Before starting the Championships, David, Toby, and Lucian had given themselves the targets of scoring more than last year (the 2018 scores were 2/5, 3.5/7 and 2/7 respectively). David finished on Friday with 2/5; the same as the last 2 years. With a round still to go on Saturday, Toby and Lucian had exceeded their targets with current scores of 4 and 3.
One interesting aspect of the British Championships is that it gives an informal insight on national trends. Last year, the rise in prominence of the London System opening was remarked on by the commentary team. This year more games with the Morra Gambit (1. e4 c5, 2. d4…..) against the Sicilian and the Reti Gambit (1. e4 e6, 2. b3……) against the French Defense have caught our attention.