Michael Adams wins British Online Championship

by André Schulz
1/6/2021 – Over the turn of the year, the British Chess Federations organised their annual championship as an online tournament. Michael Adams, with a rating of 2716 currently Britain's number 1, was clear favourite. Adams indeed won the title, but only after a close play-off against IM Ameet Ghasi. | Photo: ECF
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British Online Championship 2020

Usually the British Championships are big chess festivals with many tournaments that cover all ages and rating groups. However, in 2020 such a festival was not possible. Therefore, the chess federations of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Ulster, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man decided to go online and the various British Championships were played virtually from December 18, 2020 to January 3, 2021.

The championship tournament was a 9 round Swiss open, in which the field, however, was not particularly strong. 37 players took part, six of them grandmasters. With a rating of 2716 Michael Adams was the number one seed and clear favourite to win tournament and title as he was more than 200 Elo-points ahead of second seed Matthew Turner, who started with a rating of 2509.

Adams lived up to his role as favourite and started with 5.0/5.

 
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1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.e3 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bf5 7.Qb3 Na5 8.Qa4+ Bd7 9.Qd1 e6 10.Nf3 Bb4 11.Bd3 Nc4 12.Qe2 Rc8 13.Rc1 Ne4 14.Bxe4 dxe4 15.Ng5 f5 16.h4 b5 17.0-0 0-0 18.b3 Na3 19.Qb2 h6 20.Nh3 Qxh4 21.d5? White opens the diagonal h8-a1 - which turns out to be suicidal. After 21.Be5 White is a pawn down but can still hope. 21...Qf6 Attacking the knight on c3. 22.Nd1 Rxc1 Black also wins after 22...Qxb2 23.Nxb2 exd5 23.Qxc1 Rc8 23...Rc8 24.Qb2 Qxb2 25.Nxb2 exd5 26.Rd1 g5 27.Be5 Be6 and White is completely paralysed. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Cox,T2141Adams,M27160–12020A00Caplin British Online-ch Open 20201.1

In round six Adams played his first draw, against Bogdan Lalic. Then Adams also drew the three remaining games, which allowed  IM Ameet Ghasi to catch up to Adams. Now, the two had to play a two-game tiebreak match for the title. In the first game Adams was in trouble, but he managed to turn the tables and won the game. With a draw in the second game he then secured the title and became first British Online Champion.

 
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1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nf6 4.0-0 g6 5.d3 Bg7 6.Nbd2 0-0 7.e4 Nc6 8.c3 e5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Re1 Re8 11.Nc4 Bf5 12.Ng5 Nb6 13.Qb3 Re7 14.Ne4 h6 Black gives a pawn to keep the pair of bishops. 14...Qxd3 15.Nxb6 axb6 16.Qxb6 is better for White. 15.Nxc5 Rc8 16.Ne3 Be6 17.Nxe6 Rxe6 18.a4 18.Bh3!? wins a exchange but weakens the white squares. 18...Rc7 19.a5 Nc8 20.Rd1 Rd6 21.a6 b6 22.Qb5 N8e7 23.b3 e4 24.d4 Nd5 25.Bd2 25.Nxd5!? Rxd5 26.Qe2 f5 27.f3 25...f5 26.Bf1 Kh7 27.Rac1 Nxe3 28.fxe3 28.Bxe3 Ne5 29.Qe2 Nf3+ with counterplay. 28...Rd5 28...Ne5! 29.Qe2 Ra5 30.Ra1 30.Be1!? 30...Qg8 31.Rab1 Ra2 32.Qc4 Qc8 33.Qb5 Nb8 34.Ra1 Rxd2?! 34...Rxa1 35.Rxa1 Rxc3 and Black has a lot of counterplay. 35.Rxd2 Rxc3 36.Re1 Nc6 37.Bc4 h5 38.Kf2? h4 Objectively best was 38...f4! 39.gxf4 Qh3 40.Qg5 Bf6 41.Qxf6 Qxh2+ 42.Kf1 Qh1+ with a perpetual. 39.Qd5 Na5 Both sides had only very little time left which leads to a number of errors. 40.Qe6? After 40.g4 or 40.Ree2 White is still better. Nxc4 41.bxc4 Rxc4 42.Qb7 40...Qc7? 40...Rxc4-+ wins a piece. 41.Rg1? 41.d5+- 41...Nxc4 42.bxc4 Rxc4 43.Rg2? After this move White is lost - White's rook on g2 is in a very unfortunate position. 43.Rgd1= 43...Rc2 44.Ke1 Rc1+ 45.Kf2 Qc3 46.Qa2 h3 46...Bxd4 also wins. 47.Re2 h3 47.Rg1 Rxg1 48.Kxg1 Qc1+ 49.Kf2 Qh1 Black's h-pawn decides the game. 50.Ke2 Qxh2+ 51.Kd1 Qg1+ 52.Kc2 h2 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ghasi,A2485Adams,M27160–12021A08Caplin British Online TB1

Final standings after nine rounds

No. Name Rtg
1 Adams Michael 2716
2 Turner Matthew J 2509
3 Ghasi Ameet K 2485
4 Gormally Daniel W 2479
5 Fernandez Daniel H 2466
6 Hebden Mark L 2453
7 Wadsworth Matthew J 2416
8 Lalic Bogdan 2402
9 O'gorman Tom 2368
10 Grieve Harry 2351
11 Tate Alan 2342
12 Claridge-Hansen William 2290
13 Toma Katarzyna 2289
14 Chopra Tanmay 2273
15 Toczek Grzegorz 2271
16 Blackburn Jonathan Lb 2235
17 Balaji Aaravamudhan 2206
18 Shafi Declan 2166
19 Villiers Thomas 2161
20 Cox Tristan A 2141
21 Wills Thomas 1994
22 Evans Harry G 1985
23 Finn Peter 1959
24 Rathbone-Jones Ifan 1941
25 Varney Zoe 1917
26 Gordon Sean 1909
27 Stubbs Oliver 1905
28 Finn Chris 1886
29 Goss Alex 1833
30 Gurner Jem 1800
31 Arora Tashika 1744
32 Idle Oscar J 1722
33 Ismail Mohammed Aayan 1719
34 Volovich Julia 1674
35 Shearsby Jude 1673
36 Oh Julie 1168
37 Greenwood Mark 0

Games

 
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The Women's Championship was more one-sided: Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant won with 7.0/7.

Women's Championship, final standings

No. Name Rtg
1 Arakhamia-Grant Ketevan E 2380
2 Ciuksyte Dagne 2294
3 Kanyamarala Trisha 2180
4 Emelianova Maria 2113
5 Smith Olivia 2012
6 Putar Lara 1930
7 Varney Zoe 1917
8 Lampard Alice 1763
9 Arora Tashika 1744
10 Lowry-O'reilly Hannah 1708
11 Posadas Rayelynn 1703
12 Rida Ruqayyah 1661
13 Dicen Imogen 1630
14 Walker Kate 1596
15 Headlong Georgia 1584
16 Pert Nina P 1537
17 Barry Suzanne 1375
18 Wilson Florence 1360
19 Catabay Mae C 1215
20 Oh Julie 1168

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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.

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