Oxford players were out in force for the English Chess Championships in Kenilworth last weekend
In the open event of 84 players, Arya Cont, Alex Hertog, Jon Manley, Jan Murawski (all Oxford City) were joined by Magdalen College School’s fast-improving Noah Bevis and Oxford undergraduate Aron Saunders.
Oxford City’s Shambavi Hariharan competed in the women’s championship (10 players).
This was a tough 7-round affair featuring some of the best players in England, such as GMs Michael Adams, Gawain Maroroa Jones, Nikita Vitiugov, and WGM Elmira Mirzoeva. In such august company our fortunes were bound to be mixed but overall we did remarkably well.
Shambavi was the undisputed star of the Oxford show, sharing first prize in the English Women’s Championship with Elmira Mirzoeva on 4½/7, defeating the reigning champion in their individual encounter.
In some events that result would have been sufficient to crown her as the new titleholder, but the tournament’s rules prescribed a play-off of two rapid games. In an exciting finish followed by thousands of online chess fans, Elmira just edged it 1½–½.
A remarkable performance by Shambavi who at only 14 will have plenty of opportunities to repeat her success. A naturally gifted positional player, she has worked hard to hone her calculating skills, to devastating effect in the Oxford League last season.
Elmira opened with the Réti system to reach this position which resembles a Benoni in reverse. She has just played 14.Bh3 to attack the rook.
14…exf4!
An instructive moment. Shambavi sees that for the price of the exchange she can dominate the white squares, consolidate her space advantage and target the weak d3-pawn.
A very practical move to gain space on the kingside by driving the bishop back. The computer insists that g5 can be played immediately, but it’s a hard line to calculate and the resulting position tricky to assess: 19…g5 20.Bxg5 Bxg5 21.Nxg5 Rxf2 22.Kxf2 Qf5+ 23.Qf3 Qxg5 24.Qd5+ Ne6 25.Qxg5+ Nxg5 with advantage to Black.
20.Qe2 Bg4 21.Nce1 g5 22.Bd2 Bd6 23.Rb1?
White has to try 23.Bxa5 Nxa5 24.b4 Re8 25.Qc2 Re3 26.bxc5 Bxc5 27.Nd2.
Understandably, Elmira returns the exchange hoping to relieve some of the pressure, but her pieces remain bottled up on the back ranks. Shambavi’s domination of the board gives her a decisive advantage.
30…Qxf5 31.Qh5 Rf8 32.Qe2Ng4
33.b3
33.Rd2 was best but then Black breaks through with h4 and h3.
33…Nf234.Nc2 Nxd135.Qxd1? Qf2+
It’s mate next move.
0–1
An impressive display of positional control from start to finish.
Before the play-off at Kenilworth (left to right): Shankari, Shambavi, Jan, Ola and Jon
Jan attacks
Jan Murawski did well to finish on 4/7 given that his opponents included GM Jones and IM Brandon Clarke.
He considers this his best game, against another promising youngster. Excellent opening preparation and enterprising attacking play bring home the full point, with a few bumps along the way.
Jan Murawski – Lion Lebedev English Open Championship 2025 (6)
So far so theory, according to Jan. He has just played Rb1 with a view to opening the b-file to Black’s king.
19…Qf6
A new move from Lion. Ne6, Ng6 and Qb6 have all been tried before.
Giving Lion an opportunity to turn the tables. The best move is 33.Bf1 when Black has nothing better than 33…Rd6 34.dxc5 Re6 35.Rf4 Qe7 36.c6! winning for White.
33…Ne5?
33…Rd1+ 34.Bf1 Ra1!! (the rook cannot be taken because 35…Qxf2+ mates) 35.Rxa6+ Qxa6 36.Qxf7+ Qb7 and Black wins.
34.Qa1 Rd2
Threatening mate in two by 35…Qxf2+.
35.Rxa6+
A nice exchange sacrifice from Jan to expose Lion’s king and remove his own king from danger.
What better way to mark the start of the chess season than invite a strong master to give a simultaneous display?
Talented International Master Yichen Han has an Elo rating of 2429 and is still only 16 years old. Born in the Netherlands, he learned chess using the ‘Step Method’, improved rapidly and qualified for the IM title in 2022. Now a student at Oxford’s Magdalen College School, he is about to apply for a place at university to study mathematics and statistics.
“I’ll have no time to be bored!”
Yichen agreed to take on 17 of our members on Monday 14 October.
Most were facing a master over the board for the first time and played more in the hope than expectation of testing Yichen’s strength, but they were joined by a sprinkling of seasoned league players confident of snatching at least a half-point.
The addition of clocks (80 minutes + 10 seconds per move) upped the ante for the master. Yichen was relishing the challenge. “I prefer quick games and tend to get bored playing a classical time control. This way I’ll have no time to get bored!”.
In effect, Yichen would be playing 17 local league games at once against some of our strongest players, including junior stars Jan Murawski and Shambavi Hariharan. Jan had even beaten Yichen in a regular tournament game!
And how would Yichen fare against his 18th opponent, and arguably his strongest one: the clock?
