The British Rapidplay Chess Championships was a
rapid play chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...
held in the
UK annually since 1986 (with the exception of 1993)until. Dec 20th 2022.It was under the auspices of the
English Chess Federation
The English Chess Federation (ECF) is the governing chess organisation in England. It is affiliated to FIDE. The ECF was formed in 2004 as one of the more localised successors to the British Chess Federation (BCF), an organisation founded in 1904. ...
. but never was funded underwritten nor sponsored by the ECF . The UK's premier weekend rapidplay congress included ''The British Rapidplay Championship'' which was open to all players, and several grading restricted and junior tournaments. The tournament took place over two days and consisted of 11 rounds of chess . There were Open, Major, Intermediate, Minor and Junior categories. The event has been held in Leeds, Bradford and Halifax over the years.
* The Open winner in 2010 was
Grandmaster (GM)
David Howell, scoring 10½/11.
* The 25th anniversary event took place at Leeds Metropolitan University, Headingley, Leeds on 19 and 20 November 2011. The Open winner was GM Gawain Jones scoring 10½/11 points.
* The 2012 event took place again at the L.M.U. on 24 and 25 November. The winner was
Jonathan Hawkins
Jonathan Hawkins (born 1 May 1983) is an English chess grandmaster. He was the British Chess Champion in 2015, having outscored David Howell, with whom he shared the title in 2014.
Chess career
Hawkins's chess career is unusual for the modern ...
IM with 9/11.
* The 2013 event was played on 23 and 24 November at Leeds Metropolitan University, Headingley
and was won by GM Mark Hebden with 9.5/11.
* The 2014 event took place on 1 and 2 November and saw Jonathan Hawkins G.M. win with 10.5/11. Leeds Beckett University was the venue and saw a good turnout in all the main events. The event saw its 20th consecutive year under the British Rapidplay Chess Organization - Secretary B.Kitson, Treasurer S.Burton, Website S.Forbes, Honorary President M.Dow.
* The 2015 event took place at
Leeds Beckett University
Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the city centre and Headingley. The univ ...
on 31 October and 1 November.
The Joint Winners were G.M. Mark Hebden and I.M. Ameet Ghasi .
* The 2016 event took place on 12 and 13 November 2016 at Temple Moor High School,Leeds
The Joint Winners of the thirtieth anniversary event were I.M. Lorin D'Costa and I.M. Richard A Bates on 9/11 .
* The 2017 event took place on 18 and 19 November at The Craiglands Hotel, Ilkley .
The winner of The Open was the Spanish G.M. Daniel Alsina Leal with 8/10....
* The 2018 event took place on 24 and 25 November at The Craiglands, Ilkley The winner was I.M.Gediminas Sarakauskas with 9.5/11
* The 2019 event took place in Pudsey Civic Hall on 23 and 24 November 2019 .The Joint Winners on 8.5/11 were Stephen J Gordon GM and David J Egglestone I.M.
* The 2020/21 event has been moved to Nov 26th-Nov 27th 2022 due to Covid19 and was due to take place at..Trinity University Horsforth. It was however
postponed in 2022 due to illness and ongoing COVID
possibilities.The website below is no longer being maintained as the ECF have taken back the auspices
and have demanded that the title British Rapidplay is no longer used ..The event is now under the ECF 4NCL BICC whose CEO is Mike Truran .It is now underwritten by the ECF.The organizers have met and have retitled the event
The Shine UK Open Chess Rapidplay.The new event is
open to all UK players.and should take place on Sunday 26th November 2023...It will be initially be a one day six round event ..the old event website below is defunct.It provides historical data still.
The new website is currently being formulated
British Rapidplay Chess Champions
* 1986
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short (born 1 June 1965) is an English chess grandmaster, columnist, coach, and commentator, who is the vice-president of FIDE since October 2018. Short earned the Grandmaster title at the age of 19, and was ranked third in the w ...
