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Keith Arkell
K Arkell 
Photograph courtesy of Keith Arkell.  

Number of games in database: 1,458
Years covered: 1977 to 2025
Last FIDE rating: 2342 (2324 rapid, 2263 blitz)
Highest rating achieved in database: 2545
Overall record: +617 -295 =467 (61.7%)*
   * Overall winning percentage = (wins+draws/2) / total games in the database. 79 exhibition games, blitz/rapid, odds games, etc. are excluded from this statistic.

MOST PLAYED OPENINGS
With the White pieces:
 King's Indian (118) 
    E62 E60 E67 E63 E66
 Queen's Pawn Game (92) 
    A46 D02 A40 E10 A41
 Queen's Gambit Declined (64) 
    D35 D30 D37 D39 D38
 Slav (49) 
    D17 D11 D15 D16 D18
 Queen's Indian (46) 
    E15 E12 E17 E16 E19
 English (41) 
    A15 A16 A11 A10 A13
With the Black pieces:
 Caro-Kann (212) 
    B12 B17 B14 B11 B13
 Queen's Pawn Game (100) 
    E00 A46 A45 A40 D01
 French Defense (60) 
    C10 C02 C07 C00 C05
 English, 1 c4 c5 (58) 
    A36 A38 A35 A30 A34
 Nimzo Indian (50) 
    E38 E39 E42 E21 E45
 French (38) 
    C10 C00 C11
Repertoire Explorer

NOTABLE GAMES: [what is this?]
   M Rodshtein vs K Arkell, 2015 0-1
   A Ledger vs K Arkell, 2008 0-1
   A Greet vs K Arkell, 2000 0-1
   S Franklin vs K Arkell, 2012 0-1
   P Roberts vs K Arkell, 2013 0-1
   E Ilfeld vs K Arkell, 2013 0-1
   S Lalic vs K Arkell, 2001 0-1
   N Birtwistle vs K Arkell, 2009 0-1
   J Gdanski vs K Arkell, 2000 1/2-1/2
   K Arkell vs A Jaunooby, 2012 1-0

NOTABLE TOURNAMENTS: [what is this?]
   Nottingham Chessforce (1987)
   White Rose International (1999)
   Vienna Open Group-A (2015)
   British Championship (1993)
   British Championship (1995)
   British Championship (1989)
   British Championship (2013)
   Dublin Zonal (1993)
   British Championship (2012)
   British Championship (2014)
   Hastings Challengers 1988/89 (1988)
   British Championship (1991)
   4NCL 2011/12 (2012)
   London Chess Classic Open (2013)
   Benasque Open (1997)

GAME COLLECTIONS: [what is this?]
   Caro-Kann, Advance Variation by Gabo5588

RECENT GAMES:
   🏆 4NCL 2024/25
   K Arkell vs B Derakhshani (May-05-25) 1/2-1/2
   K Arkell vs A Navrotescu (May-04-25) 1/2-1/2
   E Kilic vs K Arkell (May-03-25) 1-0
   Y Zhou vs K Arkell (Feb-16-25) 1-0
   K Arkell vs D Shafi (Feb-15-25) 1/2-1/2

Search Sacrifice Explorer for Keith Arkell
Search Google for Keith Arkell
FIDE player card for Keith Arkell

KEITH ARKELL
(born Jan-08-1961, 64 years old) United Kingdom

[what is this?]

Keith Charles Arkell was born in Birmingham, England. When he learned chess at the age of 13 he immediately demonstrated a talent for the game. He earned the IM title in 1986 and became a GM in 1995. He is the winner of over 300 tournaments. He won the Wroxham GM Tournament in 2002; placed 2nd at the Hastings Premiership 2002/3; won the British Grand Prix three times; and was English Chess Champion in 2008. In 2014, he was =1st (runner up on tiebreak) at the World Seniors Championship.

His contributions to opening theory include the Arkell-Khenkin Line of the Caro-Kann Defense (B12) (1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5!?) and the "Speckled Egg Opening" (1.d4 ♘f6 2.♘f3 g6 3.b4).

He was married to Susan Walker (now WGM Susan Lalic) from 1986 to 1993. Nicholas D Arkell is his brother.

