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