British Championship: Six co-leaders, as Conquest beats Royal

A number of consequential results

Saturday’s penultimate round of the British Chess Championship at Liverpool’s St George’s Hall saw a series of decisive games that had a major impact on the standings ahead of Sunday’s concluding round, which will start four and a half hours earlier than usual.

Going into round eight, 53-year-old Michael Adams, one of the most successful grandmasters in British chess history, and 16-year-old Shreyas Royal, the youngest British player ever to achieve the grandmaster title, were tied for first place on 5½ points. The two had already faced each other in round five, a game in which Adams had prevailed, and both entered this round with the black pieces.

Adams was paired with defending champion Gawain Maroroa Jones. For a time, the eight-time champion found himself in an uncomfortable position, but he defended with resilience. Eventually, after 33 moves, the players agreed to a draw. While Adams had avoided defeat, the half point left him vulnerable to being caught by other contenders.

The inimitable Mickey Adams

Royal’s opponent was the 58-year-old Stuart Conquest, a well-known figure in English chess both for his successes over the board and for his work as a commentator and organiser. Conquest is also the last player to have won the British Championship at the exact same venue in Liverpool, back in 2008.

In an apparent attempt to avoid his young opponent’s preparation, Conquest began with the offbeat 1.b3. As often happens in such lines, White obtained a playable position without any clear advantage, and the game developed into a middlegame with possibilities for both sides.

By move 20, computer evaluations already indicated that Black’s position was slightly preferable. However, Royal then blundered with 20…f6., a move that works in most lines involving a knight retreat, but which runs into a single, forcing resource for White – the knight sacrifice 21.Ng6. Conquest played it after using only two minutes on his clock.

The sacrifice immediately created dangerous threats against the black king. After 21…hxg6 22.fxg6 Ng5 23.Qh5 Rfd8 24.Nf3, White’s idea was to eliminate Black’s most effective defender with decisive effect.

Royal found the only move to prolong the game, 24…Ngf7, but in doing so he had to give back the extra piece, which had been his only asset in the position.

From there, Conquest’s task was straightforward. Following 25.gxf7+ Nxf7 26.Qh7+ (with both bishops bearing down on the kingside) Kf8 27.Nh4 Ke8 28.Ng6, Royal resigned.

By opting for a fianchetto setup, you embrace unbalanced and strategically rich positions, steering away from predictable theory battles.
The Modern Defence (1…g6) is more than just a move – it’s a statement. By opting for a fianchetto setup, you embrace unbalanced and strategically rich positions, steering away from predictable theory battles. This approach allows Black to develop along the long diagonal, patiently targeting White’s strong centre instead of directly challenging it. If you‘re looking to play for a full point with Black, this opening is the perfect addition to your repertoire.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: King’s Indian Links 4.c4 e5 Firouzja vs Carlsen

For Conquest, this was a memorable win over a much younger, in-form opponent.

Shreyas Royal during his round-four game

Conquest’s victory allowed him to catch Adams on 6 points – along with no fewer than four other players, who also won their games in round eight. Among them is top seed Nikita Vitiugov, who has remained a consistent presence near the top of the standings. The other three co-leaders are over-performing IMs: Peter Roberson, Richard Pert, and Maciej Czopor – the latter born in Poland but a resident of Britain.

This left six players tied for first place going into the final round. On Sunday, these six will be paired against each other, meaning the title could be decided outright if only one of these encounters produces a decisive result. However, the nine players currently on 5½ also have a realistic chance to join the top group if all three games between the co-leaders end in draws.

Round 9 pairings

If the Championship finishes with a tie for first place, the winner will be decided in a playoff, held as soon as possible after the conclusion of the tournament. Players will be seeded from 1 to n according to their tournament performance rating (TPR). If more than eight players are tied, only the top eight on TPR will qualify for the playoff.

The playoff match formats will depend on the number of players involved.

• If only two players are tied, they will play two games at a time control of G/20+10; if still tied, this will be followed by two blitz games at G/5+3; if still level, an Armageddon game will decide the winner, with White having G/5 and Black G/4, and from move 61 both sides receiving a two-second increment.
• If more than two players are tied, the format begins with two games at G/10+5, and if still tied, an Armageddon game under the same time conditions as in the two-player format will follow.

This video course features the ins-and-outs of the possible setups Black can choose. You’ll learn the key concepts and strategies needed to add this fantastic opening to your repertoire. An easy-to-learn and yet venomous weapon.

A coin toss will be conducted before each round of the playoff, with the winner choosing whether to take White or Black in the first game of that round, playing the opposite colour in the second. See full regulations.

Gawain Maroroa Jones following the games while strolling in the beautiful playing hall

Standings after round 8

…100 players

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