This year’s British Chess Championship will be held from Sunday 22 July to Saturday 4 August 2012 at the Parks Leisure Centre, Howdon Road, North Shields, NE29 6TL (information can be found at www.britishchesschampionships.co.uk). Compared with last year’s star-studded field, this year lacks the defending champion Michael Adams and Nigel Short, who was only defeated in the tie-break in 2011. So far, five grandmasters have indicated that they will play. The favourites are Gawain Jones and David Howell (see this week’s game and position) while stiff opposition will be provided by Stephen Gordon, Simon Williams and that indefatigable virtuoso of the endgame Keith Arkell.
The championship does not consist solely of the main title section, but also a myriad of subsidiary groups based on age and relative strength. One name to look out for, among the potential superstars of the future, is Josh Altman, son of Andrew Altman, the former chief executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company. Josh was the highest scorer for the English team which participated in the recent junior chess games in Romania. He is now being trained by Julian Simpole, who previously coached Luke McShane and David Howell. With his naturally vivacious style, now allied to solid coaching, I look forward to great things from young Josh.
Howell-Neverov; Hastings 2010; Sicilian Defence
1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 a6 6 h3 This quiet move, which was the legendary Bobby Fischer’s idea against the Najdorf, has recently experienced something of a revival in popularity. 6… e6 7 g4 b5 8 Bg2 Bb7 9 0-0 Be7 This is a dreadful blunder by Black, which effectively ends the game at once (diagram 1) 10 e5 Bxg2 The alternative 10… dxe5 11 Bxb7 Ra7 12 Bc6+ Kf8 13 Ndxb5 axb5 14 Qxd8+ Bxd8 15 Bxb5 is equally hopeless.
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