period which, with its tradition of playing board games, seems a perfect match.
2011 C. LEITCH 2012 S. SCANNELL 2013 M. WATERS 2014 G. HORVATH 2015 D. MARCHLEWICZ 2016 S. RUSH 2017 N. JOSHI 2018 G. HORVATH 2019 Daniil ZELENCHUK
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