Jonathan Rowson
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Rowson is Scotland's third chess
Grandmaster
, after Paul Motwani
and Colin McNab
, and has played first board at recent Chess Olympiad
s. He is also a chess author.
of Poland).
After taking a year out to study chess in the wake of this success, he went to Keble College
, Oxford University where he earned a first class degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Rowson has an interest in Eastern thought
and, following a year at Harvard
, completed a PhD thesis on Wisdom at Bristol University, supervised by Guy Claxton.
He came second in the European Under 20 Championship
in 1997 and achieved his third and final Grandmaster norm
(and with it the title) in the 1999 Scottish Chess Championship
. He went on to win the event again in 2001 and 2004, completing a rare double when he went on to become the 2004 British Champion
. He successfully defended his British title in 2005 and again in 2006. He also won the 2000 Canadian Open Chess Championship
and tied for first with Vasilios Kotronias in the Hastings International Chess Congress
in 2003/04.
On the November 2009 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2579, making him Scotland's number one.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
, after Paul Motwani
Paul Motwani
Paul Motwani is of Scottish/Indian descent and was Scotland's first chess Grandmaster . Born in Glasgow but growing up in Dundee , he became World Cadet Champion in 1978, and won the first of his seven Scottish Championship titles that year...
and Colin McNab
Colin McNab
Colin A. McNab was Scotland's second chess Grandmaster, fulfilling the requirements for the title in 1992 just after Paul Motwani. After achieving his three norms, he strained to get his rating up to the required 2500 level, and is possibly unique among Grandmasters in only achieving a published...
, and has played first board at recent Chess Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
s. He is also a chess author.
Career
He made his Scotland debut for the national Primary School team in the match against England in 1988. At this time he attended Skene Square Primary School, though he later attended Aberdeen Grammar School where a Maths teacher, Mr Michael Wilson, organised and encouraged the school team. Although in 1988 he was not the best player in his age-group at the time, his progress was rapid and he began competing on the world stage in 1991, winning a silver medal in the European Under 18 Championship in 1995 (behind Robert KempińskiRobert Kempinski
Robert Kempiński is a Polish chess grandmaster. At the age of 14 he won the Polish junior championship in his age category, and the year after that he won the Polish junior championship for U20. In the following years he represented Poland in international competitions...
of Poland).
After taking a year out to study chess in the wake of this success, he went to Keble College
Keble College, Oxford
Keble College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to the south by Museum Road, and to the west by Blackhall...
, Oxford University where he earned a first class degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Rowson has an interest in Eastern thought
Eastern philosophy
Eastern philosophy includes the various philosophies of Asia, including Chinese philosophy, Iranian philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Indian philosophy and Korean philosophy...
and, following a year at Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, completed a PhD thesis on Wisdom at Bristol University, supervised by Guy Claxton.
He came second in the European Under 20 Championship
European Youth Chess Championship
Since 1991, the European chess union organises the European Youth Chess Championship in the groups under 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 year. Until 2002, there was also a tournament for the under 20, see European Junior Chess Championship.-Boys winners:...
in 1997 and achieved his third and final Grandmaster norm
Grandmaster norm
A norm in chess is one of the requirements to receive a title such as Grandmaster from FIDE.- Grandmaster norm :In order to qualify for the title of Grandmaster of chess, a title awarded by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, a player must achieve three or more grandmaster norms in events covering a...
(and with it the title) in the 1999 Scottish Chess Championship
Scottish Chess Championship
The Scottish Chess Championship is organised by Chess Scotland, formerly the Scottish Chess Association. It has been running since 1884, and nowadays takes the form of a nine round tournament played over two weekends and the week in between...
. He went on to win the event again in 2001 and 2004, completing a rare double when he went on to become the 2004 British Champion
British Chess Championship
The British Chess Championship is organised by the English Chess Federation. There are separate championships for men and women. Since 1923 there have been sections for juniors, and since 1982 there has been an over-sixty championship. The championship venue usually changes every year and has been...
. He successfully defended his British title in 2005 and again in 2006. He also won the 2000 Canadian Open Chess Championship
Canadian Open Chess Championship
The Canadian Open Chess Championship is Canada's Open chess championship, first held in 1956, and held annually since 1973, usually in mid-summer. It is organized by the Chess Federation of Canada....
and tied for first with Vasilios Kotronias in the Hastings International Chess Congress
Hastings International Chess Congress
The Hastings International Chess Congress is an annual chess congress which takes place in Hastings, England, around the turn of the year. The main event is the Hastings Premier tournament, which was traditionally a 10 to 16 player round-robin tournament. In 2004/05 the tournament was played in the...
in 2003/04.
Chess strength
Rowson's peak rating of 2599 was achieved in July 2005, when he was ranked number 139 in the world. In addition to winning the British Championship in three consecutive years, Rowson's best results include sharing first at The World Open in Philadelphia in 2002, at the Hastings Premier in 2003/4, and outright first at the Capo D'Orso open in Sardinia in 2008.On the November 2009 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2579, making him Scotland's number one.
Books
Rowson has written numerous magazine articles and three books on the game:- Understanding the GrunfeldGrünfeld DefenceThe Grünfeld Defence is a chess opening characterised by the moves:-History:The first instance of this opening is in an 1855 game by Moheschunder Bannerjee, an Indian player who had transitioned from Indian chess rules, playing black against John Cochrane in Calcutta, in May 1855: 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4...
(1998). Gambit Publications. ISBN 1-901983-09-9; - The Seven Deadly Chess Sins (2000). Gambit Publications. ISBN 1-901983-36-6;
- Chess for Zebras (2005). Gambit Publications. ISBN 1-901983-85-4.
Notable games
- Jonathan Rowson vs Kaido Kulaots, DEN-chJ 1996, Sicilian Defense: Najdorf, Amsterdam Variation (B93), 1-0
- Jonathan Rowson vs Neil R McDonald, London Agency 1998, Slav Defense: Exchange Variation (D13), ½–½
- Jonathan Rowson vs Bogdan Lalic, BCF-chT 9899 (4NCL) 1998, Caro-Kann Defense: Classical Variation (B18), ½–½
- Jonathan Rowson vs Nick DeFirmian, 2nd Milk Tournament 2003, Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, English Attack Anti-English (B90), 1-0