He kibitzes on Chessgames.com as User: GIAaron

Wikipedia article: Keith Arkell

Last updated: 2025-03-10 09:41:08

Try our new games table.

 page 1 of 59; games 1-25 of 1,461  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
1. K Arkell vs V Dilworth  1-0521977CNP Grand Hotel BirminghamC46 Three Knights
2. S Jackson vs K Arkell  0-1411977BirminghamB40 Sicilian
3. K Arkell vs C Fegan  1-0381977ManchesterA42 Modern Defense, Averbakh System
4. K Arkell vs J Branford  1-0211978British U18D86 Grunfeld, Exchange
5. Spassky vs K Arkell  ½-½181979Simul, 30bB08 Pirc, Classical
6. G Flear vs K Arkell 0-1361979Leicester OpenA44 Old Benoni Defense
7. K Arkell vs Chandler  0-1481979Benedictine op 2ndB07 Pirc
8. K Arkell vs S R Mannion  1-0341979GlasgowC84 Ruy Lopez, Closed
9. K Arkell vs K Rasmussen  1-0521980Swiss Junior Masters,OerlikonC05 French, Tarrasch
10. Shamkovich vs K Arkell  1-01919804th Lloyds Bank Masters OpenC05 French, Tarrasch
11. S G Finlayson vs K Arkell  1-04519804th Lloyds Bank Masters OpenC02 French, Advance
12. E Teichmann vs K Arkell  1-0621981ARC Young MastersE31 Nimzo-Indian, Leningrad, Main line
13. K Arkell vs S Caldwell  1-0361981ARC Young MastersC61 Ruy Lopez, Bird's Defense
14. J Ady vs K Arkell  ½-½471981ARC Young MastersB14 Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack
15. K Arkell vs A D Martin  ½-½421981ARC Young MastersE54 Nimzo-Indian, 4.e3, Gligoric System
16. J Kinlay vs K Arkell  0-1581981ARC Young MastersB10 Caro-Kann
17. K Arkell vs D P Mooney ½-½461981ARC Young MastersC84 Ruy Lopez, Closed
18. K Arkell vs Gheorghiu  0-12319815th Lloyds Bank Masters OpenB42 Sicilian, Kan
19. Seirawan vs K Arkell  1-03819815th Lloyds Bank Masters OpenA34 English, Symmetrical
20. K Arkell vs D J Strauss  0-13619815th Lloyds Bank Masters OpenB21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4
21. Miles vs K Arkell  1-0271982WolverhamptonD31 Queen's Gambit Declined
22. K Arkell vs Plaskett  ½-½1001982British ChampionshipB40 Sicilian
23. K Arkell vs Miles  ½-½191982British ChampionshipA15 English
24. D King vs K Arkell  1-0391982British ChampionshipB14 Caro-Kann, Panov-Botvinnik Attack
25. J Burnett vs K Arkell  1-0621982British ChampionshipE11 Bogo-Indian Defense
 page 1 of 59; games 1-25 of 1,461  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2) | Arkell wins | Arkell loses  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 1 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Dec-21-04
Premium Chessgames Member
  Benzol: Keith Charles Arkell
Born 8th January 1961 in Birmingham England
He was awared the IM title in 1985.
Jan-07-06  BIDMONFA: Keith Arkell

ARKELL, Keith
http://www.bidmonfa.com/arkell_keit...
_

Jan-22-06  pawn to QB4: Now a GM. Well known in England, nice guy, tough opponent. Particularly good at grinding people down in the endgame. Sadly, we don't seem to have a legendary game which he managed to win with rook and bishop against rook and knight. No pawns. Anyone know which it is?
Jan-22-06  Timothy Glenn Forney: I used the endgame explorer to find it,it is not in this database yet.
Sep-15-06  Rocafella: This guy is a frequent visitor to Bury Chess Club!!
Oct-25-07
Premium Chessgames Member
  GIAaron: Arkell Kosten Montpellier 2002 annotated in 'Chess' magazine
Mar-30-09  VaselineTopLove: I am trying to find the game Gdanski vs. Arkell from 2000 which was mentioned here

http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp...

Apr-03-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  GIAaron: I'll submit the game now for you.It should appear withing a week or two.
Apr-03-09  Dredge Rivers: He was cute in Family Matters!

No, wait. That was URKEL!

