Galway Rapidplay 2019: Report

This year’s Galway Rapidplay attracted a total of 49 entries, which is the highest number we’ve had, at least since we resurrected the Rapidplay in 2013.

With that number of players, it took a while for the top players to meet, but after four rounds there were only two players on maximum points and they were the top two seeds: Colm Daly and Rory Quinn. However, well positioned just half a point behind were the very talented young siblings Tarun and Trisha Kanyamarala (aged just 14 and 13), who had dropped their half-points when they had a quick draw with each other in round 3.  In round 5, Colm beat Rory, and both Kanyamaralas also won with black against higher-rated opponents, setting up the pairings in round 6 of Tarun against Colm, and Rory against Trisha.  These games were both won by white, the crucial top game being particularly hard-fought.  That left Tarun in the lead going into the last round, half a point ahead of Colm and Rory, who had now been joined on 5 points out of 6 by Darragh Moran and David Cormican, both of whom had made late surges.  (Darragh’s only loss was to Colm in round 2, whilst David’s loss had been to third seed Ciaran Quinn.)  In the final round Colm duly beat David fairly quickly, but the top-board game between Tarun and Darragh proved to be a real struggle, reaching a complicated position when Tarun gave up his queen for rook, piece and pawn.  This game continued long after all the other games had finished, eventually ending in a draw.

So first place was shared between Colm Daly and Tarun Kanyamarala, with third place also being shared half a point behind (after Rory surprisingly lost his last round game) by Darragh Moran and Trisha Kanyamarala.  Tarun Kanyamarala thus becomes the youngest-ever winner of the Galway Rapidplay, beating Conor O’Donnell’s record of winning aged 16, in 2015.  Note that three of the four prize-winners are juniors, thus continuing the fine performances by Juniors shown in the Galway Congress in March.

Other prize-winners were as follows.  Because of the high number of entries, we provided two grading prizes, instead of the advertised one.  The prize for Band A (1000-1599) was shared between David Cormican and Lukasz Daros, on five points.  Band B (under 1000) was also shared, this time a three-way tie between David Cunningham, Oscar Roe and Scott Reilly on three points.  The Junior Prize, which can be won alongside other prizes, was predictably won by Tarun Kanyamarala; and an additional under-12 Junior Prize was shared by David Cunningham and Oscar Roe.

Full standings and a cross-table of results are available here.

 

Scott, Oscar and David receiving their grading prize

Lukasz and David receiving their grading prize

Darragh receiving his 3rd place prize

Trisha receiving her 3rd place prize

Colm and Tarun sharing 1st place.

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