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Husbands achieves highest ever FIDE rating by a Barbadian

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Orlando Husbands has achieved the highest ever FIDE rating by a Barbadian chess player. (BCF Picture)

Husbands achieves highest ever FIDE rating by a Barbadian

International Master Orlando Husbands has achieved the highest ever FIDE (International Chess Federation) rating by a Barbadian.

In the latest ratings published by the world governing body at the beginning of the month, Husbands moved his rating to 2374 to surpass fellow International Master Kevin Denny’s all time highest rating of 2367 achieved in 2007.

The 24-year-old Husbands improved his rating by 26 points following his impressive performance to emerge joint top of the table in the Venezuela and Caribbean Islands Sub-Zonal Qualifier to the 2023 FIDE World Cup held in the Dominican Republic last month.

Husbands, one of only four International Masters Barbados has produced, expressed his delight at attaining the new record rating.

“Breaking the 14-year record set by Kevin Denny is a very special feeling. It is also an honour. He is someone I have enormous respect for, for how high he has set the bar and for what he has been able to do for Barbadian chess. It is really good to be able to move that bar even higher,” he said.

At the Sub-Zonal Qualifier, which was Husbands’ first over the board tournament in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the four-time national champion scored seven and a half out of a maximum nine points and in the process earned a performance rating of 2467, the best by a Barbadian in a FIDE rated event.

Husbands described the event as one of the strongest Sub-Zonals he has competed in.

“It came at a pretty strange time for me because I was out of form. Due to COVID, I hadn’t played a serious competition in over a year and a half. Nevertheless it was a big opportunity for me,” he said.

“It’s the start of the World Championship cycle. We start in the Sub-Zone 2.3.5. A few persons qualified from there to go to the Zonals. The top three in the Zonals go on to the World Cup which is a pretty huge achievement. Qualifying for the Zonals for me is very big. I’m focused on trying to win that tournament next year.”

Husbands has made tremendous strides on the chess boards over the past decade, attaining the tiles on Candidate Master in 2013, FIDE Master in 2014 and International Master in 2017 when he became the first Barbadian since Denny to win the gold medal in Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Under-20 Championships. He is also a three-time CARIFTA Under-20 gold medallist and in 2018 and 2019 he achieved the unprecedented feat of winning a treble of local national titles – Open, Rapid and Blitz.

The former Lodge School student now has his sights set on becoming the first Grandmaster from the English-speaking Caribbean.

“My primary focus has to becoming Grandmaster. This is the highest honour any chess player can achieve. I actually took a big step towards this back in 2017 when I became the first person from the English-speaking Caribbean to win a Grandmaster norm. I did so by winning the CAC Under-20 Championships,” he said.

“Funding has and continues to be the biggest constraint in my way. For this reason, securing sponsorship is absolutely vital as I continue on my journey to become the first Grandmaster in the English-speaking Caribbean.” (BCF)

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Wilson, Johnson win gold for Barbados at CAC Youth Chess Festival

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Hannah Wilson captured the gold medal in the Under-12 Female category. (BCF Pictures)

Wilson, Johnson win gold for Barbados at CAC Youth Chess Festival

Hannah Wilson and Azaria Johnson won gold as Barbados secured four medals at the Central American and Caribbean Youth Chess Festival.

Wilson took top spot in the Under-12 Female section while Johnson was the winner of the Under-18 Female division when the five-day event concluded on Wednesday night.

Barbados also won silver through Gaybrianna Moore in the Under-18 Female category and bronze by way of Chanon Reifer-Belle in the Under-12 Female section in the five-day event played over nine rounds.

The Festival, which was contested under the aegis of the Confederation of Chess for Americas and hosted by the El Salvador Chess Federation, was played under a hybrid format given the COVID-19 pandemic – players resident in one country assembled at a location in that country to play their games online on their computers under the supervision of arbiters.

Barbados were represented by a ten-member team which competed from the Coles Building on Bay Street in Bridgetown.

Given the insufficient number of female entries, the Open and Female categories were merged in all five age-groups but prizes were awarded in both sections.

Wilson, who was seeded no. 2 among the nine girls entered in the Under-12 section, finished with six and a half out of a maximum nine points and her gold medal followed her capture of a silver in the same age-group at the Pan American Youth Chess Festival in September.

Reifer-Belle ended with six points but missed out on the silver medal on the tie-break with Araya Sofia Mayorga of Costa Rica.

