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 October
Women’s Championship Final – Thursday 14th October to Sunday 17th October
Senior Championships Finals (50+ and 65+) – Monday 4th October to Sunday 10th October
Junior 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