Chess: Adams Wins Ninth British Title, While 10-year-old Girl Breaks Two World Records

Michael Adams edged nearer nan all-time grounds for British Championship titles past play erstwhile nan Taunton-based grandmaster won his ninth nationalist title astatine Liverpool.

Adams, who relaxes by watching cricket astatine Somerset’s region ground, has now equalled Henry Atkins’s full of 9 championships from nan first half of nan past century, but remains 1 short of Jonathan Penrose’s 10 crowns from nan 2nd half. Adams’s first British title was successful 1989 astatine property 17, still nan youngest ever, but successful nan adjacent 20 years he concentrated connected nan world championship, coming wrong a hair’s breadth of a reunification lucifer pinch Garry Kasparov successful 2004 earlier losing successful nan Fide final.

Starting pinch 2010, Adams made nan British title his priority, and he won 5 crowns successful nan adjacent decade. Literally so, for nan arena trophy has been successful nan style of a crown since nan very first title successful 1904, and engravers now struggle to find abstraction connected it to adhd caller names.

Michael Adams pinch nan British Championship trophy Photograph: Yuri Krylov/English Chess Federation

Between 2010 and 2019 Adams won nan British title 5 times, mounting up his existent grounds attempt. He still retains his world ambitions, is nan reigning world over-50 champion, and is competing successful nan beardown Rubinstein Memorial opening connected Friday astatine Polanica-Zdroj, Poland.

Two titles are still required earlier Adams tin surpass nan 10 championships of nan precocious Penrose, and that whitethorn beryllium difficult. A caller procreation of talents is emerging successful England, encouraged by a £1.5m support assistance complete 3 years for elite talents announced by nan chancellor, Rachel Reeves, past month. The funding, which will commencement successful April 2026, will beryllium divided arsenic betwixt nan Department for Education and nan Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The pre-tournament favourite and apical seed was Nikita Vitiugov, but nan erstwhile Russian champion struggled to find his champion shape and was defeated decisively by Stuart Conquest successful nan last round, successful an brushwood which was awarded nan associated champion crippled prize.

The 2025 title was keenly fought, pinch six players sharing nan lead astatine nan commencement of information nine. Adams won aft a velocity tie-break pinch chap seasoned Conquest, 58. Final starring scores were Adams, Conquest, and Peter Roberson (eliminated successful nan first information of tie-breaks) 7/9, Gawain Maroroa Jones, Svyatoslav Bazakutsa (Ukraine), and Jonah Willow 6.5.

3985: IM Siva Mahadevan v GM Nikita Vitiugov, British Championship, Liverpool 2025.
Black to move and win.

The title marked a breakthrough for inferior talent. England’s youngest ever grandmaster Shreyas Royal, 17, was among nan leaders for 7 rounds, including an elegant win against Marcus Harvey, earlier falling into a trap against Conquest.

Bodhana Sivanandan, 10, continues to break records. The Harrow superior schoolgirl, who astatine 8 won 3 world girls golden medals pinch a mixed full of 33 consecutive wins, achieved her 3rd and last norm for nan WIM title pinch a 2300 standing performance, a afloat twelvemonth younger than nan erstwhile record.

In nan last round, Sivanandan became nan youngest woman ever to conclusion a grandmaster successful a classical crippled erstwhile GM Peter Wells overstepped nan clip limit successful a mislaid position.

At 10 years 5 months, Sivanandan was six months younger than nan erstwhile world grounds holder, Carissa Yip of nan US, who defeated GM Alexander Ivanov astatine nan 2014 New England Open (not 2019, arsenic wide misquoted) aged 10 years 11 months. Yip has been nan US female champion for nan past 2 years. Three-time British champion and taketaketake.com big David Howell called Sivanandan’s accomplishment “extraordinary”.

Supratit Banerjee did champion of nan rising talents. The Surrey 11-year-old achieved his first world maestro norm, easy a UK property record, defeated 2 grandmasters successful succession, and displayed singular maturity and stamina, including drafting a 145-move game.

Banerjee is again successful action this week astatine nan Kingston Invitational organised by nan Guardian’s Stephen Moss followed instantly by nan Northumbria Masters successful Newcastle. It is simply a reliable schedule for an 11-year-old. The Mindsports International is besides nether measurement successful London.

There was disapproval of nan British Championship format aft information 8 of 9 came pinch 28 players, much than a 4th of nan field, separated by conscionable a azygous point. Possible remedies are to reconstruct an 11-round championship, pinch 2 other double information days early on; and/or raising nan standing level for entries. However, Alex Holowczak, nan influential English Chess Federation head of events, has said: “I spot 1 information per time arsenic sacrosanct for nan British.”

The prize money (Adams received £4,400) is debased for an era successful which life-changing amounts are connected connection for world chess events. When nan authorities assistance for elite talent becomes available, it would beryllium reasonable to earmark astatine slightest £25,000 to boost nan nationalist title prize money astatine nan University of Warwick successful August 2026.

In 1954, first prize successful nan British Championship was conscionable £35 and 2nd was £15. They were shared aft respective weeks of a 10-game playoff. Just saying …

3985: 1…Rxd6! 2 Qxd6 (else Black wins pinch his other knight) Bf3! 3 Resigns. The double threat is 3…Qxg2 mate and 3..Qc1+ 4 Kh2 Qh1 mate.