Gawain Jones facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gawain Jones |
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Jones in 2016
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| Full name | Gawain Christopher Bernard Jones |
| Country | England |
| Born | 11 December 1987 Keighley, West Yorkshire, England |
| Title | Grandmaster (2007) |
| FIDE rating | 2670 (July 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2709 (June 2019) |
| Peak ranking | No. 32 (June 2019) |
Gawain Christopher Bernard Jones (born December 11, 1987) is a super talented English chess player. He's known as a Grandmaster, which is the highest title a chess player can get! Gawain has won the British Chess Championship three times, showing he's one of the best players in the UK. He earned his Grandmaster title from FIDE in 2007. Gawain has also competed in the big FIDE World Cup chess tournaments in 2013, 2017, and 2019.
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Gawain Jones's Chess Journey
Gawain Jones started playing chess when he was just four years old. He entered his first tournaments at age six. In early 1997, when he was only nine, he made big news! He became the youngest player ever to beat an International Master in an official tournament game. This amazing achievement even put him on the front page of The Guardian newspaper.
Becoming a Grandmaster
Gawain has represented England many times in important events. These include the World Junior Chess Championship and the World Youth Chess Championship. Since 2008, he has been one of England's top-ranked players. He officially received the Grandmaster (GM) title in 2007.
To earn his Grandmaster title, Gawain had great results in several tournaments:
- The 2nd EU Individual Open Chess Championship in Liverpool in 2006.
- The 2006 European Chess Club Cup in Fügen.
- The 4NCL 2006/7 season.
He also won first place at tournaments in Porto San Giorgio and La Laguna in 2007. While living in Australia and New Zealand, he continued to succeed. He shared first place at the Sydney International in 2008. He also took second place at the Doeberl Cup in 2008 and the Queenstown Classic in 2009.
Major Tournament Wins
Gawain Jones has won many important chess events:
- In 2010, he shared first place with Simon Williams at the London Chess Classic FIDE Open.
- In 2011, he won the Bunratty Masters. He even beat famous player Nigel Short in their game!
- He also won the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Ekurhuleni in 2011.
- In 2012, he won his first British Chess Championship.
- He then won the 2012/13 Hastings International Chess Congress as the clear winner.
In December 2014, Gawain won a special match against Romain Édouard by a score of 4–2. This six-game match happened at the same time as the London Chess Classic. In 2016, he won the New Zealand Open in January. Then, in April, he won the Dubai Open, beating Vladimir Akopian on a tiebreak. The next year, he won the Dubai Open again! He was the first player ever to win it twice. This time, he beat several strong players like Mustafa Yilmaz and Vidit Gujrathi on tiebreak. He won the British Chess Championship for the second time in 2017.
Team Competitions and Recent Successes
Gawain Jones has proudly played for England in many team chess events. These include the Chess Olympiad, the World Team Chess Championship, and the European Team Chess Championship. He also played in the World Youth Under 16 Chess Olympiad. At the 2019 World Team Championship in Astana, England won the silver medal. Gawain also earned an individual silver medal for his great play on board four.
In 2024, Gawain won the British Chess Championship for a third time! He defeated David Howell in a playoff match. Later that year, he won the London Chess Classic with an amazing undefeated score of 5 out of 7 games.
Gawain Jones's Personal Life
Gawain Jones was born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England. He has lived in several different countries, including Italy, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. In 2010, he moved back to the United Kingdom to live in London. He wanted to focus even more on his chess career and related projects. Gawain has two children.
