British Championship: Five players on 3/3, including Vitiugov and Royal

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
8/5/2025 – Round three of the British Chess Championship saw five players maintain their perfect scores, including top seed Nikita Vitiugov and young grandmaster Shreyas Royal. Michael Adams and Gawain Jones both returned to winning ways, while 18-year-old Yichen Han continued to impress. With a number of experienced players and rising talents in close pursuit, the tournament remains wide open heading into the middle rounds at Liverpool’s St George's Hall. | Photos: Official website
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Royal and Vitiugov to face off in round four

After three rounds of play at the British Chess Championship in Liverpool, five players remain on perfect scores. Among them are rating favourite Nikita Vitiugov and 16-year-old grandmaster Shreyas Royal, who are set to face off on the top board in round four. Also on 3/3 are Ameet Ghasi, William Claridge-Hansen and Yichen Han, each of whom secured a third consecutive win to remain among the leaders.

Yichen Han, born in Eindhoven and originally registered with the Dutch federation, is eligible to compete in the British Championship due to residency. The 18-year-old has been a well-known talent for years, having defeated established grandmasters such as Mark Hebden as early as age 12. Han continued his fine run by beating David Egleston in round three.

Michael Adams bounced back from his second-round draw with a convincing win over Jack Rudd. With 2½ points, the veteran grandmaster joins a large chasing pack just behind the leaders. Also on 2½ is Frederick Waldhausen Gordon, the 14-year-old from Edinburgh widely regarded as Scotland's most promising junior. Gordon, a former British U10 champion, made headlines years ago after defeating GM Bogdan Lalic in a rapid event.

Gawain Jones, another of the tournament's big names, recovered from his loss in round two by beating Oliver Stubbs to reach 2/3. Meanwhile, 10-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan, who faced Jones in round one, added a win in round two but suffered a second loss in round three. Her participation continues to draw attention as one of the youngest competitors in the field.

Yichen Han

Yichen Han

Bodhana Sivanandan

Bodhana Sivanandan

Adams 1-0 Rudd

Analysis by André Schulz

Michael Adams

Michael Adams

Standings after round 3

Rk. Name TB1
1 Vitiugov, Nikita 3
2 Ghasi, Ameet K 3
3 Royal, Shreyas 3
4 Han, Yichen 3
5 Claridge-Hansen, William 3
6 Adams, Michael 2,5
7 Wadsworth, Matthew J 2,5
8 Willow, Jonah B 2,5
9 Harvey, Marcus R 2,5
10 Czopor, Maciej 2,5
11 Mahadevan, Siva 2,5
12 Waldhausen Gordon, Frederick 2,5
13 Hebden, Mark L 2,5
14 Fava, Lorenzo 2,5
15 Davies, Nigel R 2,5
16 Maroroa Jones, Gawain 2
17 Conquest, Stuart C 2
18 Fernandez, Daniel H 2
19 Clarke, Brandon Gi 2
20 Roberson, Peter T 2
21 Pert, Richard G 2
22 Makkar, Rajat 2
23 Kanyamarala, Tarun 2
24 Golding, Alex 2
25 Flear, Glenn C 2

...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.