London Chess Classic: Jones leads with two rounds to go

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
12/4/2024 – The 2023 London Chess Classic has brought world-class chess to Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. Featuring eight top grandmasters, including England's prodigy Shreyas Royal and international stars like Vidit Gujrathi and Ju Wenjun, the tournament has seen intense battles over five rounds. With two games left, Gawain Jones leads the pack with 3½ points. Vidit Gujrathi and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov are sharing second place, a half point back. | Photos: London Chess Classic's Facebook page
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Eight GMs battle in Arsenal's home stadium

The 2023 London Chess Classic, sponsored by algorithmic trading firm XTX Markets, is underway at the iconic Emirates Stadium, home of Arsenal Football Club. Arsenal, currently second in the Premier League standings, trail Liverpool in what has been a fiercely contested season. The Gunners have not lifted the league title since 2004, though they have finished as runners-up to Manchester City in the past two seasons.

This year's elite chess tournament features eight strong grandmasters, split between English representatives and international stars. Among the latter, Vidit Gujrathi from India and Azerbaijan's Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, both rated above 2700, stand out as the highest-rated players. They are joined by American youngster Andrew Hong, aged 20, and Ju Wenjun, the reigning women's world champion from China. England's contingent includes Nikita Vitiugov, Michael Adams, Gawain Jones, and 15-year-old Shreyas Royal, the youngest English player to achieve the grandmaster title.

The event follows a single round-robin format with a classical time control and is scheduled to conclude on Friday. Five rounds have been completed, with the last two rounds set to take place after Wednesday's rest day. The tournament winner will take home a £25,000 prize.

With two rounds remaining, Gawain Jones leads the standings with 3½ points, a half-point ahead of Vidit and Mamedyarov. Jones, a 3-time British chess champion, secured two wins and three draws so far. His victories came in the opening rounds against Adams and Royal, both of which showcased his endgame prowess. In his round-1 win against Adams - who is also known for his excellent technique - Jones managed to triumph in a position with equal material and a symmetrical pawn structure.

Jones' path to the title includes two crucial matchups: he will face Hong with the black pieces and Ju with white. Having already drawn with both Vidit and Mamedyarov, his closest rivals, Jones will aim to maintain his lead and secure the top spot in this prestigious event.

Ju 1 - 0 Royal

Analysis by André Schulz

In round 4, Ju made the most of her better-developed pieces and safer king to beat Royal in what turned out to be an impressive 34-move victory.

Ju Wenjun

Women's world champion Ju Wenjun | Photo: London Chess Classic

Standings after round 5

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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.