Wilson went into the last round with a half-point lead and a draw against Lopez Monroy of Guatemala was enough to confirm her as the champion while Reifer-Belle also drew with top seed Carlos Roberto Ibarra of El Salvador to ensure a podium finish.

Johnson and Moore were the only two female competitors in the Under-18 category and were guaranteed medals given the lack of other entries. Johnson secured gold with two points and Moore took silver with one point.

In the Under-18 Open division, Aaron Haynes finished fifth with four and a half points while Louis Wilson was seventh on four points.

Among the Under-16s, Yeshua Hill scored three and a half points to finish ninth in the Open section and Alesha Lovell had three points that placed her sixth in the Female division.

In the Under-14 Open section, Melvin Terence was tenth with four and a half points and Tarquin Clark 12th on four points.

The Festival attracted 89 players from five countries – hosts El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago. (BCF)

BCF - Azaria Johnson Gold Medal Under-18 Female
Azaria Johnson took gold in the Under-18 Female section.

BCF - Gaybrianna Moore Silver Medal Under-18 Female
Gaybrianna Moore collected silver the Under-18 Female division.

BCF - Channon Reifer-Belle Bronze Medal Under-12 Female
Channon Reifer-Belle earned bronze in the Under-12 Female category.

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Husbands tops Sub-Zonal Qualifier to 2023 World Cup

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International Master Orlando Husbands ties for 1st in the Dominica Republic at the Venezuela & Caribbean Islands Sub-Zonal Qualifier to the 2023 FIDE World Cup.. (BCF Pictures)

Husbands tops Sub-Zonal Qualifier to 2023 World Cup

National Champion, International Master Orlando Husbands, gave the local chess community the best Independence gift by tying for 1st place in the Dominica Republic at the Venezuela & Caribbean Islands Sub-Zonal Qualifier to the 2023 FIDE World Cup.

In what was a keenly contested event drawing 71 players from the Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Haiti, Jamaica, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago and hosts Dominican Republic, the Bajan duo of Husbands and FIDE Master Justin Blackman flew the broken trident with pride maintaining a Bajan podium presence from start to end.

Husbands, who was 3rd seed, finished unbeaten on seven and a half out of a maximum nine points to tie with home boy and top seed International Master Jose Lisandro Munoz Santana for the top spot while Blackman end with five and half points in 15th place.

A critical juncture in the event, and what was easily the most difficult game for the two Bajans, was the 7th round match-up between Husbands and Blackman who were tied on 2nd place, just half a point behind tournament leader Munoz Santana.

A no-holds bar battle ensued between the two Bajans and when the smoke cleared it was Husbands scoring a fantastic win to draw level with Munoz Santa, thanks primarily to FIDE Master Joshua Johnson of Trinidad & Tobago who let a win slip to draw with Munoz Santa.

This set the stage for a Husbands vs Munoz Santana match-up in the penultimate round, where a win by either player would end the other’s podium chances and draw would open the door for Johnson to join them in a three-way tie should he win his game.

Johnson faltered against number 2 seed FIDE Master Carlos Jean Abreu of Dominican Republic and Munoz Santana offered Husbands a draw, which he accepted, in an unclear position with pending time trouble. Blackman, still with podium chances, despite his lost to Husbands, kept those chances alive by drawing with Victor Mendez Ramirez of Dominican Republic.

The final round was equally dramatic, with Husbands coming down with food poisoning over-night and being paired against number 2 seed Jean Abreu, who he had drew with in the 2017 BiiG Caribbean Cup held in Barbados. The luck of the draw favoured Munoz Santana who had the easier tie against fellow countryman and 16th seed Jonathan Subervi Nunez.

As anticipated Munoz Santa won against Subveri Nunez, leaving a physically weakened Husbands, who was given a 45-minute delay to start his game while he received medical treatment, to dig deep and pull of what was the most spectacular win of the tournament.

The young and rising Jamaican star FIDE Master Joshua Christie drew his final round match against Joshua Johnson to end on a two-way tie for 3rd with Puerto Rican Jaime Rodriguez Santiago who won against Justin Blackman to deny him a 3rd Place finish and a place on the podium.

