Del Castilho wins third online Grand Prix event with perfect record

Martyn Del Castilho turned the tables on Justin Blackman to win the third event of the Barbados Chess Federation’s online Grand Prix Series with a clean sweep of the boards last weekend.

Top seed Del Castilho, who placed second to Blackman in the first two events of the series in February and March, bounced back to take the honours and set the stage for an keen battle in the remaining three events.

The two FIDE masters won all four of their games on Saturday’s opening day before meeting in a top-of-the-table clash in the fifth round at the start of Sunday’s action.

Del Castilho, a six-time national champion, prevailed over Blackman and duly won the next two games to finish with a maximum seven points.

Blackman, the no. 2 seed a reigning online Caribbean blitz champion, was second with six points, while Emar Edwards claimed third place on the tie-break ahead of Cyprian La Touche and Hannah Wilson after the trio ended with five points.

The competition attracted 26 players, the same as the previous event a month earlier. Under the format of the six-event series, players are awarded Grand Prix points in each event based on their percentage score in each tournament. Del Castilho, therefore, gained 100 Grand Prix points, Blackman 85 and Edwards, La Touche and Wilson 71.

Blackman is the overall Grand Prix leader at the half-way stage of the series with 270 points, followed by Del Castilho on 256 points. Edwards and Akeem Cox, who placed third in the first two events, share third place with 199 points while Julissa Figueroa is fifth on 171 points.

The top ten places are completed by Rory Prescod (164), Gaybrianna Moore (156), Hannah Wilson (155), Melvin Terence (148) and Chanon Reifer-Belle (148).

The Guatemala-born Figueroa, the wife of Del Castilho, leads among the females, while the front-runners in the other sub-categories are Edwards (Best player rated between 1300 and 1599), Prescod (Best player rated between 1000 and 1299) and Joshua Blanchard (Best unrated player).

The series, which has attracted 32 players, is being played under the short rapid format on an online platform due to the existing restrictions on physical gatherings in view of the C0VID-19 situation.

The dates of the fourth Grand Prix event will be determined at a later stage. (BCF)