Record entry in Liverpool, while Bodhana Sivanandan bids to become youngest national women’s champion
England’s grandmasters are in action on Saturday, as round three of the British Championship gets under way at St George’s Hall in the centre of Liverpool. Former Russian Nikita Vitiugov, 38, the national No 1, is top seeded while the No 2 and world senior champion, Michael Adams, is the man in form after the 53-year-old from Taunton, Somerset, won the English title in July.
The continuing chess boom, reflecting the easy availability of online blitz games, the popularity of the world No 1, Magnus Carlsen, and the success of Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit, have combined to spark a record entry of more than 1,600 players for the championship and its subsidiary tournaments.
Vitiugov, who switched federations in response to the invasion of Ukraine, and Adams, who defies the years and was impressive when winning the English title at Kenilworth, can expect several challenges to appear during the 11-round tournament, which finishes on Sunday week.
Gawain Jones, 37, is the defending champion and No 3 seed. Matthew Wadsworth, 25, and England’s youngest ever grandmaster Shreyas Royal, 16, are ambitious for new achievements while Dan Fernandez, 27, is fresh from an impressive first place in the Ghent Open.
