Keith Arkell

Quick Facts

Full Name	Keith Arkell
Occupation	Chess grandmaster
Date Of Birth	Jan 8, 1961(1961-01-08)
Age	63
Birthplace	Birmingham
Country	United Kingdom
Horoscope	Capricorn

Keith Arkell Biography

Keith Arkell is one of the most popular and richest Chess Grandmaster who was born on January 8, 1961 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Keith Charles Arkell (born 8 January 1961) is an English chess Grandmaster.

In subsequent years he focused his chess play on the weekend congress circuit, rather than competing in overseas tournaments. However, he then bucked the trend in 2007 and 2008 by touring the USA. His itinerary included the Foxwoods Open in Connecticut, where he finished on 6/9, a point behind winner Alexander Shabalov. He also won tournaments, shared or outright, at the famous Marshall Chess Club in Manhattan, at Saratoga Springs, and at the Blackstone Open, near Boston. Another trip took him to Barbados, where he finished runner-up in the Heroes Day Cup with a score of 7½/9. The tournament was claimed by the organiser to be the strongest ever held in the English speaking nations of the Caribbean.

He won the English Chess Championship in 2008. In 2014 he was European Senior (50+) Champion, and, later in the year, tied for first in the World Senior (50+) Championship, but received the silver medal on tie-break.

In an interview in 2009 with Streatham and Brixton Chess Club, Arkell suggests that the great precision required in long, exacting wins by players such as Ulf Andersson and Anatoly Karpov is the highest art form in chess and that for many years it never occurred to him that the majority of players would not share his enthusiasm. In the same interview, he laments that a reputation for keeping a tight rein on games and grinding out wins on the UK weekend circuit to support an existence as a professional chess player has negatively influenced coverage of his achievements by chess journalists and harmed his chances of selection for the England national team by overshadowing his record in international events.

In the early part of the 2000s, before taking a break from serious chess, he showed that he could perform consistently at a high level; he tied for second place at the 2001 British Chess Championship, tied for second at the strong Hastings Premier of 2002/3, took first place at the Wroxham Masters (2002) and tied for second at Montpellier (2002). At Gausdal (2002), he beat GMs Stelios Halkias, Vasilios Kotronias and rising star Magnus Carlsen, to finish joint fourth, only a half point off the shared first to third places. His achievements were recognised when he was voted third (2002) and second (2003) in the British Chess Federation’s Player of the Year awards.

Keith Arkell Net Worth

Keith Arkell is one of the richest Chess grandmaster from United Kingdom. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Keith Arkell 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

FIDE awarded Arkell the title of International Master in 1985, and he became a Grandmaster ten years later, after gaining norms at Ostend 1990, Parthenay 1993 and at the final leg of the French League Championship in 1995. He was the 1998 British Rapidplay Chess Champion, having recorded his peak Elo rating of 2545 just two years earlier.

Keith Arkell was married to Woman Grandmaster and International Master Susan Lalic (née Walker), from 1986 to 1993.

Also in 2008, he tied for first place at the British Championship with GM Stuart Conquest, but lost the overall title after a two-game speed chess play- off. His final standing did however qualify him for the title of ‘English Champion’. Later that year, he won the Wellington College International Open with 7½/9, ahead of GM Nick Pert (7/9).

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Keith Arkell height Not available right now. Advan weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Keith Arkell Dating?

According to our records, Keith Arkell is possibily single & has not been previously engaged. As of December 1, 2023, Keith Arkell’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Keith Arkell. You may help us to build the dating records for Keith Arkell!

Keith continues to play league chess, having played competitive games for London’s Hammersmith Chess Club in 2019, and competed in simultaneous displays at the club.

Facts & Trivia

Advan Ranked on the list of most popular Chess Grandmaster. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in United Kingdom. Keith Arkell celebrates birthday on January 8 of every year.