Rd 8 - Blackman vs Mendez Ramirez
FIDE Master Justin Blackman misses out on 3rd place finish at the Venezuela & Caribbean Islands Sub-Zonal Qualifier to the 2023 FIDE World Cup. (BCF Pictures)

Rd 8 - Munoz vs Husbands (1)
International Master Orlando Husbands ties for 1st in the Dominica Republic at the Venezuela & Caribbean Islands Sub-Zonal Qualifier to the 2023 FIDE World Cup.. (BCF Pictures)

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Jamaican wins first Margaret Prince Memorial Female Tournament

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Jamaican Raehanna Brown took the honours with a clean sweep of the boards.

Jamaican wins first Margaret Prince Memorial Female Tournament

Jamaican Raehanna Brown completed a clean sweep of the boards to win the inaugural Margaret Prince Memorial Rapid Online Female Chess Tournament over the weekend.

The 16-year-old no. 6 seed upstaged the top two seeds, fellow Jamaican Rachel Miller and Barbados’ Julissa Figueroa to take the honours in the two-day event with a maximum seven points.

The event, which was organised by the Women’s Chess Sub-Committee of the Barbados Chess Federation, attracted 58 players from six countries, including Jamaica, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Curacao and Cayman Islands.

It was played in honour of Margaret Prince, Barbados’ first ever women’s chess champion who was one of the most vocal advocates for women’s chess and a founding member of the Barbados Ladies Chess Association

Ailén Mena of Curacao was second with six points while Miller, who ended with five and a half points, took third place on the tie break ahead of Laia Swaminathan of Cayman Islands and Aulanni Kidd of Jamaica.

Figueroa was the highest placed Barbadian, finishing seventh with five points, the same as 11-year-old Chanon Reifer-Belle who took ninth place.

Lydia Nurse, making a return to competitive chess after a few years’ absence, also scored five points to complete the top ten.

Hannah Wilson, who recently captured Barbados’ first ever medal at the Pan American Youth Chess Festival, was 12th with four and a half points.

Gaybrianna Moore, Barbados’ most successful player at last month’s FIDE Online Olympiad, finished with four points to take 19th place. Two other Barbadians also scored four points – Rashida Corbin (21st) and Alesha Lovell (24th).

The event was supported by the Barbados Olympic Association’s Women in Sport Commission. (BCF)

Chanon Reifer-Belle
11-year-old Chanon Reifer-Belle, who finished ninth, was one of two Barbadians to score five points.

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Wilson wins Barbados’ ever first medal at Pan Am Youth Chess Festival

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Hannah Wilson captured a silver medal in the Under-12 Girls’ category at the Pan American Youth Chess Festival. (BCF Pictures)

Wilson wins Barbados’ ever first medal at Pan Am Youth Chess Festival

Rising chess talent Hannah Wilson secured silver to create history by winning Barbados’ first ever medal at the Pan American Youth Chess Festival.

The 12-year-old Wilson finished second in the Under-12 Girls’ category by collecting six and a half out of a maximum nine points when the hybrid section of the event concluded on Friday.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the longer standard time control was contested under the hybrid format where players resident in one country assemble at a location in that country to play their games online on their computers under the supervision of arbiters.

Wilson, seeded at no. 4 among the 28 players entered in her category, went into the final round challenging for the gold medal. She faced off against front-runner Serrano Caely El Hage of Bolivia needing victory to finish top of the podium. Wilson, however, had to settle for a draw in the decisive game.

El Hage won the gold medal with seven points, while Wilson took silver on the tie-break ahead of Beitia Asley Castillo of Panama and Sofia Ascama Paredes of Peru after all three players ended on six and a half points.

Wilson, who placed tenth in the same section two years ago, lost her opening game against Juliana Silva of Brazil last week Saturday. The 2019 CARIFTA Under-12 female gold medallist bounced back to score five successive victories, defeating Solar Ayaucan of Peru, Gajardo Azocar of Chile, Daniela Cerna of Peru, Sofia Ascama Paredes of Peru and Fiorella Mayeregger Gonzalez of Paraguay.

After the sixth round, Wilson moved to the top of the standings but lost to Luciana Andrea Arenas of Peru in the seventh round. She won against Maria Salazar of Brazil in the eighth round to set the stage for the decisive final round game.

Chanon Reifer-Belle, Barbados’ other entrant in the Under-12 Girls’ section, scored four points to finish 20th.

Barbados also had a creditable performance from Gaybrianna Moore in the Under-18 Girls’ division. Moore, who was Barbados’ best player at last month’s FIDE Online Olympiad, finished fifth of 14 competitors after starting the event as the no. 11 seed.

