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. 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.

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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
2001 - Crumlin
2002 - Phibsboro
2003 - Phibsboro
2004 - Phibsboro A
2005 - Phibsboro A
2006 - Rathmines A
2007 - Rathmines A
2008 - Phibsboro A
2009 - Phibsboro

2010–2019

2010 - Elm Mount A
2011 - Kilkenny
2012 - Rathmines A
2013 - Phibsboro
2014 - Dublin University
2015 - Gonzaga^[4]
2016 - Gonzaga
2017 - Gonzaga
2018 - Gonzaga
2019 - Gonzaga

2020–present

2020 - Season abandoned due to covid
2021 - Season cancelled due to covid
2022 - Season cancelled due to covid
2023 - Gonzaga

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
Gonzaga	6	2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2023
University College Dublin	6	1959, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1980
Blackrock/Booterstown ++	5	1899, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1936
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.

++++ Crumlin Chess Club, in 2002, played in Rathmines Chess Club, playing as Rathmines/Crumlin up until 2004 until the joined Rathmines.

+++++ 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.

This page was last edited on 13 January 2024, at 21:48

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