British Championships: Howell wins with 9.5/11

A record-breaking number of over 1000 players are taking part in the 2013 British Championships, attracted by a combination of the beautiful venue and the fact that it’s the 100th in a series stretching right back to 1904. This year it is taking place in the Riviera International Centre in Torquay. There are 23 different sections at the 2013 British Championships, catering for all ages and abilities, but the main focus of interest is on the Championship itself. There are 106 players taking part, of whom 33 are titled players, including thirteen grandmasters. The Championship runs from 29th July to 10th August 2013.

Top results in round eleven

There was an element of anti-climax at the start of the round, knowing that the big prize had already been decided. But that didn’t prevent a large crowd of spectators and photographers gathering around the top board. In fact, if Jones had been able to spring a surprise, it would undoubtedly have take a little of the shine off Howell’s prize, so there was no sign that he was in danger of resting on his laurels. The others, too, were fighting amongst themselves for a place on the prize list. In spite of the fact there were draws a-plenty, they were mostly hard-fought – only Lalic and Arkell settled for a quick draw.

• Results of all 53 games of this round

Final top rankings (after eleven rounds)

The fact is that Howell likes Torquay. He won there in 2009, and nowhere else. When Bob Jones first did the publicity job, at Torquay in 1997, he was asked by the local TV company to obtain the oldest player in the building to act out a short encounter with the youngest. Bob located an old gent, while a colleague, Victor Cross, brought along a five-year-old boy, who quickly outplayed his vastly senior opponent while the camera rolled. The boy was called David – David Howell.

• Full results and rankings of all 106 players here

At last we meet! Top seeds David Howell and Gawain Jones drew in 44 moves.

Peter Wells vs Mark Hebden was a Scotch that ended after 48 moves in a draw

Selection of games from round eleven

Select games from the dropdown menu above the board

Game of the day by Andrew Martin

Game of the day: GM Stephen Gordon, 2521, vs IM Gyula Meszaros, 2255

Rd 11 Game of the Day GB Ch 2013 Torquay

Photos provided by Brendan O'Gorman and Keverel Chess

Our daily reports on the British Championship have been wonderfully supported by two people present in Torquay. They were IM Andrew Martin, whom our users know well, and Bob Jones, a local chess history writer, who helped us appreciate how far the event has come in its 100 years, sending us his interesting essays on the milestones on the way – on the great characters, the champions and their games. Bob is not so well known to our readers, so here's a little bio.

Bob Jones, the proprietor of Keverel Chess, has been involved in chess for most of his life. While at Exeter University in 1961, he set the inaugural World Marathon Chess record, which was recognised by the Guiness Book of Records and published in their 1962 edition. He retired in 1993 after 25 years as a headteacher and started Keverel Chess, first publishing magazines of local interest. He then cooperated with FM Owen Hindle in writing a biography of the first official British Chess Champion, Cecil De Vere. Published in 2001, it was shortlisted for the BCF Chess Book of the Year in 2002.

Bob has also written a history of the Paignton Congress and published Keith Arkell’s autobiography, Arkell’s Odyssey. He has written a weekly chess column for westcountry newspapers for 15 years. He enjoys resurrecting the lives of almost forgotten westcountry chess-players, and these may be found on the biographies page of his website. He also branched into dealing in rare and second-hand chess books.

Keverel Chess has also organised an annual Seniors’ Chess Congress for 14 years in his home town of Exmouth, Devon, the only one of its kind in the country when it started. Bob Jones is General Secretary and a Vice President of the West of England Chess Union, and in 2005 received the BCF President’s Award for services to chess.

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