British Championship: Gawain Jones captures third title
Gawain Jones emerged as the winner of the 2024 British Championship in a dramatic showdown with David Howell. The gripping tiebreaker followed a fiercely contested tournament that saw Jones and Howell share first place. The 2024 British Chess Championships were held at Hull City Hall and the DoubleTree by Hilton in Hull City Centre, with several events running from July 25 to August 4, 2024, across the two city center venues. It was the 110th British Chess Championship, which has run almost unbroken since 1904. The event was supported by the Hull and East Riding Chess Association, Hull City Council, Hull Culture and Leisure, Visit Hull and East Yorkshire, the Chess Trust and the John Robinson Youth Chess Trust. The championship, a nine-round Swiss tournament, that brought together 86 players, was a very tightly contested competition, with Jones and Howell seizing the joint lead only after the penultimate round. After their final-round game ended in a draw, both players finished with an impressive 7/9 score, forcing a playoff to determine the champion. The opponents traded blows in the rapid games (David was close to the title but missed a tactical subtlety in the second encounter), and it all came down to blitz. After drawing the first blitz game with black pieces, Jones gradually outplayed Howell in a roughly equal ending with White and captured his third title. The new champion and the 2023 British champion, Michael Adams (who finished 11th), became the only undefeated players in the tournament. Three players shared third place, with Matthew Wadsworth taking bronze in the tiebreak. Congratulations to 15-year-old IM Shreyas Royal (pictured above) on gaining his final GM norm. Final standings: 1 GM Jones, Gawain Cb 2640 7 2 GM Howell, David Wl 2675 7 3 IM Wadsworth, Matthew 2456 6½ 4 GM Mcshane, Luke J 2617 6½ 5 FM Czopor, Maciej 2361 6½ 6 IM Royal, Shreyas 2487 6 7 IM Ghasi, Ameet K 2495 6 8 GM Conquest, Stuart C 2510 6 9 IM Kanyamarala, Tarun 2337 6 10 IM Bazakutsa, Svyatoslav 2490 6 Complete final standings (all sections) Photos: Dennis Dicen and Melinda Wilde Official website: britishchesschampionships.co.uk/
Al-Ain ACMG UAE become the new World Rapid Team Champions
Dubov’s redemption in the final round secured Al-Ain’s World Rapid Team victory. Decade China, led by World Champion Ding Liren, took second place, while last year’s winners, WR Chess, secured the bronze After three days and 12 rounds, featuring many of the world’s top players, Al-Ain ACMG UAE emerged victorious with 21 matchpoints out of a possible 23, drawing three and winning nine matches. In the final round, Al-Ain faced a surprisingly tough challenge against the significantly lower-rated Theme International Trading. The result was 2.5:2.5 on boards two to six, leaving Daniil Dubov to win on board one to secure the championship. Despite a poor overall performance in the event, winning just one game out of 11 played, Dubov triumphed when it mattered most, clinching first place for Al-Ain. The key drivers for the UAE team included Parham Maghsoodloo (9 points out of 12 games), Vladislav Artemiev (8.5/12), and Dmitry Andreikin (9/10). Apart from the crown, the team also won the first prize of 100,000 Euros. Decade China finished second, the only other team to remain unbeaten, with eight victories and four draws, totaling 20 matchpoints, just one behind Al-Ain. Led by World Champion Ding Liren, the team featured top Chinese players, but the standout was their non-professional player, 26-year-old Pang Bo. Officially rated 1400, Pang won all 11 games he played (he did not play in round one). Pang confirmed in an interview for FIDE that he had played chess since childhood but that his tournaments had not been officially recorded. WR Chess, last year’s champions, took third place with 19 matchpoints. Despite having world number one Magnus Carlsen on board one, along with two-time world champion challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi and other top players, luck was not on their side. After suffering two consecutive defeats in rounds four and five, they fought back and won every remaining match, except a draw with Decade China in round eight, but could not catch up with the top two teams. Chessy finished fourth with 18 matchpoints. Captained by GM Emil Sutovsky and featuring stars like Rapport, Van Foreest, and Vidit, they started strong, knocking WR Chess out of first place in the final round on day one. However, they faltered on the second day with two draws, one win but then lost in round eight. Chessy pressed hard on the final day, but a loss to GMHans.com in round 10 dashed their hopes for first place. Team MGD1 from India, last year’s bronze winners, secured fifth place with 17 matchpoints. Led by India’s top-rated player Arjun Erigaisi, they remained close to the top but never truly contended for first place. On the final day, they drew three matches before a victory against the team of FIDE secured their fifth-place finish. One of the event’s biggest surprises was GMHans.com. Led by the charismatic Hans Niemann, the team, assembled at the last minute and composed of friends, performed well and knocked Chessy out of the top position. In the final round, they narrowly lost to WR Chess, finishing ninth. A closer look at the final day of the 2024 World Rapid Team Championship Round 9 Last year’s bronze medallists, MGD1, finished day two on a high note: they knocked Chessy out of the leadership position and ended the day among the top four, with 12 matchpoints. In round nine, they aimed to dethrone the day two leaders, Al-Ain who were on 14 matchpoints. The first game to finish was on the non-professional board, where Sahir Mihir miraculously saved a lost position to clinch an important half-point for MGD1. This result proved crucial for the outcome of the match. With two more draws, the match could go either way. Dubov was in trouble with the white pieces against Erigaisi on the top board, but Al-Ain’s Parham Maghsoodloo and Dmitry Andreikin were better in their games. Maghsoodloo drew, while Andreikin broke Baskaran to put Al-Ain in the lead. However, Dubov eventually lost to Erigaisi in the endgame, allowing MGD1 to escape defeat. Luckily for Al-Ain, Decade China drew their match with Kazchess, which meant the UAE team maintained first place after the round. World Champion Ding Liren, playing as White, drew in a sharp 18-move game against Mamedyarov, who sacrificed a bishop for two pawns and the initiative but ended worse. Decade China had a chance to win the match, but Ju Wenjun dropped a better position against Assaubayeva and went on to lose. Pang Bo continued to be the best asset for the Chinese team, securing his eighth consecutive victory on the non-professional board. Chessy made a strong comeback, defeating the formidable Ashdod team 3:2, while WR Chess had a comfortable 4:2 victory over Kings of Chess from Krakow. Round 10 The biggest upset of the round saw Chessy suffer a stunning loss to GMHans.com, diminishing their chances of winning the title. Chessy’s captain Emil Sutovsky gave Richard Rapport a break, placing Jorden van Foreest on the top board against Hans Niemann. Things started well for Chessy, with Vidit winning against Tabatabaei after the Iranian’s seemingly innocent pawn advance on move 11 directly landed him in trouble. Chessy’s Erdogmus also secured a victory against Salomova. However, the tables turned dramatically towards the end of the match, as Chessy collapsed on the remaining boards, handing victory to GMHans.com. With this defeat, Chessy moved to fourth place. Tournament leaders Al-Ain triumphed over Astana-1 with a 5:1 score, solidifying their lead. Daniil Dubov drew again, extending his winless streak to 10 rounds. One of the round’s highlights was GM Dmitry Andreikin (2644) of Al-Ain versus IM Meruert Kamalidenova (2316). Kamalidenova, playing Black, surprised Andreikin in a sharp tactical battle. Despite a winning position, Kamalidenova missed a crucial chance, allowing Andreikin to secure the victory. Decade China also won, defeating the strong Uzbek team Royal Chess with 5:1. Ding Liren broke his chain of draws, scoring a win as Black against Sindarov. This secured them second place in the standings. WR Chess had a tough struggle against Kazchess.