"13-year-old Kai Hanache defeats trio of grandmasters in UK blitz qualifier"

Participation in English one-day blitz chess tournaments is increasing quickly. These events provide an opportunity to compete in officially rated contests with multiple rounds, eliminating the need for overnight stays. They also allow amateur and junior players to challenge experienced masters, sometimes leading to surprising outcomes.

This year, the English Chess Federation has expanded the qualifying competitions for the UK Blitz Championship, raising the number from eight to 16. The final will take place in Leamington in November. Additionally, three qualifying events were arranged in Greater London instead of just one. All three tournaments—held in Hampton, Harrow, and Golders Green—saw strong attendance, particularly the last one, which took place over the weekend.

Blitz games are played with three minutes per player, plus a two-second increment per move.

The Golders Green event featured several strong players, including former world semi-finalist Jonathan Speelman and England’s youngest-ever grandmaster, 16-year-old Shreyas Royal. They were expected to compete closely for the single qualification spot. However, the tournament nearly produced an unexpected result when a relatively unknown teenager defeated multiple grandmasters and international masters, falling just half a point short of advancing.

Kai Hanache, a 13-year-old student at Charles De Gaulle Lycée in Kensington, London, secured victories against three grandmasters and three international masters, setting a rating benchmark in the 15-round UK Blitz qualifier. His performance was unforeseen, as his only previous notable blitz achievement was a silver medal in the 2022 World Under-10 Blitz Championship.

Hanache began the event with a modest rating of 2037—the level of a strong amateur—but his wins against grandmasters, including Stuart Conquest, the runner-up in last month’s British Championship, earned him a tournament performance rating of 2448, equivalent to international master standard.

Conquest shared his thoughts with CuriosityNews:

“I decided to enter the tournament the night before, and the first round was a wake-up call—my only draw in that round came after a completely winning position. In the second round, I blundered a rook. After that, I gradually improved.

“Against Kai, I improvised with 4…h6. His h4-h5 was a standard plan, creating pressure. I hesitated with 8…Rc8, though I had used it before in a similar position.

“Later, I had doubts about 23…f6, feeling uneasy with no counterplay options.

“He played quickly and decisively, and the result was soon clear.

“He was unfortunate not to qualify, especially since Lorin D’Costa was in a lost position before turning it around. I hadn’t heard of Kai before, but he was polite, and we spoke briefly afterward.”

Hanache could have added a fourth grandmaster to his list, but he agreed to a draw with Eldar Gasanov, the 2023 and 2024 UK Open Blitz champion, despite holding a winning advantage.