A five-game playoff

IM Marcus Harvey won the 2026 English Rapidplay Championship on Sunday, 25 October, defeating fellow IM Jonah Willow in a playoff that went all the way to Armageddon. The two players had finished tied for first place on 9/11 points, half a point ahead of top seed Michael Adams, who had entered the final round as one of three co-leaders.

The championship took place at the Holiday Inn Peterborough–West on 24–25 October, as part of the English Chess Championships. The wider event runs from 24 October to 1 November and includes national championships in classical, rapid and blitz chess, as well as the English Seniors Championship.

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Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: King's Indian Setup

The rapidplay competition was an 11-round Swiss tournament, with a time control of 15 minutes per player plus a 10-second increment per move. There was no minimum rating requirement for entry, although the field included several titled players.

Michael Adams headed the starting list with a rapid rating of 2614, narrowly ahead of Gawain Maroroa Jones (2609). Ameet Ghasi (2505) and Daniel Gormally (2454) were the third and fourth seeds, while Harvey (2443) and Willow (2271) occupied fifth and tenth places, respectively.

Jonah Willow | Photo: Brendan O'Gorman (2022)

Three-way tie going into the final round

After ten rounds, Adams, Harvey and Willow shared the lead with 8/10 points, while Maroroa Jones stood half a point behind. Since the three co-leaders had already faced one another, their final-round pairings presented different challenges.

Harvey was paired against Maroroa Jones in a direct encounter between two of the leading contenders. Willow faced 13-year-old Oleg Verbytski, while Adams played the untitled Livio Cancedda-Dupuis, who had been performing above expectations.

Both IMs made the most of their opportunities. Harvey defeated Maroroa Jones, while Willow overcame Verbytski. Adams, meanwhile, was held to a draw by Cancedda-Dupuis, leaving him on 8½/11 and out of contention for the title. Adams finished in sole third place, while Gormally climbed to sole fourth place on 8/11 after beating Advait Keerthi Kumar in the eleventh round.

Harvey and Willow thus finished level on 9/11, and the championship had to be decided, as per the regulations, in a playoff.

The playoff between Harvey and Willow produced a balanced contest. The first stage consisted of two rapid games with 10 minutes per player. Both contenders won with the white pieces, leaving the score tied at 1–1. Two blitz games followed, this time with 3 minutes per player. Once again, the players exchanged victories, although on this occasion both wins came with the black pieces.

With neither player able to establish an advantage after four games, the title came down to a decisive Armageddon encounter. Harvey had the white pieces and needed a victory to secure the championship. He managed to do just that, winning the fifth playoff game to become the 2026 English Rapidplay Champion.

All games - Playoffs

Marin's English Love Vol.1 and 2 - A complete repertoire for White after 1.c4

The aim of these Dvd's is to build a repertoire after 1.c4 and 2.g3 for White. The first DVD includes the systems 1...e5, the Dutch and Indian setups. The second DVD includes the systems with 1...c5, 1...c6 and 1...e6.

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Links

• English Chess Federation
• Full technical information on Chess-Results
• Michael Adams wins English Championship (2025)