Arise, Sir Gawain — and all hail to the young Royal 

Grandmaster Gawain Jones has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of personal tribulation, which curtailed his competitive appearances for the past year, to win both the English and British Championships. In the former he despatched Mickey Adams in a play-off match, while in the latter he inflicted match defeat on David Howell, the pre-tournament favourite. 

Gawain’s two wins against Howell from the British Championship, concluded earlier this month, in Hull,  both resulted from the four-game tie-playoff, which saw Jones victorious with 2½ – 1½. 

Gawain Jones vs. David Howell  (t/b #2)

Gawain Jones vs. David Howell  (t/b #4)

The English Championship (held during June in Kenilworth) saw the two highest rated players in the tournament take it right to the wire. In Gawain’s sensational play-off win, Mickey overlooked a mate in one. 

Position after 45… Ke8

White has a pleasant advantage, and after 46. Qxc4, there is nothing Black can do to prevent the loss of b7, with tempo:  46… Kf8  ( 46… Qh2+ 47. Ke3 Qg1+ 48. Kd2 Ke7 49. Qe4+ Kf8 50. Qxb7)  47. Qc5+ Ke8 48. Qc7 Qh2+ 49. Ke3 Qg1+ 50. Ke4 Qe1+ 51. Kd5 Kf8 52. Qb8+ Kg7 53. Qxb7+ ; instead there transpired: 

 46. Qxb7? Qh2+ 47. Ke3 Qg1+ 48. Ke4 Qxg3

position after 48… Qxg3

49.Qxa6??

An incredible blunder from the normally imperturbable Adams. White simply must address the existential threat, or else…

49… Qe5  checkmate.

In a portent of things to come, the teenager Shreyas Royal defeated David Howell in the sacrificial game given below. The youngster enjoyed a protracted initiative that lasted even into the endgame. He thereby became the youngest ever British Grandmaster by more than a year. Howell had previously held that accolade, having been a little shy of his seventeenth birthday on his elevation; Royal turned fifteen years old at the beginning of the year. The triumph of the young Royal was widely reported in the media and hailed by Garry Kasparov himself.

It should be noted that both players have enjoyed the inestimable advantage of tuition from the  Praeceptor Britanniae,  Julian Simpole.

David Howell vs. Shreyas Royal

British Championship, Hull, 2024, rd. 4

1.e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5  In contemporary elite play the ancient Giuoco Piano has been supplanting the almost equally venerable Ruy Lopez in popularity. 

4.c3 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. e5 d5 7. Bb5 Ne4 8. cxd4 Bb6 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Be3 Bg4 11. h3 Bh5

This whole sequence is very well known to modern opening theory.  

12.Qc2 Bg6 13. Qb3 Ne7 14. O-O c6 15. Bd3 Nf5 16. Qc2 Nxe3 17. fxe3 Ng3 18. Bxg6 hxg6 19. Rf2 Re8 

A novelty. 

Black deviates from current theory, which dissipates into several moves:  19… Ba5  (Dastan-Mastrovasilis, ½-½, Batumi, 2019),  19… f5  (Aronian-Adams, ½-½, Batumi, 2019), or  19… Qd7  (Drygalov-Korneev, ½-½, Kazan, 2018). Pancho, our silicon calculating companion, prefers  19… Rc8 , or  …Bc7 , the former which has been played, the latter, not. One can rest assured then, that the text will likely cause some consternation in the White camp, as history is reviewed.

20.a4 Rc8 21. Qb3 f6 22. Qc2 Nf5 23. g4 fxe5!?

  An audacious and indeed highly speculative piece sacrifice, as the knight is relinquished for a couple of pawns. More secure is  23… Ne7 . The game may continue  24. Kg2  (or 24. Qd3 c5 25. exf6 gxf6 26. Nh4 Kg7 27. Raf1 Rf8 28. Ng2 g5 29. h4 c4 30. Qd2 Qd7 31. Qe2 Qd6) 24… c5 25. exf6 gxf6 26. a5 Bxa5 27. dxc5 Bxc3 28. Qxc3 Nc6 29. b4 a6 30. Raf1 Re6 , when White’s advantage is indiscernible.

 24. gxf5 e4 25. Ne1 

Inexplicably retrograde:  25. Ne5!  would have retained White’s momentum. After  25… Qg5+ 26. Kh2 Qxe3 27. Nxg6 Bc7+ 28. Kg1 Qxd4 29. Kg2Rcd8 30. Raf1 Qd3 31. Qxd3 exd3 32. Nf4 d4 , White stands well.

25… Qh4 26. Ne2?

White relinquishes any remaining advantage with this error. Best is  26. Ng2 Qxh3 27. Nf4 Qxe3 28. Nce2 Bxd4 29. Nxd4 Qxd4 30. Nxg6 Qc4 31. Qb1 Qd3 32. Qxd3 exd3 33. Ra3  when White is better.

26… Qxh3 27. Qd2 Bc7 28. fxg6?

