Howell was born in Eastbourne to Angeline, originally from Singapore, and Martin Howell. David has been playing chess since he was five years old. He was the British Under-8, Under-9 and Under-10 chess champion and became known internationally in 1999 when he broke the world record for the youngest player to have defeated a grandmaster in an official game. His “victim” was British GM John Nunn. David is also the youngest player in the world to have qualified to compete in a national chess championship, taking part in the British Chess Championship in 2000.
The following year, Howell came joint first in the European Under-12 Chess Championship and joint second in the World Under-12 Championship. In the Hastings Challengers tournament in Jan. 2001, Howell became the youngest ever British player to defeat a grandmaster at classical time controls when he beat GM Colin McNab. In March 2002, Howell drew the last of four games with Vladimir Kramnik, becoming the youngest player to score against a reigning world chess champion in an organized chess match.
Despite his sustained efforts on the chess board, he continued to study for his French, German and Maths A-levels at Eastbourne College.
Game of the week. Here is young David in action. IM Malcolm Pein annotates.
White: GM Stuart Conquest (2572)
Black: GM David Howell (2614)
Two Knights Defense
British Championship 2009
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Ng5 d5 5.exd5 Na5 6.Bb5+ c6 7.dxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Nd5 (8…Bc5 Gunsberg-Chigorin 1890) 9.Ne4 f5 10.Ng3 Qf6 (10…Nf4 11.Bxf5 Nxg2+ 12.Kf1) 11.Be2 h5!? (Intending h4 harassing the knight and possibly forcing it to h1.) 12.h4 (12.Bxh5+ g6 13.Be2 Nf4 14.Bf1 c5 15.Nc3 Bb7 with excellent play. Perhaps 12.Bxh5+ g6 13.Be2 Nf4 14.Kf1!? but this is not Conquest’s style. Your computer would play this way) 12…g6 13.d3 Rb8 14.Bf3 Qd8 15.Nc3 Be7 16.Qe2 Bf6 17.0-0 0-0 18.Rd1 Re8 (Black will be able to take on h4 and retain the more active pieces) 19.Qd2 Nxc3 20.bxc3 Bxh4 21.Re1 Re6 22.Ne2 Bf6 23.g3 Bd7 24.Bg2 Be8 25.Nd4 Rd6 26.Nb3 Bf7 27.Qe3 Nb7 28.Ba3 Re6 29.Rab1 Bg5 (Black becomes active on the dark squares and a file after this pawn sacrifice) 30.Qxa7 Ra8 31.Qxb7 Rxa3 32.Nc5 Re7 33.Qxc6 Rxc3 34.Qb5 Rxc2 35.Rb2 Rxb2 36.Qxb2 Bf6 (Black has some advantage. The knight is hanging and the pawns on d3 and a2 weak) 37.Qb5 Ra7 38.a4 Ra5 39.Qc6 Ra7 40.Rb1! Kg7 41.Rb6 h4 42.gxh4 e4! 43.h5 (43.dxe4 Bd4 44.e5 Qxh4 45.Qf6+ was a better try for a draw) 43…Bd4 44.Rb4 e3 45.fxe3? (45.Ne6+ Bxe6 46.Qxe6 exf2+ 47.Kf1) 45…Bxe3+ 46.Kh1 Qe7 47.h6+ (47.Rb5 Qh4+ 48.Bh3 Qxh3#) 47…Kh7 48.Bd5 Bxd5+ and 0-1.
Puzzler. White — Ka4, Ba6, Nb8, Nc6, Qc1, pawns on e3 and h4
Black — Kd5, Nd6, Rf7, Bh7, Rh3, pawns on b3, c4, c7, d4, e6 and f3
White to play and mate in four.
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