John Saunders

In 1999 John Saunders gave up his job as an IT professional to become full-time editor/webmaster of 'British Chess Magazine'. During the 2000s he was also webmaster and magazine editor for the English Chess Federation, and regular webmaster and photo-reporter at the Monarch Assurance Isle of Man, London Classic and Tradewise Gibraltar tournaments. In 2010 he became editor of the leading UK monthly 'CHESS' Magazine, retiring in 2012 but remaining its associate editor and regular contributor. He is currently official photo-reporter at the Gibraltar and Isle of Man tournaments.

Recent news

John Saunders in CHESS Magazine

7/12/2017 – "Do you find yourself spending too much time on social media?" asks the columnist in the July issue of CHESS Magazine. "Me too." John describes how he keeps compulsively checking his Facebook and Twitter accounts. It uses up a lot of time, but there are plus points: you find a lot of chess puzzles, many of them quite irresistible. He shows us two examples which you can try to solve on our interactive javascript chess board. Have fun.

Gibraltar Rd06: Nigel cuts Fabiano Short

1/30/2017 – At the end of five rounds of play, six players led the standings with 4.5/5. After a trio of bloody battles at the top boards in the sixth round, three players are left in the lead. Early leaders Emil Sutovsky and Ju Wenjun were 'punished' by the goddess Caissa according to Nigel Short, who was also the highlight of the day as he defeated the world number two Fabiano Caruana. John Saunders reports from Gibraltar.

A Man and A Woman

1/28/2017 – After four rounds of the Tradewise Gibraltar Masters 2017, we have only two players on 4.0/4: ACP President and Israeli grandmaster Emil Sutovsky and Women's World Championship Challenger Ju Wenjun. Emil beat Nikita Vitiugov in a complex Ruy Lopez Breyer, while Wenjun got the better of Sam Shankland in a Benoni. There are 14 players with a score of 3.5/4 including MVL, Adams, Nakamura and Gelfand. We have an illustrated report with photos, videos and analysis sent to us by John Saunders.

Gibraltar: when the lights go out on the island

1/26/2017 – We mentioned it in our full Round Two report: 2752 rated Vassily Ivanchuk thought he had made the 40th move time control his white game against Israeli IM Ori Kobo, 2482, and let his clock run out – only to discover that he had left out a move on his scoresheet. A blackout on the part of the Ukrainian Super-GM that reflected the general power blackout that struck the island before play. John Saunders gives us his take of the fateful round two in Gibraltar.

BritBase – the British Chess Game Archive

5/10/2016 – What makes a chess game interesting to read in a book or a magazine and exciting for an online spectator? In CHESS Magazine John Saunders writes about changes in taste as more of us get our ‘chess fix’ from watching everything in real-time. He goes on to consider how our appreciation of the talents of old-time players is growing, and how he maintains a database of British games

LCC-R5: Two Londons and a Catalan

12/15/2014 – The tournament in London finished with former World Champion Viswanathan Anand scoring a win against Michael Adams to catch up with the leaders, Vladimir Kramnik and Anish Giri, who drew their games. Two of the games started with the ominous moves 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6, formerly known as the Berlin, but now renamed the London Defence by Anand. Round five (final) report.

LCC-R4: You've just been spacebarred

12/14/2014 – That means, in ChessBase-speak, ‘to play the analysis engine's first choice move’ by pressing the space bar. Anish Giri, who speaks fluent Russian, Dutch and English, used this expression to Hikaru Nakamura. The latter won the only decisive game of the day. Read about two Italian boys who travelled all the way to London to see their hero Fabiano Caruana in our round four report.

LCC-R3: Thank heavens for the Evans

12/13/2014 – Perhaps as a gesture to the hosts Hikaru Nakamura played a "British opening" against Viswanathan Anand. His novelty on move nine did not set the pulse racing, and the game ended in a draw. The other two were Berlins: "not the most exciting of games", which is British understatement for "mind-numbingly tedious", as John Saunders puts it. Round three report.

