 Collins in 2017 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1982-09-05)September 5, 1982 (age 43) Dublin, Ireland |
| Chess career | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Title | International Master (2004) |
| FIDE rating | 2466 (February 2026) |
| Peak rating | 2495 (August 2014) |
Sam E. Collins (born 5 September 1982) is an Irishchess player. He was awarded the titleInternational Master byFIDE in 2004.
Born inDublin, Collins' career began while a student inGonzaga College, a school with a strong chess tradition. During his time at Gonzaga, he led the school to its second Millfield International chess tournament,[1] which was considered the de facto Britain and Ireland schools' championships.[2] Collins was named outstanding player of the tournament, an award previously won by such masters as Mark Quinn,Brian Kelly, Mark Ferguson andMichael Adams.[3] Individually, Collins represented his country in both junior competition – the Glorney Cup – and theChess Olympiad – at the time, the youngest Irishman to do so.[citation needed]
Collins represented Ireland at everyOlympiad between 2000 and 2014, playing on the first board in both 2010 and 2012. In the2002 edition, held inBled, Slovenia, he won the gold medal for second reserve, scoring 7½/8 points.[4] In the2004 Olympiad, inCalvià, Spain, he achieved the title of International Master (IM).[1]
Collins has achieved threenorms required for the title ofGrandmaster, won in 2008,[5] 2010,[6] and 2018 respectively. His peak FIDE rating of 2495 is the highest achieved by an Irish-born player.
Collins has won theIrish Chess Championship twice, in 2002 and in 2014, and theJapanese Chess Championship once in 2009. Among his best one off results are his draw withAlexander Grischuk in the2010 Olympiad[7] and his defeat ofViktor Korchnoi in 2011.[8]
Collins currently plays out of the Gonzaga Chess Club, whose first team includes French Grandmaster Sebastien Mazé and Irish internationals Stephen Jessel and Conor O'Donnell. With Collins rotating with Mazé on the top board, the club won the 2015, 2016, and 2017 editions of theArmstrong Cup.[9][10][11][12][13]
Internationally, Collins is perhaps best known as an author of chess books[14] and DVDs.[15] He has also taught at the Berkeley Chess School.[16]
Following school, Collins studied for a degree in law atUniversity College Dublin, before being called to the bar. He holds anLLM from theUniversity of London and currently practises as a barrister in Dublin.
