Players who enjoy dynamic Irish weekend congresses can join the Mulcahy Memorial Chess Congress from Friday 6 to Sunday 8 February 2026 in Cork, Ireland. You play six classical rounds in the historic Aula Maxima at University College Cork, just about 1 km from the city center, with digital clocks on every board and FIDE rules in force. The congress brings together club players and regular Irish circuit participants in a single open section, backed by the Mulcahy Memorial Chess Committee in association with UCC Chess Club.

You compete for over €1,500 in prize money, including a €600 first prize, grading prizes, and the Gerry McCarthy prize, while you enjoy a compact three-day schedule that fits into a single weekend. Online entry through the Irish Chess Union system keeps registration simple, and you secure the standard entry fee if you register before the mid-January deadline. With one time control, one section, and a clear six-round schedule, the event offers a straightforward, competitive congress in one of Ireland’s leading university venues.

🗓️ Event Details

🏆 Prize Fund

The Mulcahy Memorial Chess Congress 2026 offers more than €1,500 in total prize money and combines main prizes, grading prizes, and a named special prize. The organizers may adjust the overall prize fund upward or downward depending on the number of entries, but headline prizes clearly reward top scoring players and strong results in grading categories. No player may win more than one prize, so every prizewinner receives a single, clearly defined award.

Main and special prizes:

If entries justify it, the organizers can increase the prize money; if entries fall below expectations, they may reduce it. In every case, prize distribution respects the “one player, one prize” rule for clarity and fairness.

⏱️ Time Control & Pairings

• The congress runs as a six-round classical tournament in a single open section.

• Every game uses the same time control: all moves in 90 minutes plus 15 seconds increment per move from move 1.

• The organizers provide digital clocks on all boards, and players must know how to use them at this standard increment time control.

• FIDE rules apply for the entire event; the organizers make the FIDE Laws of Chess available at the venue for consultation.

• The pairing system and any tiebreak methods follow the organizer’s published regulations and standard Irish congress practice; players receive full details at the venue before the first round.

📂 Sections / Groups

All entrants play together in this single section and compete for the main, grading, and special prizes.

📅 Schedule

📝 Registration

You enter the Mulcahy Memorial Chess Congress online via the Irish Chess Union website at https://www.icu.ie/. The tournament appears in the ICU events list, and you complete your registration and payment through the standard ICU online entry system. The standard entry fee is €40 when the organizers receive your payment by 16 January 2026.

If the organizers accept entry on the day, the fee rises to €55 for late on-site registration. A late fee of €10 applies whenever the entry fee arrives after 16 January 2026, even if you registered earlier. All entrants who live in Ireland must hold current Irish Chess Union membership before they play; you can purchase or renew ICU membership through the shop at https://www.icu.ie/shop. The organizers reserve the right to limit or refuse late entries if numbers exceed practical capacity in the Aula Maxima.

👥 Organizer

The Mulcahy Memorial Chess Committee, working in association with UCC Chess Club, organizes this long-running congress in the Aula Maxima at University College Cork. The team focuses on delivering a well-run weekend event with clear regulations, a comfortable venue, and a prize structure that appeals to club players from Cork and across Ireland.

• Organizing committee: Mulcahy Memorial Chess Committee (in association with UCC Chess Club)

• Tournament contact: Pat Twomey

• Email: ptwomey@hotmail.com

• Irish Chess Union website: https://www.icu.ie/

🏨 Venue

You play in the Aula Maxima at University College Cork, Cork, Ireland, a landmark hall on the UCC campus located about 1 km from Cork city center. The venue offers a spacious playing area, an academic atmosphere, and easy access to the cafés, restaurants, and services that surround UCC and the nearby city center. Players can reach the hall on foot from many central hotels and guesthouses or use local public transport and taxis.

🛎️ Accommodation

The organizers do not offer a dedicated official hotel, but the flyer directs players to the Discover Ireland accommodation listings for Cork City. You can choose from a wide range of hotels, guesthouses, and B&Bs within walking distance or a short bus or taxi ride of UCC.

Useful accommodation resource:

You can use this listing to match your budget and preferences, then book directly with your chosen property.

🚗 How to Get There

You can travel to Cork City by air, train, or bus and then continue to University College Cork. From Cork Airport you reach the city center by airport bus or taxi, and from there UCC lies roughly 1 km to the west, so you can either walk or take a short bus or taxi ride to the campus. If you arrive by train or intercity bus at Cork’s central stations, you follow local bus routes or a brief taxi ride up to the university and then walk to the Aula Maxima. Drivers approach UCC from the city ring roads and follow campus signs and local parking guidance around the university area.

You can turn this Cork weekend into a focused six-round classical congress, combine serious FIDE-rules chess with a lively university setting, and compete for generous prizes at the Mulcahy Memorial Chess Congress 2026.

🧾 Other

• FIDE rules apply for all games, and the organizers make the Laws of Chess available at the venue.

• The prize fund may increase or decrease depending on the final number of entries, but no player may win more than one prize.

• The organizers hope to provide enough sets and clocks for everyone, yet they ask players to bring a set and clock if possible in case late entries increase demand.