Armstrong Cup
The Armstrong Cup is the oldest Irish team league competition and has been played every year since 1888, perhaps giving it a claim on the longest running chess competition in the world. The Club is named after William Armstrong BL (1849-1899)[1][2] who presented the cup in its first season[3] It is organised by the Leinster Chess Union and is division one of the Leinster leagues. Each team comprises 8 players, and the league comprises 12 teams. Each year the bottom two clubs are relegated, and the top two clubs from the second division Heidenfeld Trophy are promoted. The winners of the Armstrong Cup go forward to participate in the National Club Championships run by the Irish Chess Union. As well as being graded by the ICU, games in the Armstrong Cup are submitted for rating by the International Chess Federation FIDE.
In 1971 the League was divided into top 6 teams who played each other home and away, the remaining teams formed the new division two named the Heidenfeld Trophy with the older Ennis Shield league competition becoming the third division of the Leinster leagues. In the early 1980s the LCU experimented with having a preliminary round and then dividing the league into 2 section however it returned to the league format.
Winning Clubs
1889–1899
- 1889 - Phoenix
- 1890 - Clontarf
- 1891 - Dublin University
- 1892 - Clontarf (Disqualified)
- 1893 - Kingstown
- 1894 - City
- 1895 - Rathmines
- 1896 - Dublin University
- 1897 - Dublin University
- 1898 - Rathmines
- 1899 - Blackrock/Booterstown
1900-1909
- 1900 - Dublin University
- 1901 - Blackrock/Booterstown
- 1902 - Blackrock/Booterstown
- 1903 - Blackrock/Booterstown
- 1904 - Sackville
- 1905 - Sackville
- 1906 - Sackville
- 1907 - Sackville
- 1908 - Sackville
- 1909 - Sackville
1910–1919
- 1910 - Dublin
- 1911 - Sackville
- 1912 - Sackville
- 1913 - Dublin
- 1914 - Sackville
- 1915 - Sackville
- 1916 - None
- 1917 - None
- 1918 - None
- 1919 - None
1920–1929
- 1920 - None
- 1921 - None
- 1922 - Dublin
- 1923 - Dublin
- 1924 - Dublin
- 1925 - Dublin
- 1926 - Sackville
- 1927 - Dublin
- 1928 - Dublin
- 1929 - Sackville
1930–1939
- 1930 - Dublin
- 1931 - Dublin
- 1932 - Sackville
- 1933 - Dublin
- 1934 - Dublin
- 1935 - Dublin
- 1936 - Blackrock
- 1937 - Colmcille
- 1938 - Dublin
- 1939 - Dublin
1940–1949
- 1940 - Colmcille
- 1941 - Dublin
- 1942 - Sackville
- 1943 - Colmcille
- 1944 - Dublin
- 1945 - Dublin University
- 1946 - Rathmines
- 1947 - Dublin
- 1948 - Dublin
- 1949 - Sackville
1950–1959
- 1950 - Dublin
- 1951 - Sackville
- 1952 - Dublin
- 1953 - Clontarf
- 1954 - Eoghan Ruadh
- 1955 - Clontarf
- 1956 - Eoghan Ruadh A
- 1957 - Sackville
- 1958 - Dublin
- 1959 - University College Dublin
1960–1969
- 1960 - Dublin
- 1961 - Dublin
- 1962 - Eoghan Ruadh
- 1963 - Dublin
- 1964 - Collegians
- 1965 - Dublin
- 1966 - Dublin
- 1967 - Dublin
- 1968 - Eoghan Ruadh
- 1969 - Dublin
1970–1979
- 1970 - Dublin
- 1971 - Dublin
- 1972 - Collegians
- 1973 - University College Dublin
- 1974 - University College Dublin
- 1975 - Collegians
- 1976 - University College Dublin
- 1977 - University College Dublin
- 1978 - Rathmines
- 1979 - Collegians
1980–1989
- 1980 - University College Dublin
- 1981 - Dublin
- 1982 - Raheny
- 1983 - Raheny
- 1984 - Kevin Barry
- 1985 - Dundrum
- 1986 - Kevin Barry
- 1987 - Kevin Barry
- 1988 - Kevin Barry
- 1989 - Rathmines
1990–1999
- 1990 - Kevin Barry
- 1991 - Kevin Barry
- 1992 - Kevin Barry
- 1993 - Rathmines
- 1994 - St. Benildus
- 1995 - Rathfarnham
- 1996 - Rathmines
- 1997 - Crumlin
- 1998 - Crumlin
- 1999 - Bray
2000–2009
- 2000 - Bray
- 2000 - Crumlin
- 2002 - Phibsboro
- 2003 - Phibsboro
- 2004 - Phibsboro A
- 2005 - Phibsboro A
- 2006 - Rathmines A
- 2007 - Rathmines A
- 2008 - Phibsboro A
- 2009 - Phibsboro
Number of Wins by Club
| Club | Wins | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Dublin | 32 | 1910, 1913, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1927, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1944, 1947, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1966. 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1981 |
| Sackville | 17 | 1904, 1905, 1906, 1907,1908, 1909, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1926, 1929, 1932, 1942, 1949, 1951, 1957 |
| Rathmines | 10 | 1895, 1898, 1946, 1978, 1989, 1993, 1996, 2006, 2007, 2012[5] |
| Kevin Barry + | 7 | 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992 |
| Phibsboro | 7 | 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013[6] |
| Dublin University | 6 | 1891, 1896, 1897, 1900, 1945, 2014 |
| University College Dublin | 6 | 1959, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980 |
| Blackrock/Booterstown ++ | 5 | 1899, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1936 |
| Gonzaga | 5 | 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 |
| Collegians +++ | 4 | 1964, 1972, 1975, 1979 |
| Eoghan Ruadh +++ | 4 | 1954, 1956, 1962, 1968 |
| Clontarf | 3 | 1890, 1953, 1955 |
| Colmcille | 3 | 1937, 1940, 1943 |
| Crumlin | 3 | 1997, 1998, 2001 |
| Bray | 2 | 1990, 2000 |
| Raheny | 2 | 1982, 1983 |
| City | 1 | 1894 |
| Dundrum ++++ | 1 | 1985 |
| Elm mount | 1 | 2010 |
| Kilkenny | 1 | 2011 |
| Kingstown | 1 | 1893 |
| Phoenix | 1 | 1890 |
| Rathfarnham | 1 | 1995 |
| St. Benildus ++++ | 1 | 1994 |
Italics indicate clubs which are defunct or no longer active.
+ Kevin Barry Chess Club previously called North City Chess Club played in Mountjoy Square, Dublin, disbanded in 1992.
++ Bootherstown(Blackrock) evolved into Blackrock Chess Club and played in the Carnegie Library in Blackrock, the club is now defunct.
+++ 1981 Eoghan Ruadh (who played in Merchants Quay, Dublin) and Collegians merged to form Vikings Chess Club, Collegians continued on as a Chess and Go Club.
++++ St. Benildus and Dundrum Chess Club merged, so perhaps their victories should be counted together
References
- Photo William Armstrong Gravestone - Mount Jerome Cemetery Dublin.
- William Armstrong www.irlchess.com
- Armstrong Cup Irish Chess History
- Leinster Leagues LCU Website
- Roll of Honour - LCU Competitions Rathmines Chess Club.
- History Phibsboro Chess Club, www.phibsborochessclub.com.