While Hannah Wilson  was able to repeat as the Under 17 scholastics female chess champion, a new Under 17 Open champion was crowned in the form of Joseph Yeung – Chou over the last weekend at Harrison College.

Wilson was dominant in a small field of 6 players and showed why she is the top-rated junior player in the country as she swept all her opponents in the round-robin event to record 5 points from her 5 matches. The Open and female were played in one group due to low subscriptions.

Wilson led with three points after the first day’s play along with her local nemesis and fellow CAC medalist Chanon Reifer – Belle. However, when the two leaders met on Sunday morning in a clash which would have determined the tournament winner, it was Wilson who would come out victorious which would lead to her eventually reclaiming her title, which she duly did after defeating Cristiano Simpson in the last round. The defeat for Reifer-Belle seemed to offset the young player as she suffered a dramatic upset at the hands of Yeung-Chou.

In the female section, Reifer-Belle finished second, while Lashay Springer finished third.

Yeung-Chou Under 18 Open Champion

Jason Yeung-Chou of Harrison College had his most impressive result in his budding chess career when he captured his first championship title in his first individual event. Yeung-Chou looks like a player to watch for the future as he scored four points from his 5 games. His only lost came against Wilson, but he racked up four consecutive victories including the scalps of Loki Clarke, Leshay Springer and Reifer-Belle, who were all selectees to represent Barbados at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Youth chess championships in Trinidad earlier in the summer.  Loki Clarke finished second in the Open section, while Cristiano Simpson finished third.

In his latest match, Husbands ranked 12^th in the event defeated Nicolas Batista Rosas of Panama with the white pieces to move just a half point behind the leaders. Husbands had started out with two victories, before falling to defeat at the hands of the 4^th highest ranked player in the event, international master Terry Renato of Peru n round three. He then followed that up with two victories to remain in contention for the lead.

In the 6^th round, Husbands will have his hands full as he battles with the black pieces against grandmaster Jose Cuenca Jimenez of Spain. He would be hoping for a good result to keep him in contention.

The tournament is currently led by grandmaster Ermes Veloz Espinosa of Cuba, Renato and top seed grandmaster Johan Sebastien Christiansen of Norway with 4 ½ points. Husbands sits in a group of 7 players just behind the group of leaders with 4 more rounds of the event left.