British Championship: A few upsets as thirteen players start with 2/2

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
8/4/2025 – The British Chess Championship returned to Liverpool's historic St George's Hall, offering a rich blend of tradition and competition. The opening two rounds featured a strong field led by Gawain Jones, Mickey Adams and Nikita Vitiugov, alongside rising stars such as Shreyas Royal. While the top seeds navigated early challenges, round two saw the defending champion suffer an unexpected defeat, setting the stage for a closely contested nine-round event. | Photos: Official website
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Eggleston stuns Jones

The British Chess Championship returned this year to St George's Hall in Liverpool, a grand setting steeped in history, hosting the event for the first time since 2008. The championship’s return to this iconic venue has been made possible through the efforts of Malcolm Pein, the ECF's International Director and a Liverpool native, whose initiative helped secure the support of both local authorities and regional leadership.

This year's field features a mix of experience and rising talent. Defending champion Gawain Jones, long-time national stalwart Mickey Adams, and England's newest recruit, Nikita Vitiugov, are the frontrunners. They are joined by young prodigies such as Shreyas Royal and a number of ambitious underdogs, including Stuart Conquest, who memorably won the title the last time the event was held in Liverpool.

Round one provided a number of intriguing matchups. Among the highlights were games featuring Jones against 10-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan and Vitiugov against 11-year-old Supratit Banarjee. While the encounters drew attention for their generational contrast, the seasoned grandmasters asserted their dominance early on. Jones beat Sivanandan in a sharp line of the Scotch Gambit, while Vitiugov converted his advantage with minimal difficulty.

Stuart Conquest

Stuart Conquest won the event back in 2008 at the same venue

The second round, however, brought the first significant shake-up. Defending champion Jones fell to International Master David Eggleston in a Rossolimo Sicilian. Although Jones emerged from the opening in good shape, he was later caught off guard by a decisive kingside assault combined with a dangerous passer on the d-file.

Despite being a minor piece down, Eggleston here offered a queen swap with 44.Qg4, since after 44...Qxg4 45.hxg4 Nf1+, White does not capture the knight but goes 46.Kg1

Now Black gets to save the knight with 46...Nd2, but is still lost after 47.d7 Rd5 48.Rh8+ Kxg7 49.d8Q and Jones had to give up his rook on d8.

Eggleston emerged with an extra exchange, which he converted into a 65-move victory.

Gawain Jones

Defending champion Gawain Maroroa Jones

Meanwhile, Mickey Adams was held to a draw by Glenn Flear, allowing Vitiugov to take an early lead on 2/2, joined by a dozen others still on perfect scores.

With seven rounds still to play, there is ample time for the favourites to recover. For Jones in particular, an early loss may prove manageable within the Swiss system, especially if followed by a run of wins. The coming rounds will test both form and endurance in this year’s wide-open race for the national title.

Bodhana 1-0 Chan

Analysis by GM Karsten Müller

Standings after round 2

Rk. Name  TB1 
1 Vitiugov, Nikita 2
2 Ghasi, Ameet K 2
3 Fernandez, Daniel H 2
4 Royal, Shreyas 2
5 Willow, Jonah B 2
6 Han, Yichen 2
7 Makkar, Rajat 2
8 Kanyamarala, Tarun 2
9 Golding, Alex 2
10 Claridge-Hansen, William 2
11 Eggleston, David J 2
12 Fava, Lorenzo 2
13 Rudd, Jack 2
14 Adams, Michael 1,5
15 Conquest, Stuart C 1,5
16 Wadsworth, Matthew J 1,5
17 Bazakutsa, Svyatoslav 1,5
18 Gordon, Stephen J 1,5
19 Roberson, Peter T 1,5
20 Harvey, Marcus R 1,5

...100 players

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.