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:

Complete final standings (all sections)

Photos: Dennis Dicen and Melinda Wilde

Official website: britishchesschampionships.co.uk/