British Chess Championship 2026: A Dramatic Fight for the Title

The British Chess Championship 2026 was held at the University of Warwick, and this was our fourth time competing in the British Championship.

It was a great chess festival, with tournaments and events for players of all levels and different formats throughout the week. The atmosphere was vibrant, and the organisation was excellent, with live boards, live commentary, a good playing venue and a dedicated analysis area. It was a great environment to be part of.

This year, the tournament also featured a £10,000 first prize, making an already strong event even more competitive and intense.

A Solid Tournament for Tarun

Tarun had a strong and consistent tournament, scoring 6/9 to share eighth place. It was a solid performance in a very strong field.

My Tournament: From a Difficult Start to the Playoff

For me, the tournament was a much more dramatic affair.

I lost my very first game, which was obviously a big blow. You might think, it’s just one loss, but what followed made the start even more difficult. I drew my next three games consecutively, so it was clear that things weren’t really going my way.

I finally got my first win of the tournament in Round 5. At that stage, I was nowhere close to thinking about winning anything. The only thing on my mind was getting the tournament back on track.

Slowly, though, I started finding my form.

I scored three wins in a row, and suddenly everything looked very different. Going into Round 8, I was tied for first place in the Women’s Championship.

That was the moment when I started thinking that perhaps I had a chance to fight for the British Women’s title.

But, as often happens in chess, the moment you start thinking too much about the result, things can quickly go the other way.

In the penultimate round, I was paired against IM Maciej Czopor. He played a very strong game and clearly outplayed me, giving me very little chance.

After that loss, I thought my chances of winning the title were gone. I was half a point behind the leaders, they had 5 points while I had 4.5.

At that point, I simply told myself that I would at least try to finish the tournament with a win.

The Final Round

In the last round, I was paired against WGM Elmira Mirzoeva, who had shared the British Women’s Championship title last year.

The game was relatively equal for a long time, although things became a little shaky at some point. Just before the time control, Elmira blundered, and I was fortunate to get away with the win.

I was relieved to finish the tournament with a victory.

But then something unexpected happened.

As soon as I finished my game, one of my friends came over and told me that I was tied for first place.

Honestly a little shocked.

I had gone into the final round half a point behind the leaders, so I wasn’t expecting to be tied for first. I thought there would be an outright winner.

Instead, there would be a playoff.

This was also the first year that a playoff was introduced for the Women’s Championship title.

The Women’s Championship Playoff

So it came down to Bodhana Sivanandan vs. me.

The playoff consisted of two rapid games.

I drew the first game, meaning everything was still to play for in the second.

Unfortunately, I lost the second game, and Bodhana won the playoff and the title. It was a disappointing end for me, but Bodhana played well and deserved the victory.

Congratulations to Bodhana!

And congratulations also to GM Shreyas Royal, who won the overall British Championship outright with an impressive 7.5/9.

Taking the Positives

Of course, it was a bitter end for me. It wasn’t the result I wanted.

But that’s life, you don’t always get what you want, and sometimes you have to take the positives from what you have achieved.

When I look back at the tournament, I can’t really complain. After losing the first round and then drawing three games in a row, I managed to turn things around, win three consecutive games, fight my way back into contention and eventually reach the playoff for the Women’s Championship title.

That in itself was an achievement.

Perhaps I shouldn’t be too harsh on myself. I have to give myself some credit for not giving up after such a difficult start. The playoff loss gives me even more motivation to keep improving, work harder and come back stronger next time.

Thank You for the Support

A huge thank you to everyone who cheered for me, followed my games and sent messages of support throughout the tournament.

Your support means a lot to me, especially during the difficult moments. Hopefully, this tournament will give me even more motivation to keep working, keep improving and keep fighting for the next opportunity.

Until the next tournament!