* 1987
Nigel Davies
* 1988
Murray Chandler
Murray Graham Chandler (born 4 April 1960, Wellington, New Zealand) is a chess grandmaster who has played internationally for New Zealand and for England, after he gained British citizenship in the early 1980s. Chandler is also known as a ches ...
,
Glenn Flear
Glenn Curtis Flear (born 12 February 1959 in Leicester, England) is a British chess grandmaster now living in Montpellier, France. He is the author of several books, some on chess openings and some on the endgame.
He was awarded the Intern ...
,
Julian Hodgson
Julian Michael "Jules" Hodgson (born 25 July 1963 in London) is a British chess player, grandmaster, and former British chess champion.
Biography
He first came to the notice of the chess world for his achievements as a junior, whilst at Ha ...
and
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn (born 25 April 1955) is an English chess grandmaster, a three-time world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician. He is one of England's strongest chess players and was former ...
* 1989
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn (born 25 April 1955) is an English chess grandmaster, a three-time world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician. He is one of England's strongest chess players and was former ...
* 1990
Mark Hebden
Mark Lesland Hebden (born 15 February 1958 in Leicester) is an English chess player who holds the title Grandmaster.
Hebden is known for chess openings such as the Grand Prix Attack, the Barry Attack, and the 150 Attack.
Hebden was Briti ...
,
Julian Hodgson
Julian Michael "Jules" Hodgson (born 25 July 1963 in London) is a British chess player, grandmaster, and former British chess champion.
Biography
He first came to the notice of the chess world for his achievements as a junior, whilst at Ha ...
,
Jon Speelman
Jonathan Simon Speelman (born 2 October 1956) is an English Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster chess player, mathematician and chess writer.
Early life and education
He was educated at Worcester College, Oxford, where he read Mathematics.
Caree ...
and
Alexander Wojtkiewicz
* 1991
Lev Polugaevsky
Lev Abramovich Polugaevsky ( rus, Лев Абрамович Полугаевский, p=pəlʊɡɐˈjefskʲɪj; 20 November 1934 – 30 August 1995) was a Soviet chess player. He was awarded the title of International Grandmaster by FIDE i ...
and
Jon Speelman
Jonathan Simon Speelman (born 2 October 1956) is an English Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster chess player, mathematician and chess writer.
Early life and education
He was educated at Worcester College, Oxford, where he read Mathematics.
Caree ...
* 1992
William Watson William, Willie, Bill or Billy Watson may refer to:
Entertainment
* William Watson (songwriter) (1794–1840), English concert hall singer and songwriter
* William Watson (poet) (1858–1935), English poet
* Billy Watson (actor) (1923–2022), Ame ...
* 1993 ''No Contest''
* 1994
Mark Hebden
Mark Lesland Hebden (born 15 February 1958 in Leicester) is an English chess player who holds the title Grandmaster.
Hebden is known for chess openings such as the Grand Prix Attack, the Barry Attack, and the 150 Attack.
Hebden was Briti ...
* 1995
Michael Adams
* 1996
Michael Adams
* 1997
Stuart Conquest
Stuart C. Conquest (born 1 March 1967 in Ilford, England) is an English chess Grandmaster, commentator and tournament director.
Chess career
In 1981, at the age of 14, he won the World Youth Chess Championship in the under-16 category. Conquest ...
* 1998
Keith Arkell
Keith Charles Arkell (born 8 January 1961) is an English chess Grandmaster.
He won the English Chess Championship in 2008. In 2014 he was European Senior (50+) Champion, and, later in the year, tied for first in the World Senior (50+) Champions ...
* 1999
Michael Adams
* 2000
Aaron Summerscale and
Ameet Ghasi
Ameet K. Ghasi (born 1987) is an English chess player who received the FIDE title of International Master (IM) in September 2012.
In 2000, at the age of 13, Ghasi shared the British Rapidplay Chess Championship title with Aaron Summerscale b ...
