The Smithfield Special returns on Sunday, 20th October 2024. Join us in the offices of Workday in Smithfield, Dublin 7, for a day of rated games at shorter time controls. The Smithfield Special is self-paired — when you’re finished your game, just look for another opponent and start again, or put your name on the…
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Registration Open for League Season 6
Registration is now open for the sixth season of the IGA Online League. The sixth season will run from September through November.
The League is organised into groups of 4–5 players of similar strength, with each group playing a double round-robin (so you will play two games against each other player in your…
Philippe Defends Title
Philippe Renaut (Galway) successfully defended his title as Irish Champion with a 2–1 victory over Lu Xinqun in the finals. This is Philippe’s second consecutive title, and his fourth overall. The deciding game in the best-of-three final was a tense battle, with Xinqun maintaining a small but significant edge into the middle game, calmly taking…
Xinqun Levels the Score
The second game in the Championship proved just as bloody as the first, but this time Lu Xinqun had the upper hand and it was Philippe Renaut who was unsuccessfully struggling for life. Taking the white stones, Xinqun allowed Philippe three corners, staking the game on an imposing central moyo. When the inevitable invasion…
Magic Swords and Big Kills
The 2024 Championship Finals started with a bang as Philippe Renaut (White) engineered a massive kill to secure an early victory over Lu Xinqun (Black) in the first game of the best-of-three series. In the review below, Philippe explains his thought processes and decisions during this fascinating fighting game. Veterans will enjoy the appearance…