British Chess Championships 2011

[Mick Norris]

Play-off info here:
http://britishchess2011.com/main_events.htm

at bottom of British Championship section

Fuller info here:
http://britishchess2011.com/programme.htm

[Paul Cooksey]

great result for Hawkins in all respects, except if you are Howell or it means Max has caught you in the predictions league

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

10 IM Hunt, Adam C 5.5 ENG 2436 Adair, James R 5.5 ENG 2212 0-1

Was I the only one to correctly predict this one?

[Jonathan Rogers]

I think so.

Do we have an overall winner? I have the impression that a number of people got 6 (but not me)

[Matthew Turner]

I would have got 6 if you scored 2 for each correct result.

[Gavin Strachan]

My entry...

1 GM Pert, Nicholas 6.5 ENG 2555 GM Adams, Michael 7.5 ENG 2715 BLACK WIN
2 GM Short, Nigel D 7.0 ENG 2687 GM Wells, Peter K 6.5 ENG 2489 DRAW
3 IM Hawkins, Jonathan 6.5 ENG 2457 GM Howell, David W L 6.5 ENG 2625 DRAW
4 GM Summerscale, Aaron P 6.0 ENG 2415 GM Jones, Gawain C B 6.5 ENG 2606 DRAW
5 GM Gormally, Daniel W 6.0 ENG 2519 GM Gordon, Stephen J 6.0 ENG 2533 BLACK WIN
6 IM Houska, Jovanka 5.5 ENG 2418 IM Rendle, Thomas E 6.0 ENG 2386 DRAW
7 IM Buckley, Graeme N 5.5 ENG 2380 GM Hebden, Mark L 5.5 ENG 2533 BLACK WIN
8 IM Palliser, Richard J D 5.5 ENG 2454 FM Griffiths, Ryan Rhys 5.5 IRL 2301 BLACK WIN
9 IM Zhou, Yang-Fan 5.5 ENG 2444 FM Eggleston, David J 5.5 ENG 2318 DRAW
10 IM Hunt, Adam C 5.5 ENG 2436 Adair, James R 5.5 ENG 2212 WHITE WIN

Five draws, one White win, and four Black wins. Can we have a prize for getting the most predictions wrong?

well lets face it:
Board 1 defo no white win on that and Pert was going draw at all costs.
Board 2 Short win def. (too wide a grading gap)
Board 3 I would have gone Howell win (Hawkins shows great spirit and skill to win)
Board 4 Jones win, Summerscale is having a nightmare
Board 5 tough one.... draw (which it was)
Board 6 now it gets harder. Rendle win or draw. It was a draw.
Board 7. Draw. Hebden's having a minger and wants to go home. Buckley is equal. (right)
Board 8. Palliser (right)
Board 9. Zhou (right)
Board 10. Hunt wins (wrong, suppose he is overwhelmed by the super gms)

I did not look at the results until afterwards so am quite impressed. I think Howell is mentally not tough enough and although comes across as hardworking talented perhaps needs more tooth. Hawkins really wanted to win and shows great mental strength to win, not good enough to beat Short and Adams at the moment but great future talent.

[Joey Stewart]

Yeah, the way he is playing right now would suggest he is at least a strong 2500 standard if not higher - perhaps he could be the next of our players to enter the elite levels, in a few years?

[Mick Norris]

I think so.

Do we have an overall winner? I have the impression that a number of people got 6 (but not me)

I think we will leave it to Max to declare the results!

[Alex Holowczak]

Pairings published. Not sure I agree with them that Round 11 is played on 8th May 2011 (05/08 v 08/05 error, I suspect!), but the ones that will decide the Championship are:

1 GM Adams, Michael 8.0 ENG 2715 IM Zhou, Yang-Fan 6.5 ENG 2444
2 GM Gordon, Stephen J 6.5 ENG 2533 GM Short, Nigel D 8.0 ENG 2687
3 GM Jones, Gawain C B 7.5 ENG 2606 GM Pert, Nicholas 7.0 ENG 2555
4 GM Wells, Peter K 6.5 ENG 2489 IM Hawkins, Jonathan 7.5 ENG 2457

[Justin Hadi]

Interesting. Steven Gordon held Short to a draw with white in the Commonwealth championships in Liverpool a few years ago. Can he do it again?

[Matthew Turner]

I'll get in first again.

1 GM Adams, Michael 8.0 ENG 2715 IM Zhou, Yang-Fan 6.5 ENG 2444 WIN WHITE
2 GM Gordon, Stephen J 6.5 ENG 2533 GM Short, Nigel D 8.0 ENG 2687 WIN BLACK
3 GM Jones, Gawain C B 7.5 ENG 2606 GM Pert, Nicholas 7.0 ENG 2555 DRAW
4 GM Wells, Peter K 6.5 ENG 2489 IM Hawkins, Jonathan 7.5 ENG 2457 WIN WHITE
5 GM Howell, David W L 6.5 ENG 2625 Adair, James R 6.5 ENG 2212 WIN WHITE
6 IM Rendle, Thomas E 6.5 ENG 2386 GM Gormally, Daniel W 6.5 ENG 2519 WIN BLACK
7 IM Bates, Richard A 6.5 ENG 2373 IM Palliser, Richard J D 6.5 ENG 2454 WIN WHITE
8 GM Hebden, Mark L 6.0 ENG 2533 Khandelwal, Ankush 6.0 ENG 2211 DRAW
9 GM Summerscale, Aaron P 6.0 ENG 2415 GM Williams, Simon K 6.0 ENG 2528 DRAW
10 GM Conquest, Stuart C 6.0 ENG 2519 IM Ansell, Simon T 6.0 ENG 2410 WIN WHITE

