Seven Bajans to compete in American World Cup prelims

Six-time national chess champion Martyn Del Castilho and reigning Caribbean blitz champion Justin Blackman are among seven Barbadians entered for this weekend’s preliminary phase of the American World Cup 2021 Qualification Stage event.

Del Castilho, the highest ranked Barbadian in the first phase of the event that has attracted 106 entries from 16 countries, is seeded at no. 27, while fellow FIDE Master Blackman is the no. 43 seed.

With 80 places up for grabs to advance to the knockout phase later this month, both Del Castilho and Blackman will fancy their chances of progressing.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the event, which was originally scheduled as an over-the-board competition in Chile, will be contested as a combination of an online and hybrid format. The preliminary phase will be held online with players competing from where they choose, while the knockout section will use the hybrid format where players resident in one country assemble at a venue to play their games online on their computers under the supervision of arbiters.

The preliminary phase will be played as a rapid event – games last about half hour – over nine rounds on Saturday and Sunday, starting at 3 p.m. Barbados time each day, while the knockout segment, which is restricted to 128 players, will be played as a hybrid event under a standard format with games running for about four hours.

Five-time national women’s champion Katrina Blackman, who is seeded at no. 80 and fellow Woman Candidate Master and one-time national champion Julissa Figueroa, the no. 82 seed, are also entered for the preliminary phase.

The other Barbadians vying for honours in the preliminaries are veteran Cyprian La Touche and the youthful pair of Tarquin Clark and Keon Lashley.

Reigning national triple crown champion, International Master Orlando Husbands, the island’s highest rated player, is entered directly for the knockout stage which starts on May 22.

The preliminary phase, which features players from United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago among others, has attracted 60 players with FIDE titles, including four Grandmasters, 22 International Masters and four Women International Masters. (BCF)