Seven newcomers in Barbados team for Chess Olympiad

Seven newcomers have been selected in a youthful ten-member Barbados team for the upcoming FIDE Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India.

Thirteen-year-old Hannah Wilson, who was crowned as the youngest Barbados ladies national champion in April, heads the list of first-timers for the global event which will be held from July 28 to August 10.

Chanon Reifer-Belle, 12, who won gold medals in the online rapid and blitz events at the Pan American Youth Championships in recent weeks, becomes the youngest ever Barbadian selected for an Olympiad.

The other debutants in the Women’s team are Gaybrianna Moore, 17, and Kiarra Eversley, 20. Both Moore and Eversley were chosen for the 2020 Olympiad which was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Five-time ladies national champion, Woman Candidate Master Katrina Blackman is the only member of the Women’s team with the experience of competing at a previous Olympiad.

There are three first-timers in the Open team which is spearheaded by four-time national champion, International Orlando Husbands, 25, who will be making his fourth appearance at an Olympiad.

The three newcomers are Justin Parsons, 25, Emar Edwards, 24 and Adam Roachford, 20.

FIDE Master Justin Blackman, the most successful Barbados player at the last Olympiad in 2018, completes the Open team.

Seven-time national champion Martyn Del Castilho, who has played in seven previous Olympiads, was originally selected for the Open team but withdrew due to medical reasons. It also led to the withdrawal of his wife, Julissa Figueroa, from the Women’s team. Figueroa has played at five Olympiads, including four for her native Guatemala.

Belgian Grandmaster Mikhail Gurevich is coach of the Open team for the second straight Olympiad while British Grandmaster Nigel Davies is the Women’s team coach. Barbados Chess Federation 3^rd Vice President Kelvin Daniel will be the Head of Delegation.

At the 2018 Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia, both Barbados teams were the highest-placed of the English-speaking Caribbean countries. The Open team finished 97^th out of 185 teams, while the Women’s team placed 99^th out of 151 countries.

This year’s Olympiad is expected to attract more than 1 700 players from 189 countries in the Open section and 162 teams in the Women’s category. (BCF)