IM Jonathan Rowson of Aberdeen won the London GM Tournament on October 24 with 6/9 to record his first grandmaster norm.

GM Tournament - Final Positions

London GM Tournament 18-24 October 1997 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 Rowson,Jonathan SCO m2490 * 1 1 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1 1 6.0 2 McDonald,Neil ENG g2490 0 * 1 ½ 1 0 1 ½ ½ 1 5.5 23.00 3 McShane,Luke ENG m2455 0 0 * ½ ½ 1 ½ 1 1 1 5.5 21.25 4 Lalic,Bogdan CRO g2600 ½ ½ ½ * ½ 1 1 ½ 0 ½ 5.0 5 Shaked,Tal USA g2500 1 0 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 4.5 20.50 6 Turner,Matthew ENG m2445 ½ 1 0 0 ½ * ½ 1 ½ ½ 4.5 19.50 7 Pedersen,Steffen DEN m2435 ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ * ½ 1 ½ 4.0 8 Wells,Peter ENG g2530 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ * ½ ½ 3.5 15.75 9 Gormally,Danny ENG m2425 0 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ * ½ 3.5 15.50 10 Dunnington,Angus ENG m2420 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * 3.0 Average elo: 2479 Category: 10 gm = 6

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Rowson's London GM norm games

There is full coverage of the whole event at 4NCL.

Shaked,Tal (2500) - Rowson,Jonathan (2490) [D85]
London GM (1), 1997

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 e4 Nxc3 6 bxc3 Bg7 7 Be3 c5 8 Qd2 
0-0 9 Nf3 Qa5 10 Rc1 Nd7 11 d5 Nb6 12 c4 Qxd2+ 13 Kxd2 Na4 14 Bd3 f5 15 exf5
Bxf5 16 Bxf5 Rxf5 17 Ng5 b5 18 g4 Re5 19 f4 Rxg5 20 fxg5 b4 21 Kc2 Rc8 
22 Kb3 Nc3 23 Rhe1 a5 24 a4 Ne4 25 Bf4 Nf2 26 Rxe7 Nd3 27 Rf1 Rf8 28 d6 1-0




Rowson,Jonathan (2490) - Turner,Matthew (2445) [A36]
London GM (2), 1997

1 c4 c5 2 g3 Nc6 3 Bg2 g6 4 Nc3 Bg7 5 a3 Nf6 6 Rb1 a5 7 e3 d6 8 Nge2 Bf5 
9 e4 Bd7 10 d3 0-0 11 0-0 Rb8 12 b3 Ne8 13 Be3 Nc7 14 d4 cxd4 15 Nxd4 Nxd4 
16 Bxd4 b5 17 Bxg7 Kxg7 18 Qd4+ f6 19 cxb5 Nxb5 20 Nxb5 Rxb5 21 Qa7 Qc8 
22 Rbc1 Rb7 23 Qxa5 Qb8 24 e5 Rxb3 25 Qc7 Qxc7 26 Rxc7 Bb5 27 Rxe7+ Kh6 
28 Ra1 fxe5 29 Rb7 Bc4 30 Rxb3 Bxb3 31 Rb1 Bc4 32 Bc6 d5 33 a4 ½-½




McDonald,Neil (2490) - Rowson,Jonathan (2490) [B99]
London GM (3), 1997

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 Nf6 4 Nc3 cxd4 5 Nxd4 a6 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4 Be7 8 Qf3 Qc7 
9 0-0-0 Nbd7 10 g4 b5 11 Bxf6 Bxf6 12 g5 Bxd4 13 Rxd4 Bb7 14 Bh3 0-0 15 Rhd1
Rac8 16 Rxd6 Nc5 17 R6d4 Nxe4 18 Rxe4 b4 19 Qf2 bxc3 20 Rb4 Be4 21 b3 Qe7 
22 Qd4 Bf3 23 Rd3 a5 24 Ra4 Rfd8 25 Qe3 Rxd3 26 Qxd3 Bh5 27 Bg2 e5 28 Qh3 
Qc5 29 Qxc8+ Qxc8 30 Rxa5 exf4 31 Ra8 Qxa8 32 Bxa8 Be2 33 a4 f3 34 b4 f2 
35 Bg2 Kf8 36 b5 f1Q+ 37 Bxf1 Bxf1 38 Kb1 Bc4 39 b6 Ba6 40 Ka2 Ke7 41 Kb3 
Kd6 42 Kb4 Kc6 43 a5 f5 44 gxf6 gxf6 0-1