LCC-R2: Kramnik and Giri score

12/12/2014 – Today the number of decisive results doubled, as Vladimir Kramnik played what at least one of the spectating GMs described as ‘the perfect game’ to defeat Hikaru Nakamura, and Anish Giri opened his Olympia account at the expense of the overnight leader. Birthday celebrant Vishy Anand had another fairly uneventful draw, this time with Fabiano Caruana. Round two report.

London Classic Rd1: Adams fells Caruana

12/11/2014 – When asked about the player he thought would win, Nigel Short hemmed and hawed and admitted he could not point to a favorite. Not only are all the players long-standing members of the elite, but all could point to great runs of form recently. If any seemed unlikely it was lowest rated Michael Adams, but he defied even that expectation as he beat Caruana in round one.

London Classic: Pro-Biz cup, Kasparov, schools

12/10/2014 – Day four of the London Chess Classic featured various various events, involving the super-GMs and personalities from the business community in a novelty event, a Kasparov simul in Westminster, schoolchildren playing a transatlantic match with schools in Florida, USA, and the second round of the festival events, includings the FIDE Open. Big pictorial report.

LCC: Adams wins Elite Blitz tournament

12/9/2014 – On Monday all six elite entrants to the London Classic proper took part in a double-cycle round-robin to decide the draw order for the main tournament. The Blitz, which was scored on the 3-1-0 basis, ended in a three-way tie for first between Mickey Adams, Hikaru Nakamura and Vladimir Kramnik on 17/30. The three got the starting numbers 1-3, which means they get an extra white.

Nakamura wins LCC Super Rapid Play

12/8/2014 – In the final round of the London Chess Classic Super Rapid Hikaru Nakamura had the white pieces against Vishy Anand. They were the only players left who could win the £8,000 first prize. Hikaru opened with 1.b3 – and a fateful excursion to snaffle Hikaru’s h-pawn proved Anand's undoing. The American won first prize with an outstanding score of 9½/10. Report by John Saunders.

LCC Super Rapid Play Open day one

12/7/2014 – The London Chess Classic is as much about the development of children’s chess as it is about super-GMs. The tournament started on Saturday with a novelty: pairings of the super-elite players (who will start playing their own closed Classic event on Wednesday) and six under-18 players from the host nation – for the amateurs, rated up to 1000 points lower, a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

6th London Classic: The Super Six

10/4/2014 – The 'Super Six' are Fabiano Caruana, Viswanathan Anand, Anish Giri, Hikaru Nakamura, Vladimir Kramnik and Michael Adams, with an average rating of 2780. There is a Rapidplay Open on December 6-7, a Blitz on December 9th and then a classical tournament on December 10-14, with a number of subsidiary events. And all of this just two months away.

Final Four Nations League – Final report

6/21/2014 – The most prestigious team chess event held in the UK came to a conclusion last month. John Saunders looks at the final exciting rounds of the Division 1 demotion pool – along the way he shows us a grandmaster's colourful scoresheet and tells us about an unofficial Varsity match. The report ends with a momentary personal temptation to exit the hotel in Bobby Fischer style.

Final Four Nations League Weekend – Part three

6/3/2014 – Over 850 players and £10,000 in cash prizes make this the most prestigious team chess event held in the United Kingdom. It takes place over various weekends from October to May 2013/14, in several venues. In the third (of four) reports John Saunders shows us two games, one an adventurous display of counterattacking chess, one a game that baffles chess engines. Learn and enjoy.

Final Four Nations League Weekend – Part two

5/30/2014 – This tournament, held over three divisions, with over 850 players and over £10,000 in cash prizes on offer, is the most prestigious team chess event held in the United Kingdom. It takes place over various weekends from October to May 2013/14, in several venues. In his inimitable style – wonderful narrative, interesting analysis – John Saunders reports on the final weekend. Enjoy.
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