Play-off to settle crown

FOR THE second time in three weeks, a national chess title will be decided by a play-off.

The women’s championship has failed to produce a winner after six rounds of games, as defending champion Gabriella Cumberbatch and two-time champion Katrina Blackman battled to a dead heat.

The 17-year-old Cumberbatch, a student of Harrison College, and Blackman, 24, the highest rated player in the nine-strong field, each registered their fifth victory at the Bridgetown Chess Centre in Cavans Lane on Saturday to finish with five and a half points from a maximum six.

The only time either player dropped a point was when they played to a hard-fought draw in the third round in a game that lasted four hours. (HG)

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