Nicholas Pert wins British Championship
The British OTB championships, Swiss tournaments in various categories have been held in two different locations – University of Hull and Milton Keynes – and stretched over two weeks: Open Championship Final – Saturday 2nd October to Sunday 10th OctoberWomen’s Championship Final – Thursday 14th October to Sunday 17th OctoberSenior Championships Finals (50+ and 65+) – Monday 4th October to Sunday 10th OctoberJunior Finals – Saturday 2nd October to Sunday 3rd October In the absence of the top-six English grandmasters with a 2600-plus rating, Nicholas Pert (pictured below) entered the open competition (a 9-round Swiss tournament) as the top-rated participant and lived up to his reputation. The former World U18 champion scored 6½ points and clinched his maiden national title. There was a large 5-way tie for the second place, with Daniel Gormally and Marcus Havey finishing second and third respectively, thanks to better tiebreaks. Andrew Ledger gave the champion a good run for his money, coming into the final round as joint-leader. Unfortunately, the defeat at the hands of Hamish Olson relegated him to the sixth position in the final standings. Final standings open: 1 GM Pert, Nicholas ENG 2548 6½ 2 GM Gormally, Daniel W ENG 2480 6 3 FM Harvey, Marcus R ENG 2465 6 4 GM Hebden, Mark L ENG 2455 6 5 IM Ledger, Andrew J ENG 2329 6 6 FM Olson, Hamish SCO 2273 6 7 IM Mcphillips, Joseph ENG 2425 5½ 8 Finn, Peter ENG 1959 5½ 9 GM Arkell, Keith C ENG 2380 5 10 WFM Sucikova, Svetlana SVK 2175 4½ Mike Waddington Photo: Brendan O’Gorman In the Senior Championship 50+ (a 7-round Swiss tournament), Mike Waddington came in the clear first with an excellent score of 6/7, a full point ahead of Ian Robson and Donald Mason. Roger De Coverly netted 5 points in 7 games and emerged as the winner in the 65+ tournament, followed by Ivan Myall (4½) and Philip Stimpson (4). Roger De Coverly Photo: Brendan O’Gorman Kumar Avait Keerthi (U8), Cameron Crose (U10), Jude Shearsby (U12), James Merriman (U14) and Timur Kuzhelev (U18) took the titles in the British Junior Championship. Official website: www.britishchesschampionships.co.uk