My bad! :)

Apr-06-09
Premium Chessgames Member
  GIAaron: For Pawn to QB4 and Tomothy Glenn Forney,I've now submitted the game you were looking for: Arkell-Kosten Montpellier Open 2002
Nov-19-09  pawn to QB4: Thanks very much; sorry it's taken me so long to look back here. To the guy at my club who thought I'd had a drink too many when I mentioned this endgame...err, yeah you were right about the drink, but here is the game in all its glory: Arkell vs A Kosten, 2002. I had forgotten that the poor guy on the receiving end was such a distinguished player. R&B 1-0 v R&N, no pawns, no howling blunder as far as I can see.
Nov-19-09  FHBradley: Since when have 1 e4 c6 2 d4 d5 3 e5 c5!? been known as the "Arkell-Khenkin line in Caro-Kann"? I learned on my mother's knee that it's the Botvinnik-Carls variation, or defence, or gambit.
Nov-19-09  Jim Bartle: You must have had an interesting childhood, FHB.
Jan-08-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Fusilli: "He is the winner of over 300 tournaments"? Assuming he started around age 10, this means about 8 tournaments per year. What kind of tournaments are being counted? His neighborhood's little league? The All-Unknowns Remoteland Open? ICC blitz tourneys? (The latter would certainly explain it.)
Jan-08-10  JaneEyre: <What kind of tournaments are being counted?>

For many years, Arkell and Mark Hebden were kings of the weekend rapidplays.

Sep-07-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  GIAaron: It's a pity that this great site Chessgames.com allows mindless vandalism of Fusilli's type. For the record,the 300+ tournaments comprise approximately 14% Internationals,57% weekend tournaments,and 24% rapidplays etc;the other 5% being juniour events. FHBradley,I believe that the 3...c5 Caro was first christened the ''Arkell-Khenkin line by ''New in Chess'' yearbook number 42.
Sep-07-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eric Schiller: 3...c5 in the Caro is the Botvinnik-Carls line, way before Keith was born. But he plays it very well.
Sep-18-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  GIAaron: I'm no expert on these things Eric,but are there not circumstances when a variation,perhaps casually named in its infancy,can be renamed later on in union with players who dramatically advance its developement?
Sep-18-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eric Schiller: It is rare, and mostly happens when the initial name is frivolous. For example it didn't take long for Mexican Defense to replace "black knights tango" but once a name is established it tends to stick around. Later on players who make contributions get subvariations named for them.
Sep-19-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  GIAaron: Perhaps more interestingly who has the authority to decide these things? I guess it can just be a gradual public opinion thing,but I agree it's more common with sub variations.
Sep-19-10
Premium Chessgames Member
  Eric Schiller: There is no authority other than authors of books and articles. I tried to get FIDE to set up a commission but that was during the Cold War so it was too controversial. Many openings had different names depending on politics (Benko/Volga Gambit, for example).

In my research for Gambit Chess Openings and Unorthodox Chess Openings I did my best to find the player who first seriously promoted an opening idea. As those books cover over 1200 openings I no doubt got some wrong but haven't had any major complaints. For new editions I am always willing to reconsider decisions based on new information.

All the names I come up with are publicly available as part of the Caxton project on my website and are used here, as far as I know.

Jan-06-11  wordfunph: During one of his simultaneous exhibitions, GM Keith Arkell allowed fast losers to set up the pieces and start another game, and offering every player the choice of color.
Jan-06-11  ughaibu: The Kosten case is reported in an exaggerated way. It's not an endgame with rook and bishop against rook and knight, no pawns, when the last pawn comes off it's a three move combination to win the exchange. My memory of K.Arkell is of him tearing up his prize cheque, for the first MSO, and throwing it at Keene.
Jan-06-11  wordfunph: another one for GM Arkell..

In rook and bishop against rook endgame, English GM Keith Arkell has apparently won 16 times out of 16. This ending has been known for many years to be a theoretical draw, but in practice the defender frequently loses.

Feb-10-12  wordfunph: "Perhaps the most strident advocate of the rising standards theory is GM Keith Arkell. He’s quite militant in his views and is of the opinion that players like Capablanca and Alekhine were barely 2400 strength. He thinks if they came back now, they’d struggle to beat IMs. He thinks the great Aron Nimzowitsch would barely scrape a 2200 rating. Controversial views, no doubt, but thought-provoking."

- GM Danny Gormally

Source: Chess Monthly Feb. 2012

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