British Chess Championship 2024

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I’m increasingly of the opinion that selectors have potentially missed a trick by not picking Shreyas for the Olympiad team.

Which 2600+ would you have left out to accommodate him though?

Probably best considered stylistically. Does Shreyas have an identifiable style and how does it compare to the others. This is worth considering, as he is very likely to play in an England team at some point.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Round 5 draw now up (top 5 boards are very interesting pairings):

https://chess-results.com/tnr969132.asp ... ES&flag=30

1 IM Royal, Shreyas 2487 4 4 GM Jones, Gawain Cb 2640
2 IM Ghasi, Ameet K 2495 3½ 3½ GM Conquest, Stuart C 2510
3 IM Wadsworth, Matthew J 2456 3 3½ IM Bazakutsa, Svyatoslav 2490
4 FM Golding, Alex 2296 3 3 GM Howell, David Wl 2675
5 GM Adams, Michael 2672 3 3 Salmons, Calum 1999

[NickFaulks]

Which 2600+ would you have left out to accommodate him though?

Can't really comment here. I'll send a pm.

[Richard Bates]

I’m increasingly of the opinion that selectors have potentially missed a trick by not picking Shreyas for the Olympiad team.

Which 2600+ would you have left out to accommodate him though?

Luke, I guess. But that would be the difficult decision. The point is that the relatively easy decision is the one made. But given Shreyas form, on a rapidly improving trajectory, the question is whether he shouldn’t be considered as of 2600 strength in his own right, regardless of rating lag.

And for the record I think the relative level of playing activity is a factor in this. But time will tell.

And to be fair I think the fact that we can put out such a strong (on paper anyway) team is probably at least partly the reason why any such gamble (if considered) hasn’t been taken.

[IM Jack Rudd]

Ah, another game against Bannerjee. Well, at least his rating now begins with a 21, and not the 19 it began with when I played him seven months ago.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

21 GM Davies, Nigel R 2325 2 2 WFM Sivanandan, Bodhana 2185

Another interesting match-up.

[Angus French]

I’m increasingly of the opinion that selectors have potentially missed a trick by not picking Shreyas for the Olympiad team.

Which 2600+ would you have left out to accommodate him though?

Am I wrong or has it long been the case that the highest-rated available players have been selected? And would it not be an idea to select more up-and-coming players to encourage their development? I would drop Luke McShane.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

And a quick shout-out for a junior doing really well:

https://chess-results.com/tnr969132.asp ... =30&snr=86

Sanjith Madhavan (SCO, rated 1950), after starting with a full-point bye, has scored 1.5/3 against strong opposition and currently performing at 2268, gaining lots of rating points. Has a tough pairing against an IM in round 5 (Richard Palliser). Sanjith was one of the joint U16 winners last year, and was born in 2007 (so not yet 18) and started the tournament as the lowest-rated player.

[Richard Bates]

I’m increasingly of the opinion that selectors have potentially missed a trick by not picking Shreyas for the Olympiad team.

Which 2600+ would you have left out to accommodate him though?

Am I wrong or has it long been the case that the highest-rated available players have been selected? And would it not be an idea to select more up-and-coming players to encourage their development? I would drop Luke McShane.

I disagree with this though. We have a very strong team, that should be contending for medals. Not a time to be making picks to “aid players future development”. Anyway I’ve driven thread off-topic, so apologies. Probably best transferred to relevant thread elsewhere.

[Keith Arkell]

Curiously, the only all-GM clash in round 5 of the British Championship will take place on board 7!

[Paul Habershon]

I would like to congratulate the ECF on its comprehensive 'live board' internet coverage. I think this is the first year when every move of every game has been included, from the Championship down to the Under-8 blitz. Every round remains available and the lichess system allows you to scroll back and forth with engine assessments at every move, including variations. Among many advantages must be the huge benefit for junior coaches, even if they are not at the congress.

https://www.britishchesschampionships.c ... the-games/

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Curiously, the only all-GM clash in round 5 of the British Championship will take place on board 7!

There have only been two other all-GM clashes so far, the others were on board 4. Both Conquest and Gasanov will have played twice against other GMs. The three all-GM clashes for the 5 rounds so far are:

- Round 2:

4. GM Conquest, Stuart C 2510 1 ½ - ½ 1 GM Davies, Nigel R 2325

- Round 4:

4. GM Conquest, Stuart C 2510 2½ 1 - 0 2½ GM Gasanov, Eldar 2469

- Round 5:

7. GM Gasanov, Eldar 2469 2½ 3 GM Hebden, Mark L 2385

While you would not expect any clashes in round 1, I have no idea if it is normal for a field headed by 5 GMs with 6 other GMs scattered lower down, to have this sort of pattern. The GM norm seekers still seeking enough GMs in their opposition will hope to be paired with GMs in later rounds.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Any thoughts on the quality of the chess so far? I was impressed by the win by Conquest over Gasanov in round 4.

[LawrenceCooper]

Shreyas has a rating of 2504 on the August list so that simplifies a subsequent title claim once he gets his final norm. Not that it will be his only 2500+ rating but it saves any need to show calculations for achieving a rating mid tournament.

[Mick Norris]

Chessbase report with a focus on Howell-Royal