[Paul Cooksey]

5 GM Howell, David W L 6.5 ENG 2625 Adair, James R 6.5 ENG 2212
Is horribly unlucky for James Adair, I think he needs a draw for an IM norm. But white against someone less highly rated would have been ok, and a less difficult task.

[Paul Cooksey]

Emboldened by today's lucky guesses, I am going to claim Matthew Turner is underestimating the drawish tendency of the last round and go for:

1 GM Adams, Michael 8.0 ENG 2715 IM Zhou, Yang-Fan 6.5 ENG 2444 WIN WHITE
2 GM Gordon, Stephen J 6.5 ENG 2533 GM Short, Nigel D 8.0 ENG 2687 WIN BLACK
3 GM Jones, Gawain C B 7.5 ENG 2606 GM Pert, Nicholas 7.0 ENG 2555 DRAW
4 GM Wells, Peter K 6.5 ENG 2489 IM Hawkins, Jonathan 7.5 ENG 2457 DRAW
5 GM Howell, David W L 6.5 ENG 2625 Adair, James R 6.5 ENG 2212 WIN WHITE (although I really hope not!)
6 IM Rendle, Thomas E 6.5 ENG 2386 GM Gormally, Daniel W 6.5 ENG 2519 DRAW
7 IM Bates, Richard A 6.5 ENG 2373 IM Palliser, Richard J D 6.5 ENG 2454 DRAW
8 GM Hebden, Mark L 6.0 ENG 2533 Khandelwal, Ankush 6.0 ENG 2211 WIN WHITE
9 GM Summerscale, Aaron P 6.0 ENG 2415 GM Williams, Simon K 6.0 ENG 2528 DRAW
10 GM Conquest, Stuart C 6.0 ENG 2519 IM Ansell, Simon T 6.0 ENG 2410 DRAW

[David Grobler]

1 GM Adams, Michael 8.0 ENG 2715 IM Zhou, Yang-Fan 6.5 ENG 2444 WIN WHITE
2 GM Gordon, Stephen J 6.5 ENG 2533 GM Short, Nigel D 8.0 ENG 2687 WIN BLACK
3 GM Jones, Gawain C B 7.5 ENG 2606 GM Pert, Nicholas 7.0 ENG 2555 DRAW
4 GM Wells, Peter K 6.5 ENG 2489 IM Hawkins, Jonathan 7.5 ENG 2457 BLACK WIN
5 GM Howell, David W L 6.5 ENG 2625 Adair, James R 6.5 ENG 2212 DRAW
6 IM Rendle, Thomas E 6.5 ENG 2386 GM Gormally, Daniel W 6.5 ENG 2519 DRAW
7 IM Bates, Richard A 6.5 ENG 2373 IM Palliser, Richard J D 6.5 ENG 2454 DRAW
8 GM Hebden, Mark L 6.0 ENG 2533 Khandelwal, Ankush 6.0 ENG 2211 WIN WHITE
9 GM Summerscale, Aaron P 6.0 ENG 2415 GM Williams, Simon K 6.0 ENG 2528 DRAW
10 GM Conquest, Stuart C 6.0 ENG 2519 IM Ansell, Simon T 6.0 ENG 2410 WHITE WIN

[Joey Stewart]

I am going for these predictions

1 GM Adams, Michael 8.0 ENG 2715 IM Zhou, Yang-Fan 6.5 ENG 2444 WIN WHITE
2 GM Gordon, Stephen J 6.5 ENG 2533 GM Short, Nigel D 8.0 ENG 2687 DRAW
3 GM Jones, Gawain C B 7.5 ENG 2606 GM Pert, Nicholas 7.0 ENG 2555 WIN WHITE
4 GM Wells, Peter K 6.5 ENG 2489 IM Hawkins, Jonathan 7.5 ENG 2457 WIN BLACK
5 GM Howell, David W L 6.5 ENG 2625 Adair, James R 6.5 ENG 2212 WIN WHITE
6 IM Rendle, Thomas E 6.5 ENG 2386 GM Gormally, Daniel W 6.5 ENG 2519 WIN BLACK
7 IM Bates, Richard A 6.5 ENG 2373 IM Palliser, Richard J D 6.5 ENG 2454 DRAW
8 GM Hebden, Mark L 6.0 ENG 2533 Khandelwal, Ankush 6.0 ENG 2211 WIN WHITE
9 GM Summerscale, Aaron P 6.0 ENG 2415 GM Williams, Simon K 6.0 ENG 2528 WIN BLACK
10 GM Conquest, Stuart C 6.0 ENG 2519 IM Ansell, Simon T 6.0 ENG 2410 WIN WHITE