In the Under-18 Open division, Aaron Haynes scored four points and Louis Wilson three and a half.

Barbados fielded three players in the Under-14 Open division where Tarquin Clark and Melvin Terence got three points each and Keon Lashley two.

The other Barbadians in the event scored two points – Alex Sargeant (Under-16 Open), Alesha Lovell (Under-16 Girls) and Jonathan Griffith (Under-10 Open).

The 11-member Barbados contingent played their games from the Coles Building on Bay Street, Bridgetown after the Barbados Chess Federation was granted permission by government authorities following recently implemented restrictions that prohibited indoor sports.

The Festival, which has attracted more than 400 players from 15 countries will continue with the shorter forms over the weekend with the online Blitz competition scheduled for Saturday and the online Rapid event on Sunday. (BCF)

Video:

A one-minute video clip of the Barbados team participating in the event can be accessed by clicking on the following link:

https://we.tl/t-HxLbLAzJlU

 

BCF - Gaybrianna Moore
Gaybrianna Moore placed fifth in the Under-18 Girls’ section.

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Moore stands out for Barbados at Online Chess Olympiad

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Gaybrianna Moore was the most successful player for Barbados with six and a half points on the Under-20 female board. (BCF Pictures)

Moore stands out for Barbados at Online Chess Olympiad

Spearheaded by solid performances from female players Gaybrianna Moore and Hannah Wilson, Barbados finished seventh in their group at the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad last weekend.

Moore, Barbados’ most successful player in the event, achieved six and a half points from nine rounds, while Wilson scored five points to help the Bajans match their showing at last year’s inaugural competition.

Emar Edwards led the way on the men’s boards with four points as the Bajans ended in seventh place among ten teams in Pool E of Division 3.

Under the format of the event, teams were required to field six competitors for each match with male players on boards 1 and 2, female players on boards 3 and 4, an Under-20 male player on board 5 and an Under-20 female player on board 6.

Competing against teams from the Americas and Africa, Barbados started the event last Friday with 3-3 draw against Honduras before losing to Jamaica 4.5-1.5 and going under to Puerto Rico 3-5-2.5.

The Bajans enjoyed their best day on Saturday, defeating Ghana 5-1 in the fourth round, before losing to Nicaragua 4-2 and beating Namibia 3-5-2.5.

On the final day, Barbados lost to Venezuela 4.5-1.5 and were also beaten 5-1 by El Salvador before finishing off with a 3-3 draw against Panama.

Moore, who played on the Under-20 female board, scored four of her six wins against higher rated opponents, while Edwards, who was on board 2 among the men, also defeated four opponents with higher ratings.

The 12-year-old Wilson, playing among the seniors on board 4, recorded two wins and two draws against higher rated opponents.

The other Bajans competing in the event were Delisle Warner, Julissa Figueroa, Louis Wilson and Adam Roachford.

Warner, representing Barbados for the first time in more than five years since taking up residence in St. Kitts, scored three points from nine games on board 1, while Wilson achieved a similar number of points from seven matches on the Under-20 board. Figueroa registered one point from nine games on board 3 while Roachford managed a draw in one of his two games as the Under-20 reserve.

The Bajans played the first two days of competition from the Coles Building in Bay Street, Bridgetown, before switching to their homes on the final day.

Venezuela finished top of the pool with a perfect record with El Salvador second and Jamaica third. The top three teams advanced to Division 2 which will be contested this weekend. (BCF)

BCF - Hannah Wilson (2)
Hannah Wilson, 12, scored five points on the senior female boards.

BCF - Emar Edwards
Emar Wilson led the way for the Barbados men with four points.

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Barbados set to push off in FIDE Online Olympiad

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Barbados set to push off in FIDE Online Olympiad

Barbados will face off against Honduras when they make their entry to the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad on Friday.

The eight-member Bajan team will also battle Jamaica and Puerto Rico on the first day of action in Pool E of Division 3.

Under the format of the event which will be played under the rapid time control, Division 3 includes 50 teams divided equally in five pools. The top three teams in each pool will advance to Division 2.

Barbados’ first match will be at noon with the second round scheduled for 1 p.m. and the third round at 2 p.m. The schedule will be maintained for Saturday’s games against Ghana, Nicaragua and Namibia and Sunday’s contests against Venezuela, El Salvador and Panama.

