Grandmaster Matthew Wadsworth secured first place at the Isle of Wight Masters in Ryde, defeating the field on tiebreak after tying at 7/9 with IM Tobias Koelle of Germany and GM Matthew Turner of Scotland. The tournament, held last weekend, marked Wadsworth's second consecutive victory there. Meanwhile, Scottish player Freddy Waldhausen Gordon, aged 15, qualified for the International Master title at the Graz Open in Austria.
The Isle of Wight Masters, hosted at Ryde school, has quickly become one of Britain's premier chess events since its inception two years ago, drawing a strong international field with its scenic setting and solid organization.
In the nine-round tournament, Wadsworth, Koelle, and Turner all finished with 7 points. Wadsworth took the title via tiebreak, having also won the 2025 edition. A pivotal round seven saw Wadsworth defeat GM Thomas Beerdsen of the Netherlands in a complex endgame involving queens, rooks, and a promoted pawn. Koelle beat England's youngest grandmaster, Shreyas Royal, while Turner, aged 50, achieved a career-best performance by upsetting top seed GM Gawain Jones. Turner, a former teacher at Millfield school and current employee at chess.com, shared the strong showing with his compatriot Gordon.
The 'rare double' for Scotland extended beyond the Isle of Wight, as Gordon scored 6/9 at the Graz Open to complete his International Master qualification. The 15-year-old, a fourth-former at George Heriot’s school in Edinburgh, nearly earned his first grandmaster norm in the final round but lost to Poland's GM Bartosz Socko. Gordon previously notched an IM norm at the 2025 European Team Championship, scoring 50% as Scotland's board one.
Wadsworth's and Royal's recent form, including Royal's win at the elite Zagreb tournament in November, raises questions about potential selection for England's Olympiad team in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September. The current squad features ageing players like Michael Adams in his 50s and others in their 30s and 40s, though David Howell won individual gold in 2022.
Gordon, seen as Scotland's top junior talent with potential surpassing GM Jonathan Rowson (peak rating 2599), requires sponsorship for coaching and travel, as he is ineligible for the £1.5m English talent fund.