* 2001
Mark Hebden
Mark Lesland Hebden (born 15 February 1958 in Leicester) is an English chess player who holds the title Grandmaster.
Hebden is known for chess openings such as the Grand Prix Attack, the Barry Attack, and the 150 Attack.
Hebden was Briti ...
* 2002
Peter Wells
* 2003
Peter Wells
* 2004
Nicholas Pert
Nicholas Pert (born 22 January 1981) is an English chess grandmaster.
Pert was the World Under-18 Chess Champion in 1998 and British Rapidplay Chess Champion in 2004. He has represented England at the highest level, including the 37th Chess ...
* 2005
Mark Hebden
Mark Lesland Hebden (born 15 February 1958 in Leicester) is an English chess player who holds the title Grandmaster.
Hebden is known for chess openings such as the Grand Prix Attack, the Barry Attack, and the 150 Attack.
Hebden was Briti ...
* 2006
Danny Gormally
Daniel William Gormally (born 4 May 1976) is an English chess Grandmaster. His peak rating is 2573, achieved in the January 2006 rating list.
He was born in South Shields and was brought into the game of chess by his father at the age of 7. B ...
and
Richard Palliser
Richard David Palliser (born 18 September 1981) is an English chess player and chess writer who holds the title International Master.
Palliser was joint British Rapidplay Chess Champion in 2006. He writes regularly for Everyman Chess who als ...
* 2007
Peter Wells
* 2008
David Howell
* 2009
David Howell and
Mark Hebden
Mark Lesland Hebden (born 15 February 1958 in Leicester) is an English chess player who holds the title Grandmaster.
Hebden is known for chess openings such as the Grand Prix Attack, the Barry Attack, and the 150 Attack.
Hebden was Briti ...
* 2010
David Howell
* 2011
Gawain Jones
Gawain Christopher Bernard Jones (born 11 December 1987) is an English chess player. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 2007. He won the British Chess Championship in 2012 and 2017. He competed in the FIDE World Cup in 2013, 20 ...
* 2012
Jonathan Hawkins
Jonathan Hawkins (born 1 May 1983) is an English chess grandmaster. He was the British Chess Champion in 2015, having outscored David Howell, with whom he shared the title in 2014.
Chess career
Hawkins's chess career is unusual for the modern ...
* 2013
Mark Hebden
Mark Lesland Hebden (born 15 February 1958 in Leicester) is an English chess player who holds the title Grandmaster.
Hebden is known for chess openings such as the Grand Prix Attack, the Barry Attack, and the 150 Attack.
Hebden was Briti ...
* 2014
Jonathan Hawkins
Jonathan Hawkins (born 1 May 1983) is an English chess grandmaster. He was the British Chess Champion in 2015, having outscored David Howell, with whom he shared the title in 2014.
Chess career
Hawkins's chess career is unusual for the modern ...
* 2015
Ameet Ghasi
Ameet K. Ghasi (born 1987) is an English chess player who received the FIDE title of International Master (IM) in September 2012.
In 2000, at the age of 13, Ghasi shared the British Rapidplay Chess Championship title with Aaron Summerscale b ...
and
Mark Hebden
Mark Lesland Hebden (born 15 February 1958 in Leicester) is an English chess player who holds the title Grandmaster.
Hebden is known for chess openings such as the Grand Prix Attack, the Barry Attack, and the 150 Attack.
Hebden was Briti ...
* 2016
Lorin D'Costa and
Richard A Bates
* 2017
Daniel Alsina Leal
* 2018
Gediminas Sarakauskas
* 2019
Stephen J. Gordon and
David J Eggleston
* 2020 No event due to Covid19
* 2021 No event due to Covid19
* 2022 No event due to Covid19 and Illness..
* 2023 Event taken over by ECF..
See also
* Shine UK Open Rapidplay Chess .2023.
References
External links
{{Chess national championships
Chess national championships
Chess in the United Kingdom
1986 establishments in the United Kingdom
Recurring sporting events established in 1986
Annual events in the United Kingdom