Gawain Jones, the British and English chess champion, celebrated his 37th birthday on Wednesday by completing a remarkable year of recovery with a £25,000 victory at the XTX Markets London Classic, held at the Emirates Stadium. Last year, Jones faced personal tragedy when his wife, Sue Maroroa Jones, passed away due to complications following the birth of their second child. This led him to take a break from competitive play for several months.
Returning to the chessboard this year, Jones claimed the English title in June at Kenilworth and the British crown in August at Hull. He then represented England at the Budapest Olympiad in September, scoring 5.5/9, before securing his third major win of the year at the London Classic last Saturday. Jones finished the tournament unbeaten with 5/7, a full point ahead of the field.
The veteran eight-time British champion, Michael Adams, 53, secured second place on tie-break, while Nikita Vitiugov, the former Russian who relocated to north London last year, finished third. All three Englishmen outperformed the tournament favorites and world title contenders, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan and Vidit Gujrathi of India.
Jones' standout victory came in the final round, where his white knight outmaneuvered the black bishop of women's world champion Ju Wenjun. Faced with a lost rook ending, Ju Wenjun resigned on move 41. England's only disappointment at the Classic was Shreyas Royal, 15, who suffered a rare setback with a score of 1/7. Royal, Britain's youngest-ever grandmaster, will aim for a stronger performance at the £10,000 Caplin Hastings Masters, starting on 28 December.
In the Fide Open, for players rated over 2200, the top-seeded Indian, Raunak Sadhwani, emerged victorious on tie-break over Israel's Ilya Smirin. Matthew Wadsworth, 24, came close to achieving his grandmaster title, having already secured two of the three required norms. In the penultimate round, Wadsworth impressively defeated a Chinese grandmaster, but missed his final norm opportunity in the last round due to a queen swap that led to a draw.
The event concluded with the Super-Blitz, possibly the strongest speed tournament ever held in England. The Classic grandmasters were joined by qualifiers and wildcards, including Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Firouzja, rated 2871 and ranked world No. 2 in blitz, scored 5.5/7, despite falling victim to an opening trap in the first round. Michael Adams defeated Firouzja in a game that showcased a fine two-bishop ending for White.
XTX Markets, the sponsor of the London Classic, has become a significant supporter of major chess events in London. The algorithmic trading firm also sponsors ChessFest, an annual one-day festival in Trafalgar Square. Additionally, XTX is a major UK mathematics donor, helping students from low-income backgrounds pursue higher education.
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