A double Scotch at the 94th British Championships

Breath-taking finish to the British Championship

Defending champion Jonathan Rowson, seated, with the Mayor and Lady Mayor, Mrs. & Mrs. Paul Garod, flanking ECF President Gerry Walsh at the opening ceremony of the 2007 British Championships.

The playing hall

After ten grueling rounds of the 2007 British Championship, held from July 30 to August 10 in Southtown, Great Yarmouth, there were two ladies and two men in the lead and in contention for the titles. Both Georgian-born Ketevan Arakhama-Grant and Lithuanian-born Dagne Ciuksyte had 6.0/10 points and went into the final round playing on adjacent boards, both with black. Ciuksyte was forced into a draw by Andrew Lewis, while "Keti" nicely outplayed Simon Fowler in a 27-move miniature. That meant that she had the title – for the 4th consecutive time.

Actually there was no separate sections for the genders – everyone played in the same tournament, with the highest-placed female player taking the Ladies title. This has become the norm in countries where there are strong female players. One day, one assumes, Keti or someone like her will take both titles in a single tournament. That is the day you will hear us cheering until our lungs collapse.

Winning the championship for the fourth successive time: Keti Arakhama

In the general section Jacob Aagaard and Stephen Gordon were in the joint lead, with 7.5/10 points each. The Dane, who's name already insures that he will top any alphabetical list, had been leading most of the tournament. At the first time control, at 6:15 p.m., Jonathan Rowson beat Nick Pert (both had entered the final round with 7.5/10) to go into the lead at 8.0/11. The other theoretical contenders, Hebden and Haslinger, drew their game, leaving them at 7.5 points each. That left the spectators glued to the transmission of the two remaining games.

Aagaard, who had been the exchange down at one point in his black game against Glenn Flear, fought back bravely and executed a combination that won him the full point. Shortly thereafter Stephen Gordon had to concede a draw in his white game against Tony Kosten, leaving Jacob Aagaard with a clear victory and the British Championship title without any playoffs.

New British Girls' Under 16 Champion, Lateefah Messam-Sparks of Nottingham, at her 15th birthday party outside the playing hall.

Final standings (after eleven rounds)

Previous British Champions

Links

• Official championship web site
• Full cross table of the 2007 British Championships
• All games in zipped PGN

Pictorial impressions 2007 Southtown, Great Yarmouth

By Meri Grigoryan

Nick Pert vs Jacob Aagaard in round five (Aagaard won)

A key encounter in round 6: Jacob Aagaard vs. Jonathan Rowson (draw)

Round 9: David Howell vs. Jacob Aagaard (0-1)

Thomas Rendle vs. defending British Ladies Champion Keti Arakhamia-Grant (draw)

Former British Ladies Champion Susan Lalic

Caister Castle, a 15th-century moated castle some 5 km north of Great Yarmouth

Caister Castle Car Collection – no photography is allowed indoors

Sunrise at 5:52 a.m.

At 6:52 a.m., with the wind farm coming into view

View from my window: Caister-on-sea – a quickie watercolour by me

Meri Grigoryan, former ladies champion of Armenia, playing at the British Championships. Her hobbies include languages (she speaks six), playing the guitar, painting, opera – and chess.

Jacob Aagaard on ChessBase Training DVDs

• The Nimzoindian Defence – The Easy Way – Review by Steve Giddins
• Queens‘s Indian Defence - The easy way
• Attacking Chess Volume 1
• Attacking Chess Volume 2