Rowson,Jonathan (2490) - Dunnington,Angus (2420) [B07]
London GM (4), 1997

1 e4 d6 2 d4 Nf6 3 f3 e5 4 Ne2 Be7 5 c4 c5 6 d5 Nh5 7 Nbc3 0-0 8 g4 Bh4+ 
9 Kd2 Nf6 10 Ng3 Na6 11 Kc2 Nc7 12 Bd3 a6 13 a4 Rb8 14 Be3 g6 15 Bh6 Re8 
16 Qd2 Kh8 17 Be3 Bd7 18 Qe2 b6 19 Rhb1 Qe7 20 Bd2 Rb7 21 Nf1 Reb8 22 Ne3 
Nfe8 23 b3 b5 24 axb5 axb5 25 cxb5 Nxb5 26 Nxb5 Bxb5 27 Bxb5 Rxb5 28 Nc4 
Nc7 29 Bc3 Bf6 30 Ra7 R5b7 31 Rxb7 Rxb7 32 Na5 Nb5 33 Nxb7 Na3+ 34 Kb2 Nxb1 
35 Qa6 Nxc3 36 Kxc3 Bh4 37 Qxd6 1-0




Wells,Peter (2530) - Rowson,Jonathan (2490) [D85]
London GM (5), 1997

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 e4 Nxc3 6 bxc3 Bg7 7 Nf3 c5 8 Rb1 
0-0 9 Be2 Nc6 10 d5 Ne5 11 Nxe5 Bxe5 12 Qd2 Bg7 13 f4 e5 14 0-0 exf4 
15 Qxf4 Qe7 16 Bc4 Be5 17 Qg5 Qd6 18 Bf4 f6 19 Bxe5 fxe5 20 h4 h5 21 Rxf8+ 
Kxf8 22 Qh6+ Kg8 23 g4 b5 24 g5 Bh3 25 Rxb5 Rd8 26 Rb7 Bd7 27 Bb5 
[27 Rxa7!+-] 27 ..c4 28 Rxd7? [28 Kh2!+-] 28 ..Qb6+ 29 Kg2 Rxd7 30 Bxd7 
Qb2+ 31 Kf1 Qc1+ ½-½




Lalic,Bogdan (2600) - Rowson,Jonathan (2490) [C10]
London GM (6), 1997

1 d4 e6 2 e4 d5 3 Nc3 dxe4 4 Nxe4 Nd7 5 Nf3 Ngf6 6 Nxf6+ Nxf6 7 Be3 Nd5 
8 Qd2 Nxe3 9 Qxe3 Bd6 10 0-0-0 Qe7 11 Bd3 0-0 12 Qe4 g6 13 h4 Bd7 14 h5 
Bc6 15 Qe3 Bxf3 16 Qxf3 Rfd8 17 hxg6 hxg6 18 Kb1 Kg7 19 Rh3 c6 
20 Rdh1 ½-½




