British Chess Championship 2023

Written and annotated by Michael Allen

Over the weekend of 21–23 July, five of our society members ventured to Leicester to participate in this year's British Chess Championships. For some of us, this was our first taste of a tournament, and although there were a few missteps along the way, the most impressive victory was for Aaron Welson, who managed to secure joint third place in the U1750 section! This blog will be a featurette of some of our most thrilling and instructive games from this tournament.

Stephen Pride vs Aaron Welson

At this point, Welson was already trailblazing with 2 points out of 3 rounds, so he was paired against a similarly successful player in the tournament. This game will show you the well-timed precision of Welson's attack, and how precisely Welson was able to create a weakness in his opponent's position and then continue to exploit it until they can't defend it any longer.

Philip Clare vs Jacob Manley

Elsewhere in the venue (in the same room as GM Michael Adams, in fact), Jacob Manley was playing in the U1500 section as it was his first ever tournament. Although a veteran of a few league games, this was his first ever game in the Round 1 of the British Chess Championship, and he was against an experienced 1355-rated player. Playing his personal favourite, the Dutch Defence, he led a fierce (if slightly dubious) attack on his opponent's kingside and secured a well-fought victory.

Michael Walia vs Michael Allen

For this game, I was playing a very talented junior who fought on for 81 moves, the longest game that any of our society members had played within the tournament. What had been a very aggressive opening and a fiery middlegame settled down into a slow and tense endgame, which both of us were convinced was a draw. Although my opponent offered several draws at the endgame, I was still eager to play on, and my patience paid off when my opponent eventually blundered the position into a win for me. It was not a beautiful game, with a few missed chances here and there, but shows the importance of carrying on and playing for a win.

Graeme McCormick vs Byron Woodhouse

Byron Woodhouse stunned with his trademark Creepy Crawly opening against an experienced 1500-rated player. Although the game was very tumultuous, seeing a few sacrifices and tactics here and there, Byron emerged on top by pouncing on his opponent's dubious play, and once again confirming his position as the Creepy Crawly Champion.

Joseph Horspool vs James Flint

And lastly, this was a game by James Flint, our incoming President for the 2023–24 academic year, against a certain Joseph Horspool, who was 100 points higher. Just as chaotic as Byron's game, James had to fend off a number of unsound sacrifices and dubious moves, eventually reaching a sound endgame which saw him up a piece and eventually winning the game.

Although the championship featured many other games, these were the games that our members handpicked to show you! For the remainder of the summer, some of us hope to try our hand at the upcoming Northumbria Masters tournament in Newcastle, and we look forward to the start of the next year as well!