Ireland's only resident chess grandmaster, Mr Alexander Baburin, has won two important tournaments on a prestigious American chess tour, which should help establish him among the top 100 players in the world.
Mr Baburin, who lives in Blackrock, Co Dublin, finished equal first in both the US Masters in Chicago and the National Open in Las Vegas earlier this month, netting some $3,000 in the process.
His earnings from the two tournament wins would have been higher if he had not shared first place in both tournaments. In Chicago, Mr Baburin scored 51/2 out of seven and shared the top spot with seven other players. In Las Vegas, he scored five out of six and was equal first with 13 others.
His performance in the US is expected to earn Mr Baburin the crucial few grading points required to take him into the elite list of the top 100 grandmasters in the world. If he doesn't lose any games in the next few months, his grading is expected to break through the 2,600 mark from its present level of 2,591.
After flying back from the US at the weekend, Mr Baburin told The Irish Times he was happy with the quality of his play in the US. "I beat a couple of strong US-based grandmasters from the former Soviet Union and drew with two or three very strong players," he said. "In my games against the first and second seeds of the tournaments, I had advantages but only drew the games."
Mr Baburin settled in the Republic with his family in 1993 following the break-up of the Soviet Union. He played top board for the Irish international team at the Chess Olympiad in 1996 but has struggled to maintain his grading and establish himself in the top 100 since moving here. "There are only a few strong tournaments in Ireland and playing here doesn't really help my chess," said Mr Baburin. "I play in about two tournaments here every year."
Despite his strong performance in the US, Mr Baburin said he has no plans to move there permanently. "I would do better financially [in the US] because there are more tournaments and more demand for chess coaching," said Mr Baburin. "But I like it here and it would be quite a big move."
Mr Baburin, who coaches three young chess players in the Republic, may return to the US to compete in the New York Open and a tournament in Chicago in May.