Rowson,Jonathan (2490) - Gormally,Danny (2425) [D85]
London GM (7), 1997

1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 e4 Nxc3 6 bxc3 Bg7 7 Be3 c5 8 Qd2 
Qa5 9 Rb1 b6 10 Bb5+ Bd7 11 Be2 Bc6 12 Bd3 Nd7 13 Ne2 0-0 14 0-0 cxd4 
15 cxd4 Qxd2 16 Bxd2 Rfd8 17 Rb3 Rac8 18 Bg5 Kf8 19 Rc1 Bb7 20 Ra3 Rxc1+
21 Bxc1 a6 22 Be3 Rc8 23 Rc3 Rxc3 24 Nxc3 b5 25 Kf1 Ke8 26 g4 e5 27 d5
Bf8 28 g5 Bc5 29 Bd2 Ke7 30 Ke2 Nb6 31 Nd1 Bc8 32 Ba5 Bg4+ 33 f3 Bd7 
34 Ne3 Kd6 35 Nc2 Bc8 36 Be1 Na4 37 Nb4 Bd4 38 Bc2 Bd7 39 Bxa4 bxa4 40 Nd3
Bb5 41 Bb4+ Kd7 42 Kd2 Bxd3 43 Kxd3 Bg1 44 h3 Bb6 45 Bd2 Bd8 46 Kc4 Be7 
47 Bc3 1-0




McShane,Luke (2455) - Rowson,Jonathan (2490) [B80]
London GM (8), 1997

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 Nf6 4 Nc3 cxd4 5 Nxd4 Nc6 6 Be3 e6 7 f3 Be7 8 Qd2 0-0
9 0-0-0 a6 10 g4 Nxd4 11 Bxd4 b5 12 h4 Bb7 13 g5 Nd7 14 Kb1 Rc8
(This line has been given a thorough going-over in two games between
Topalov and Kasparov in 1996, both won by Black) 15 Qg2?! [15 a3 is 
better; 
15 g6?!; 
15 Bh3!?; 
15 Rg1?!] 15 ..b4 16 Ne2 Qc7 17 Nc1 Ne5 [17 ..d5!? 18 exd5 Bxd5 19 Bxa6 
unclear] 18 f4 Ng6! [18 ..Nf3 19 Bb6! (19 Be3 Bxe4 20 Bd3÷) 19 ..Qxb6 
20 Qxf3² (20...f5 21.Qb3!; 20...d5 21.Bd3)] 19 Be3 d5 20 Qf2!
[20 Qh2 Bd6! 21 e5 Nxe5!] 20 ..dxe4 (Only move) 21 h5 Nxf4! [21 ..Nh8!? 
slight edge to Black] 22 Bxf4 e3 23 Qh2 e2 [23 ..e5? 24 Bxe5 e2 …
25 Bxe2 Qxc2+ 26 Ka1 Bxh1 27 Qxh1 Bxg5-+ but 25.Qxe2!] 24 Bxe2 Qxc2+ 25 
Ka1 Bxh1 26 Qxh1 [26 Rxh1 Bd6!-+] 26 ..Qf5! (Black had to see this when 
playing 21...Nxf4. Otherwise White will consolidate and the position will
become unclear - Rowson) 27 Nd3! [27 Rf1 Bxg5 28 Bd6 Qxf1!-+] 27 ..Rfd8! 
28 Qb7!? Bxg5 29 Bc7?! [29 Bxg5 Qxg5 30 Rf1 Rf8 31 Qxb4µ] 29 ..Qd5! 
30 Qb6 Rd7 [30 ..Be3!? 31 Qxe3 Rxc7 32 Nf2 Qd2!! Fritz] 31 Bg3 Qg2 32 Bf2 
Qe4 [32 ..Rxd3 33 Bxd3 Qf3 34 Bc2 Qxd1+ McShane] 33 Re1 [33 Qxa6 Qxe2 
34 Qxc8+ Rd8 35 Rc1 Qxd3 36 Bb6 Qd2 "Geometric" - Rowson] 
33 ..Rxd3 34 Bxd3 Qxd3 35 Qxb4 Qd2 0-1




Rowson,Jonathan (2490) - Pedersen,Steffen (2435) [B66]
London GM (9), 1997

1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 Nc6 6 Bg5 e6 7 Qd2 a6 8 0-0-0
 Nxd4 ½-½