Grandmaster Gawain Jones triumphed in the 99th British championship. However, his path to success was not exactly problem free. Far from storming to victory, Gawain tied for first prize with grandmaster Stephen Gordon, thus necessitating a play-off to break the tie, an echo of last year’s championship, when Michael Adams defeated Nigel Short after a neck and neck performance in the main event.
Having reached the play-off, Gawain proceeded to lose his queen for patently insufficient compensation. Resisting what must have been an overwhelming temptation to resign on the spot, Gawain struggled blithely on, and pulled off a miraculous win, rather like a conjuror extracting a very large rabbit from a very small hat. Here is a more conventional victory by the new champion.
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in