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

2010–present[]

• 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

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[]