Even our less experienced players were keen to put up a fight. There were no early baths even though the outcome of at least four or five games seemed decided out of the opening. That was by no means the end of the story though: Yichen’s 18th opponent could do some heavy lifting for any defender able to stave off checkmate for a while.
Stewart defends as Jan looks on
Club regulars Stuart White and David Gubinelli were holding their own; Cumnor’s Nigel Moyse seemed cruising comfortably to a draw; while Jan and Shambavi were starting to apply serious pressure and slowing Yichen down.
After an hour time began to tell. Yechu Zhang scored a surprise win on the clock, and Yichen rewarded David’s tough defence with a draw offer that was gratefully accepted.
Yichen took a draw from Jan who was beginning to build an advantage.
Shambavi offered the stiffest opposition and played a blinder, winning a pawn and frustrating Yichen’s attempts to muddy the waters. We’ll analyse her fine win in a future post.
Stuart also grabbed a pawn and made a well-timed draw offer in a position that was technically won for him.
Last man standing Nigel Moyse had a one-on-one blitz shootout with the master. He went astray in an even rook ending but Yichen sportingly made peace in a winning position.
Final score: 11½/17 (Won 9 Drawn 5 Lost 3)
Many thanks to Yichen for being such a good sport. It was an enjoyable and instructive evening we are all keen to repeat.
Junior champion Shambavi Hariharan on her way to beating the master
Young Xander Scott stayed the course well past his bedtime
Jan Murawski and Shambavi Hariharan played great games in our 6-0 defeat of Didcot 1 last week. Shambavi won a pawn in her favourite Caro-Kann and finished with a mating attack. Jan calmly cruised the complications of a dangerous gambit to expose his opponent’s king.
Jan Murawski – Nick Gough
Oxford City v Didcot 1, 20.03.2024
Albin Counter Gambit
1 d4 d5 2 c4 e5
Rarely seen in master chess these days, the gambit has a few strong grandmaster advocates including Alexander Morozevich.
This is Nick’s Idea – he’s lost a pawn but Jan will have trouble castling since it allows …Bxe2. Note that 11…Nxe5?? would lose to 12 Nxe5 Qxg2 13 Qd7 mate. The computer prefers 11…Rd8 12 Qc2 Nxe5 13 Bf4 Be6 14 Qxc6+ Nxc6 15 Bxc7 Rd7 16 Bf4 Be7 17 0–0 Bf6 with some compensation for the pawn.
12 b3 Bb5
13 e6!?
Jan is happy to return his extra pawn to saddle Black with a weak pawn on e6 and open the a1-h8 diagonal for his bishop. A good alternative was 13 Bb2 Be7 14 Qc2 0–0 15 Nd4.
13…f6?
After the game Nick admitted this was a mistake because it allows Jan to castle quickly. 13…fxe6 14 Bb2 Bd6 15 Bxg7 Rg8 16 Bb2 0–0–0 gives Black play for the pawn.
Jan makes an excellent practical decision to remove Black’s knight, seeing that his domination of the white squares will keep Nick on the defensive. Also strong was 27 f4 Ng6 28 Ba7 Rb4 29 Bf7 Qg4 30 Rfd1 Ne7.
27…Qxe5 28 Rc4 a5
28…Rxb3 29 Re4 Qxd5 30 Re8+ wins.
29 Re4 Qc3 30 Rh4 h6 31 Qh3
When each player controls squares of opposite colour, the one holding the initiative often has a decisive advantage, especially here where the heavy pieces add force to White’s attack. Jan threatens to win immediately with 32 Rxh6+.
31…Bf8
31…Qc2 is a more active way to secure the kingside. Black can only hope to relieve the pressure by exchanging pieces or sacrificing the exchange on b3, but he is never given the chance..
32 Bc4 Rd633 Qg4
33…Rbd8?
The ugly 33…g5 was the only way to hang on.
34 Rxh6+
With mate next move.
1–0
Shambavi carefully guided her passed a-pawn up the board and then unsettled her opponent by switching to full attack mode.
Reed – Hariharan
White’s king looks a little vulnerable whereas Black’s is sitting pretty behind his brick of pawns. Shambavi takes direct action.
36…Qb1! 37 Qe8+ Kh7 38 Qxa4
38…Rh1! 39 f4??
39.Qc4 seems to be best but Black is winning after 39…Qg1+ 40.Kf3 Rxh3+41,Ke2 Qg2 and Qf3+.
Congratulations to our new Oxfordshire county champions, Shambavi Hariharan and Jan Murawski.
Shambavi took the Girls’ Under-18 title on tiebreak from the talented Ukrainian Taisiia Kovalova.
Jan lifted the Boys’ Under-13 trophy ahead of Magdalen College School’s Yue Yue Sui (2nd) and Albert Hornsby (3rd).
Jan and Shambavi compete regularly for Oxford City in the First Division of the Oxford League and are gaining valuable experience playing weekend congresses.
Jan made his debut for Oxford in Division One of the prestigious Four Nations Chess League last weekend and a few weeks ago defeated his first Grandmaster, Keith Arkell.
Keith Arkell v Jan Murawski
East Midlands Chess Congress 2024
Expect to hear a lot more about Shambavi and Jan in the coming years!
Oxford City Chess Club 