National Champions
British Chess Champions
A list of British Chess Championship winners with a short history of the main championship series from 1904 to the latest completed event.
Current Champion
Shreyas Royal
Current champion after scoring 7.5/9 at the 2026 British Championship at the University of Warwick.
Most Championships
Jonathan Penrose, 10; Henry Ernest Atkins and Michael Adams, 9 each
First Championship
Current series founded in 1904
Champions
52
110 championships
Championship History
The present British Championship series began in 1904 under the British Chess Federation. Earlier British congresses and association events existed, but the 1904 series is the continuous championship line normally used for modern records.
The championship is usually held as part of a national chess congress. Some editions have ended with shared first places or playoffs.
The 2026 championship at the University of Warwick was the 112th British Championship. Shreyas Royal scored 7.5/9 to become the youngest British champion, finishing half a point ahead of Luke McShane and Michael Adams.
Britain Champion List
Champions appear from oldest to newest. Shared titles and tied first places appear under each player's name.
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 1904 | William Ewart Napier |
| 1905 | Henry Ernest Atkins |
| 1906 | Henry Ernest Atkins |
| 1907 | Henry Ernest Atkins |
| 1908 | Henry Ernest Atkins |
| 1909 | Henry Ernest Atkins |
| 1910 | Henry Ernest Atkins |
| 1911 | Henry Ernest Atkins |
| 1912 | Richard Griffith |
| 1913 | Frederick Yates |
| 1914 | Frederick Yates |
| 1920 | Roland Scott |
| 1921 | Frederick Yates |
| 1923 | George Alan Thomas |
| 1924 | Henry Ernest Atkins |
| 1925 | Henry Ernest Atkins |
| 1926 | Frederick Yates |
| 1928 | Frederick Yates |
| 1929 | Mir Sultan Khan |
| 1931 | Frederick Yates |
| 1932 | Mir Sultan Khan |
| 1933 | Mir Sultan Khan |
| 1934 | George Alan Thomas |
| 1935 | William Winter |
| 1936 | William Winter |
| 1937 | William Fairhurst |
| 1938 | C. H. O'D. Alexander |
| 1946 | Robert Forbes Combe |
| 1947 | Harry Golombek |
| 1948 | Reginald Broadbent |
| 1949 | Harry Golombek |
| 1950 | Reginald Broadbent |
| 1951 | Ernest Klein |
| 1952 | Robert Wade |
| 1953 | Abraham Yanofsky |
| 1954 | Leonard Barden |
| 1954 | Alan Phillips |
| 1955 | Harry Golombek |
| 1956 | C. H. O'D. Alexander |
| 1957 | Stefan Fazekas |
| 1958 | Jonathan Penrose |
| 1959 | Jonathan Penrose |
| 1960 | Jonathan Penrose |
| 1961 | Jonathan Penrose |
| 1962 | Jonathan Penrose |
| 1963 | Jonathan Penrose |
| 1964 | Michael Haygarth |
| 1965 | Peter Lee |
| 1966 | Jonathan Penrose |
| 1967 | Jonathan Penrose |
| 1968 | Jonathan Penrose |
| 1969 | Jonathan Penrose |
| 1970 | Robert Wade |
| 1971 | Raymond Keene |
| 1972 | Brian Eley |
| 1973 | William Hartston |
| 1974 | George Botterill |
| 1975 | William Hartston |
| 1976 | Jonathan Mestel |
| 1977 | George Botterill |
| 1978 | Jonathan Speelman |
| 1979 | Robert Bellin |
| 1980 | John Nunn |
| 1981 | Paul Littlewood |
| 1982 | Tony Miles |
| 1983 | Jonathan Mestel |
| 1984 | Nigel Short |
| 1985 | Jonathan Speelman |
| 1986 | Jonathan Speelman |
| 1987 | Nigel Short |
| 1988 | Jonathan Mestel |
| 1989 | Michael Adams |
| 1990 | James Plaskett |
| 1991 | Julian Hodgson |
| 1992 | Julian Hodgson |
| 1993 | Michael Hennigan |
| 1994 | William Watson |
| 1995 | Matthew Sadler |
| 1996 | Chris Ward |
| 1997 | Michael Adams |
| 1997 | Matthew Sadler |
| 1998 | Nigel Short |
| 1999 | Julian Hodgson |
| 2000 | Julian Hodgson |
| 2001 | Joe Gallagher |
| 2002 | Ramachandran Ramesh |
| 2003 | Abhijit Kunte |
| 2004 | Jonathan Rowson |
| 2005 | Jonathan Rowson |
| 2006 | Jonathan Rowson |
| 2007 | Jacob Aagaard |
| 2008 | Stuart Conquest |
| 2009 | David Howell |
| 2010 | Michael Adams |
| 2011 | Michael Adams |
| 2012 | Gawain Jones |
| 2013 | David Howell |
| 2014 | David Howell |
| 2014 | Jonathan Hawkins |
| 2015 | Jonathan Hawkins |
| 2016 | Michael Adams |
| 2017 | Gawain Jones |
| 2018 | Michael Adams |
| 2019 | Michael Adams |
| 2021 | Nicholas Pert |
| 2022 | Harry Grieve |
| 2023 | Michael Adams |
| 2024 | Gawain Jones |
| 2025 | Michael Adams |
| 2026 | Shreyas Royal |
Sources
Sources include federation archives, tournament reports, and historical winners tables.
- British Chess Championships 2026 final report
- British Chess Championships 2026 results
- British Chess Championship historical table
Last reviewed: September 5, 2026.