The Irish 50plus Championship 2026
12 players participated in this 7-round tournament, held from 01 Jan 2026 to 04 Jan 2026 in Talbot Hotel Stillorgan, Dublin, Ireland. 2 federations represented. Top 10 Elo average was 1860, and top seed was Jonathan O'Connor (🇮🇪 IRL, 2163).
Jonathan O'Connor (🇮🇪 IRL, 2163) won with 6.5/7, ahead of Gerard McIlroy (4.5) and Charles L Higgie (4.0). O'Connor won solo starting round 2.
The biggest upset came in round 2: Joseph A. McDonnell (1601) beat Jimmy Deneher (1746), a +145-point gap.
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How it unfolded
Top 6 · 7 roundsJonathan O'Connor led from R2; +2.0-point edge over the runner-up.
Jonathan O'Connor never relinquished the lead after R2; final gap +2.0 over the runner-up.
Jonathan O'Connor drew with Gerard McIlroy (White).
Jonathan O'Connor won 4 in a row (R1–R4).
Key matchups · top 4
Head-to-head between the four finishers| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jonathan O'Connor | * | ½ | 1 | 1 |
| 2Gerard McIlroy | ½ | * | — | 1 |
| 3Fred Armstrong | 0 | — | * | ½ |
| 4Charles L Higgie | 0 | 0 | ½ | * |
Grille américaine
| # | Player | Elo | Fed | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | Pts | Bu C1 | Bu | SB | Perf | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | O'Connor, Jonathan | 2163 | IRL | +12B | +6N | +3B | +7N | =2B | +4N | +5B | 6.5 | 22.5 | 23.0 | 20.75 | 2283 | +12.0 |
| 2 | McIlroy, Gerard | 1948 | IRL | =11B | +9N | =5B | F | =1N | +3B | +6N | 4.5 | 22.0 | 22.0 | 16.00 | 2083 | +42.8 |
| 3 | Higgie, Charles L | 2001 | ENG | =4N | +8B | −1N | =5B | +7B | −2N | +11N | 4.0 | 24.0 | 26.0 | 11.25 | 1847 | -21.2 |
| 4 | Armstrong, Fred | 1740 | IRL | =3B | =5N | =8B | +12N | =6N | −1B | +10N | 4.0 | 22.5 | 23.0 | 9.75 | 1973 | +35.4 |
| 5 | Fox, Anthony | 1915 | IRL | =9N | =4B | =2N | =3N | +8B | =6B | −1N | 3.5 | 25.0 | 27.5 | 11.75 | 1843 | -12.2 |
| 6 | Novak, Vjekoslav | 1871 | IRL | +7B | −1B | +11N | =8N | =4B | =5N | −2B | 3.5 | 24.0 | 26.0 | 10.00 | 1847 | -4.2 |
| 7 | McDonnell, Joseph A. | 1601 | IRL | −6N | +12N | +9B | −1B | −3N | −10B | +8N | 3.0 | 21.5 | 22.0 | 5.50 | 1728 | +29.6 |
| 8 | O`byrne, Derek | 0 | IRL | +10B | −3N | =4N | =6B | −5N | =12B | −7B | 2.5 | 20.5 | 21.0 | 6.50 | 1712 | 0.0 |
| 9 | Fitzsimons, Pat | 1674 | IRL | =5B | −2B | −7N | F | =10N | =11B | +12N | 2.5 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 4.50 | 1734 | +7.8 |
| 10 | Nikrow, Shahram | 1822 | IRL | −8N | F | F | +11B | =9B | +7N | −4B | 2.5 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 6.25 | 1778 | -4.6 |
| 11 | O`gorman, Brian | 1716 | IRL | =2N | F | −6B | −10N | +12B | =9N | −3B | 2.0 | 17.5 | 17.5 | 4.00 | 1719 | -0.8 |
| 12 | Deneher, Jimmy | 1746 | IRL | −1N | −7B | F | −4B | −11N | =8N | −9B | 0.5 | 20.5 | 20.5 | 1.25 | 975 | -48.4 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1McIlroy, GerardIRL+42.84.5 pts · #2
- 2Armstrong, FredIRL+35.44.0 pts · #3
- 3McDonnell, Joseph A.IRL+29.63.0 pts · #11
- 1Deneher, JimmyIRL-48.40.5 pts · #12
- 2Higgie, Charles LENG-21.24.0 pts · #4
- 3Fox, AnthonyIRL-12.23.5 pts · #8
- R2+145 Elo gap