After four of the seven rounds of the 2024 National Rapid chess championship, defending champion candidate master Justin Parsons is the sole leader with four points. Rapid chess is where the players have an hour between them or less to complete the entire game. Its akin to one-day cricket.

In round four, he defeated the then joint leader Amari Blackett. In a tense game Parsons playing with the black pieces played actively from the opening and after  a keen struggle he was able to overwhelm Blackett.

Blackett is one of three players that sit in joint second with three points from their four games. The others are Chanon Reifer-Belle and Louis Wilson. In the last round four, Reifer-Belle  defeated Mileke Sinckler, while Louis Wilson won from Aaron Jaikaran.

Four players then sit in joint 5th to 9th with two and a half points each in the 20-player field. These are Noah Clarke, Jaikaran, Jeremiah Farley and Jacob Layson. These players are all still in the hunt for the top trophy and will be looking to move up in the field in the successive rounds.

The event will conclude on Sunday evening at the Coles Building, Bay Street in Bridgetown.