Gawain Maroroa Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gawain Maroroa Jones
Jones in 2016
Full name	Gawain Christopher Bernard Maroroa Jones
Country	England
Born	(1987-12-11) 11 December 1987 (age 37) Keighley, West Yorkshire, England
Title	Grandmaster (2007)
FIDE rating	2670 (August 2025)
Peak rating	2709 (June 2019)
Peak ranking	No. 32 (June 2019)

Gawain Christopher Bernard Maroroa Jones, born on December 11, 1987, is a super talented English chess grandmaster. He has won the British Chess Championship three times! FIDE, which is the world chess organization, gave him the grandmaster title in 2007. He has also played in the important FIDE World Cup chess tournaments in 2013, 2017, and 2019.

Gawain Jones's Chess Journey

Starting Young in Chess

Gawain Jones started playing chess when he was just four years old. He entered his first chess tournaments at the age of six. In 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.

Representing England

Gawain has proudly represented England many times in big international events. These include the World Junior Chess Championship and the World Youth Chess Championship. Since 2008, he has been one of England's top-rated chess players. He officially earned his Grandmaster (GM) title in 2007, which is the highest title a chess player can get.

Winning Grandmaster Titles

Gawain is a very active player and travels a lot for tournaments. He earned his Grandmaster title by getting great results in several events. These included the 2nd EU Individual Open Chess Championship in Liverpool in 2006. He also did well at the 2006 European Chess Club Cup and the 4NCL season in 2006/2007.

Success in Europe and Beyond

In Europe, Gawain won first place at tournaments in Porto San Giorgio and La Laguna, both in 2007. He also had many successes when he played in Australia and New Zealand. 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

In 2010, Gawain shared first place with Simon Williams at the London Chess Classic FIDE Open. The next year, 2011, was also very successful for him. He won the Bunratty Masters, even beating famous player Nigel Short. He also won the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Ekurhuleni that year.

In 2012, Gawain achieved a big goal by winning the British Chess Championship. He then went on to win the 2012/13 Hastings International Chess Congress as the clear first-place winner.

More Recent Victories

In December 2014, Gawain won a special match against Romain Édouard with a score of 4–2. This six-game match happened at the same time as the London Chess Classic. In 2016, he started the year by winning the New Zealand Open in January. Then, in April, he won the Dubai Open Chess Tournament, beating Vladimir Akopian on a tiebreak.

Gawain made history in 2017 by winning the Dubai Open for a second time. He was the first player ever to do this! He won against several strong players like Mustafa Yilmaz and Vidit Gujrathi on tiebreak. That same year, he won the British Chess Championship for the second time.

Team Achievements

Gawain has also played for the English national team in many important competitions. These include the Chess Olympiad, the World Team Chess Championship, and the European Team Chess Championship. At the 2019 World Team Championship in Astana, England won the silver medal. Gawain also earned an individual silver medal for his play on board four.

British Champion Again

In 2024, Gawain Jones won the British Chess Championship for an amazing third time! He won after a playoff match against David Howell. Later in 2024, he also won the London Chess Classic without losing a single game, scoring 5 out of 7 points.

About Gawain's Life

Gawain Jones was born in Keighley, West Yorkshire, England. He has lived in many different countries, including Italy, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. In 2010, he moved back to the United Kingdom to live in London. This move helped him focus more on his chess career and other related projects.

Gawain was married to Woman International Master Sue Maroroa. Sadly, Sue passed away in 2023. They had two children together. In recent years, Gawain has been competing under the combined surname Maroroa Jones to honor his family.

Images for kids

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  Gawain Jones in 2016