British Championship: Royal and Jones share the lead

Royal takes down Howell

Already twice this year, 15-year-old Shreyas Royal fell just short of grabbing his third GM norm, first at the Hastings Congress and then at a 10-round tournament in Tenerife. Now, after four rounds, he is sharing the lead at the British Championship in Hull. Royal still has a perfect score after achieving a memorable victory with black over top seed David Howell.

Sharing the lead with the youngster is Gawain Jones, the third seed in the traditional event. Jones defeated Matthew Wadsworth on Tuesday, the player who had stunned Luke McShane - one of the favourites to take the title - in the previous round. At 36, Jones is looking to win the British Championship for a third time in his career, as he has already won the event in 2012 and 2017. The man from Keighley won the English Championship earlier this year.

The Keymer Variation - 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3

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.

Standing a half point behind the leaders are Stuart Conquest, Ameet Ghasi and Svyatoslav Bazakutsa, ranked 5^th, 6^th and 7^th in the tournament, respectively. A half point further back, still with good chances of catching up with the leaders, is an 8-player group which includes Howell, Wadsworth and defending champion Michael Adams.

The top scorers among the women are Lan Yao, Elmira Mirzoeva and Tirsha Kanyamarala, with 2½/4 points each.

Shreyas Royal | Photo: Dennis Dicen / English Chess Fedearation

Howell 0 - 1 Royal

Howell, David W L2675

0–1

Royal, Shreyas2483

BritishChessChampionships 2024 Hull30.07.2024[CC]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 d5 7.Bb5 Ne4 8.cxd4 Bb6 9.Nc3 0-0 10.Be3 Bg4 11.h3 Bh5 12.Qc2 Bg6 13.Qb3 Ne7 14.0-0 c6 15.Bd3 Nf5 16.Qc2 Nxe3 17.fxe3 Ng3 18.Bxg6 The contenders have entered a deep theoretical line out of an Italian Opening. Even this capture - the only good move in the position for White - has been played in the past, by Levon Aronian among others. Good for Black is 18.Rf2 Bxd3 19.Qxd3 f6 20.exf6 Rxf6 18...hxg6 19.Rf2 Re8 This is the novelty in this game. Black has many alternatives in this strategically rich position. 20.a4 Rc8 21.Qb3

Time-trouble addict Howell spent 16 minutes before playing this move. In this case, it is an understandable decision, as there are many potential plans for both sides. 21...f6 22.Qc2 The queen returns to c2 now that the g6-pawn has become weak. Nf5 This move, played after 12 minutes by the youngster, is rather questionable, since it allows White to immediately grab the initiative with g2-g4. Stronger is 22...Kh7 23.Nh4 f5 with a double-edged struggle - White has a potentially dangerous passer on the e-file, while Black has the more solid structure. 23.g4 fxe5 Given the time spent before playing this (brave) move, Royal had prepared it beforehand - he gives up a piece in exchange of central space and his opponent's weakened king's position. Engines favour White after this sacrifice, though. 24.gxf5 e4 25.Ne1 Howell spent 28 out of the 33 minutes he had left on the clock before playing this move, which is correct. His losing the thread later has a lot to do with his inability to handle his time properly, however. Qh4 26.Ne2 White keeps his advantage with the cold-blooded 26.f6 gxf6 27.Rh2 Qg3+ 28.Ng2 26...Qxh3 27.Qd2 A mistake by Howell, who already had only 1 minute left on the clock - Royal had close to 40 minutes. Much better is 27.fxg6 and engines show Re5 The simpler 27...Qxe3 28.Ng2 Qg5 is also good, and the sharp battle continues. 28.dxe5 Qxe3 when the pin along the dark-squared diagonal will allow Black to get back the material. 27...Bc7 28.fxg6 Re6 29.Nf4 Bxf4 30.Rxf4 Rxg6+ 31.Ng2

Black is now better and has consolidated his position - he has two pawns for the knight, but more importantly, is the one with the initiative against a weakened king. 31...Rh6 32.Raf1 Qh2+ 33.Kf2 Rg6 34.Rg1 Rf8 Royal had been making steady progress while upping the pressure on the clock - this move, however, leads to simplifications which objectively give up Black's advantage. Much better is the sneaky 34...Rg3 35.Qd1 g5 36.Rf5 and only now Rf8 37.Rxf8+ Kxf8 as the g-pawn greatly restricts White's mobility - granted, this is a difficult sequence to find amid a crucial game against the tournament's top seed. 35.Rxf8+ Kxf8 36.Qb4+ Kg8 37.Kf1 Rf6+ 38.Nf4 A strong outpost for the knight - White got just enough tempi to weather the storm. Qh3+ 39.Ke2 But Howell - who had been playing on increments for quite a while - errs decisively here. The variation that saves White is all but impossible to find under the circumstances: 39.Rg2 Qxe3 White escapes with a perpetual after this suprising sacrifice! 40.Rxg7+ Kxg7 41.Qe7+ Rf7 42.Qg5+ and Black will not be able to escape the checks. 39...Qf3+ 40.Kd2 Rxf4

Royal, who still had over 20 minutes on the clock, finds the winning idea - simplifying into a winning queen endgame. 41.exf4 Qf2+ 42.Kc3 Qxg1 43.Qxb7 Qc1+ 44.Kb3 Qc4+ 45.Ka3 Qxd4 46.Qxc6 Kf7 47.Qd7+ Kf6 48.Qd8+ Kf5 49.Qg5+ Ke6 50.Qg4+ Kd6 51.Qg6+ Kc5 The king has been activated. Royal showed fantastic technique in the final phase of the game. 52.Qe8 Qb4+ 53.Ka2 Kc4 54.Qc6+ Kd4 55.Qd7 Qc4+ 56.b3 Qc2+ 57.Ka3 Qc5+ 58.Ka2 Kd3 59.Qxg7 e3 60.Qg1 Kd2 61.Qg5 e2 62.f5+ Qe3 63.Qg2 Kc1 64.f6 Qd2+ 65.Ka3 Qb2+

The e-pawn will promote to a queen. Game over. 0–1

Standings after round 4

Master advanced Tactics and Calculations like a super Grandmaster

The Indian chess grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi with an ELO of over 2700 (June 2023) is one of the best 20 players in the world. For the first time, the sympathetic top player presents himself in a video course. Let a world-class player show you tactical moti

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Links

• Official website
• Michael Adams and Lan Yao win British Championships 2023
• Michael Adams: My most memorable game