Royal beats Sivanandan and McShane

Shreyas Royal moved into sole first place at the British Chess Championship in Coventry after scoring consecutive victories over Bodhana Sivanandan and top seed Luke McShane in rounds six and seven. The 17-year-old leads the 109-player field with 6/7, half a point ahead of a five-player chasing group.

The tournament had previously been led by Ukrainian IM Svyatoslav Bazakutsa, who began with four straight victories. His run included a round-four win over nine-time British champion Michael Adams, which left the 18-year-old alone at the top on 4/4. Bazakutsa has since drawn three games in succession and now shares second place.

Royal, who was born in Bangalore and moved to Woolwich at the age of three, has collected five wins and two draws. He drew Bazakutsa with white in round five before moving ahead with victories in his next two outings.

Against Sivanandan in round six and McShane in round seven, Royal obtained advantages both on the board and on the clock. As his opponents came under time pressure, he made use of those favourable circumstances by finding tactical resources to convert his positions. The win over McShane was particularly notable, with Royal producing a number of sharp tactical ideas against the top seed.

Understanding Middlegame Strategy Vol.14 Reversed Colour Systems – Benoni, Blumenfeld and Benko Gambit

You will learn how Black's dynamic piece activity and structural counterplay more than compensate for White's extra tempo in the colour-reversed setups.
The Benoni family of openings has toppled world champions, decided match games under the highest pressure, and rewarded those brave enough to play them with some of the most electrifying chess imaginable. In this Fritztrainer, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov -  continuing his successful series "Understanding Middlegame Structures" - takes you deep inside the complexities of the Colour-Reversed Benoni, the Colour-Reversed Benko Gambit, and the Colour-Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Colour Reversed Banoni - Game 1

Time-trouble addict Luke McShane | Photo: Yury Krylov

Bazakutsa is one of five players on 5½/7. He is joined by Adams, Harry Grieve, Peter Roberson and Simon Williams. Of those five players, Adams is the only one who has lost a game so far, having been beaten by Bazakutsa in round four.

The penultimate round on Saturday will feature Royal against Adams, with the nine-time champion playing white.

Michael Adams | Photo: Yury Krylov

Harry Grieve | Photo: Yury Krylov

Improve your pieces - a winning system you need to know

In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.

Simon Williams beat Maciej Czopor on Friday to join the chasing pack | Photo: Yury Krylov

Marcus Harvey v. Svyatoslav Bazakutsa (draw) | Photo: Yury Krylov

Standings after round 7

Reinventing the Ragozin

Ganguly introduces conceptually fresh directions in several key lines – even in the most played main lines.
The Ragozin Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4) has become a cornerstone of modern chess theory. With 3.Nf3 gaining popularity as a way to avoid Nimzo-Indian setups and the challenges Black faces in the Queen’s Indian, the Ragozin offers a solid and dynamic alternative.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bf4

...109 players

All available games

Links

• Official website
• Record-breaking British Chess Championships set to begin in Coventry
• Bodhana Sivanandan vs. José Raúl Capablanca (Level = Master Candidate)
• Michael Adams: My most memorable game