4th Staunton Memorial

You are forgiven if you don't remember the first three editions of this tournament. I'd forgotten it myself, even though last year the winner was my old friend Jonathan Levitt, Mr. Clarendon Court himself. (Attack your opponent's center, even if he doesn't have one.) His chances don't look so good this year as the event has changed from a boutique English tournament to a powerful international. Sadly, it is overlapping the end of the British Championship. UK #1 Mickey Adams is playing in the Staunton and in the second round he beat English teen hope David Howell in an epic queen and pawn endgame.

It's also a curiously Dutch flavored event, with Ivan Sokolov and Jan Timman leading a pack of no fewer than five Hollanders in the 12-player all-play-all. Sokolov and Jan Werle lead with 2/2. The event is hosted by ye olde Simpson's-in-the-Strand in London. In the mid-19th century its Grand Cigar Divan was one of the major centers of European, and thus world, chess. Staunton himself played many games there, though it is probably only a rumor that his favorite table was near a trapdoor he could jump through should Morphy come by.

[Charles Milton Ling points out below that this is likely a commemoration of the first post-WWII supertournament, the Groningen 1946 event that was also in honor of Staunton. Botvinnik won ahead of Euwe. Curiously there were no UK players (Kottnauer was still playing as a Czech then). That explains the Dutchies, though I don't see any mention of this on the minimalist official site. (Tinni, stop with the gradient text! Bevel, outline, fini!)]

Speaking of the UK championship, Jonathan Parker now leads alone with 7/9 and two rounds to play. Defending champ Jonathan Rowson is back in the hunt a half-point back. Pert and Gormally are also on 6.5.