Having ceded equality, this error by White, hands Black a small advantage. Best was  28. Nf4! , when after,  28… Qxf5 (28… Bxf4 also works)  29. Nc2 Rf8 30. Nd3 Qg5+ 31. Rg2 Qh6 32. Ne5 Rf5 33. Rh2 Rg5+ 34. Kh1 Rh5 35. Qe2 Re8 36. Rxh5,  Black is no better than equal.

28… Re6 29. Nf4 Bxf4 30. Rxf4 Rxg6+ 31. Ng2 Rh6?!

Black should have preferred,  31… Re8! , when after,  32. Qf2 c5 33. Kf1 Qh1+ 34. Qg1 Qh6 35. Qf2 cxd4 , he preserves his slim edge.

32.Raf1??

White is in a difficult position, but this hopeless piece of over-optimism posing as a natural move, entombs his king and invites a ferocious attack. Necessary is  32. Kf2 , when after, 32… g5 33. Rg1 Kh8 34. Rf7 Qh5 35. Rf5 Qg4 36. Rf7 Kg8 37. Rxb7 Rh2 38. Ke1 Rf8 39. Qc2 , White negotiates the eye of a needle, and survives awhile.

32… Qh2+ 33. Kf2 Rg6 34. Rg1 Rf8?

An awful blunder. Black had overlooked that after an exchange of rooks on f8, White has a tempo with check, after which White can force a most unlikely draw by repetition:  35. Rxf8+ Kxf8 36. Qb4+ Ke8 37. Qxb7 Rf6+ 38. Ke2 Qxg1 39. Qc8+ Kf7 40. Qd7+ Kg8 41. Qe8+ Rf8 42. Qe6+  etc.

Black should prefer:  34… Rg3!! 35. Qe1 g5 36. Rf5 Rf8 37. Rxf8+ Kxf8 38. a5 g4 39. Kf1 Rf3+ 40. Ke2 g3 41. Kd1 Rf242. Qb4+ Kg8 43. Qd6 Qxg1+,  when the win is a matter of technique.

35.Rxf8+ Kxf8 36. Qb4+ Kg8 37. Kf1 Rf6+ 38. Nf4 Qh3+ 39. Ke2??

The time control exerted an unseen pressure, as this move returns a substantial advantage to Black. Essential was  39. Rg2 , when after,  39… Qxe3 40. Rxg7+ Kxg7 41. Qe7+ Rf7 42. Qg5+ Kh8 43. Qh4+ Kg8 44. Qd8+ Kh7 45. Qh4+ Kg8  etc., Black cannot avoid a draw by perpetual check.

39… Qf3+ 40. Kd2 Rxf4 41. exf4 Qf2+ 42. Kc3 Qxg1 43. Qxb7 Qc1+ 44. Kb3 Qc4+ 45. Ka3 Qxd4?

Black still remains better, but cedes White some unnecessary remission. Best is,  45… Qd3+ 46. Ka2 Qxd4 47. Qd7  (47. Qe7 Qxa4+ 48. Kb1 Qd1+ 49. Ka2 Qh5 50. Qe6+ Kh7 51. f5 a5) 47… Kf8 48. Qd6+ Kf7 49. f5 Qf6 50. Qc5 Qe7 51. Qxc6 Qe5 52. Qg6+ Kf8, when the passed connected d- and e-pawns must prevail and promote.

 46. Qxc6 Kf7 47. Qd7+ Kf6 48. Qd8+ Kf5 49. Qg5+ Ke6 50. Qg4+ Kd6 51. Qg6+??

White needs to play,  51. Qf5 , to maintain the hanging-by-fingertips defence evident over the last six moves. After,  51… Ke7 52. Qg5+ Qf6 53. Qxd5 Qd6+ 54. Qxd6+ Kxd6 55. Kb3 , White should be losing the endgame, but has survived the very worst of the attack.

51… Kc5 52. Qe8 Qb4+ 53. Ka2 Kc4 54. Qc6+ Kd4 55. Qd7 Qc4+ 56. b3 Qc2+ 57. Ka3 Qc5+ 58. Ka2 Kd3 59. Qxg7?

Accelerating the inevitable. Pancho announces checkmate in no more than 16 moves.

59… e3 60. Qg1 Kd2?

The text still wins but is nevertheless dubious, permitting White,  61. f5  when Pancho revises Black’s mating line to 22 moves. Correct is,  60… Qc3 61. Qg6+ Kd2 62. f5 e2 63. Qg2 Kd1 64. Qg4 d4 65. f6 d3 66. Kb1 Qxb3+ 67. Ka1 Kc2 68. Qc8+ Qc3+,  when checkmate must follow.

61.Qg5 e2 62. f5+ Qe3 63. Qg2 Kc1 64. f6 Qd2+ 65. Ka3 Qb2 + White resigns 0-1

66.Kb4 e1=Q+ 67. Kc5 Qbc3+ 68. Kb5 Qxb3+ 69. Kc5 Qb6+ 70. Kxd5 Qee6, is checkmate.

Ray’s 206th book, “  Chess in the Year of the King  ”, written in collaboration with Adam Black, and his 207th, “  Napoleon and Goethe: The Touchstone of Genius  ” (which discusses their relationship with chess) are available from Amazon and Blackwells. 

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