Congratulations to England’s Michael Adams and John Nunn, who both became World Senior chess champions yesterday in Terrasini, Sicily, Italy. Despite both being the top seeds in their respective sections, neither had it all their own way.
Michael Adams (pictured on the right) won the 50+ age group, in what proved to be a very strong, competitive field, which included sixteen grandmasters. Adams won with 8½ from 11 and was undefeated and just edged ahead on tiebreak from Serbian grandmaster Suat Atalik who also scored 8.5. This was Adams first-ever individual world title and is well deserved for someone who has been ever-present at the top of World Chess for over 30 years.
John Nunn (pictured on the left) also scored 8½ from 11, thus enabling him to retain the 65+ world senior title he won last year. Nunn also won on tiebreak from Slovakian GM Lubomir Ftacnik, in what was another strong field with ten grandmasters. Although Nunn lost one game, after slipping up in a winning position, his overall play was impressive as always, and he emerged as the deserved winner.
These two successes at the seniors level are further evidence of England’s growing reputation as a leading nation at seniors chess, after our recent successes at both World and European Senior Team Chess Championships.
— Nigel Povah
Click here for an article by Leonard Barden in the Guardian newspaper online