Unlike the over-the-board Olympiad where countries enter separate teams in the Open and Women’s sections, the Online Olympiad is a mixed event with countries fielding one team comprising male players on boards 1 and 2, female players on boards 3 and 4, an Under-20 male player on board 5 and an Under-20 female player on board 6.

The Barbados team will be spearheaded by International Master Delisle Warner, who is making a return to national duty for the first time in more than five years. Warner, one of only four International Masters Barbados has produced, has been residing in St. Kitts in recent years.

The other members of the Barbados team, which was selected from a local qualifying event at the beginning of the month, are Emar Edwards, Julissa Figueroa, Hannah Wilson, Louis Wilson, Gaybrianna Moore, Adam Roachford and Melvin Terence.

The Online Olympiad, which has attracted more than 1 000 participants from 153 countries, has been organised by the world governing body for chess for the second successive year in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In last year’s event, Barbados finished seventh of ten teams in Pool E of Division 3. (BCF)

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Top seed Parsons comes from behind to win National Qualifier

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Top seed Parsons comes from behind to win National Qualifier

Top seed Parsons comes from behind to win National Qualifier

Top seed Justin Parsons was forced to come from behind before winning the Philip Corbin Open National Chess Championship 2nd Qualifier in exciting fashion on Wednesday night.

Parsons, who was lying in eighth place after the first three rounds, achieved a perfect record in his final four games to narrowly win the event at the Coles Building in Bay Street, Bridgetown.

The 25-year-old finished with five out of a maximum seven points – the same as teenager Louis Wilson – but Parsons was declared champion on the tie-break by virtue of beating Wilson in the head-to-head clash when they faced off in the final round.

Travis Grant took third place on the tie-break ahead of 13-year-old Rory Prescod after both players ended with four and a half points.

Prescod won the prize for the Best Under-16 player, while Gaybrianna Moore, who completed the top five with four points – the same as Othneil Harewood and Hannah Wilson – was the Best Female Player.

Parsons hardly looked like the winner after losing to Moore in the first round last Saturday and defaulting his third round game on Sunday due to another engagement. He, however, stepped up his game and did not drop a point for the rest of the tournament.

Wilson, favourite for most of the event, moved into the lead after the fourth round and played unbeaten until losing to the eventual winner in the last round.

The event, which was the second over-the-board tournament on the Barbados Chess Federation’s 2021 calendar since it was granted permission by the COVID-19 Monitoring Unit to resume face-to-face competition, attracted 15 players.

The National Championship 3rd Qualifier, which will honour Charles Gilkes, will be contested from September 25 to 29. The top three finishers in each of the Qualifiers will advance to the National Championship in October to face defending three-time champion Orlando Husbands. (BCF)

BCF - Louis Wilson
Second-placed Louis Wilson was edged on the tie-break.

BCF - Rory Prescod
Rory Prescod, who placed fourth, was the Best Under-16.

BCF - Gaybrianna Moore (1)
Gaybrianna Moore, who placed fifth, was the Best Female.

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Wilson lands top 30 finish at FIDE Online Rapid World Cup

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Hannah Wilson finished in the top 30 in the Under-12 Girls’ section at the FIDE Online Rapid World Cup Cadets and Youth Chess Championships. (BCF Picture)

Wilson lands top 30 finish at FIDE Online Rapid World Cup

Hannah Wilson landed a top 30 finish in her age-group to emerge as the standout player for Barbados at the FIDE Online Rapid World Cup Cadets and Youth Chess Championships.

Wilson scored six and a half out of a maximum ten points to finish 29th out of 155 competitors in the Under-12 Girls’ section when the selection stage of the global event concluded on Friday.

The performance by Wilson also landed her the best finish among the English-speaking Caribbean in the division and the fourth highest among the Americas region.

Fellow Barbadian Chanon Reifer-Belle, who also competed in the Under-12 Girls’ category, ended with four and a half points to finish 97th.

Barbados fielded 11 competitors in the event that attracted more than 1 600 participants from 100 countries and three other players  – Louis Wilson, Gaybrianna Moore and Rory Prescod – scored four points.

Wilson played in the Under-18 Open section while Moore in the Under-18 Girls’ division. Prescod was the best of the four Barbadians in the Under-14 Open category in which compatriots Melvin Terence scored three points and Keon Lashley and Taariq Callender both got two points.

In the Under-10 Open division, Aaron Jaikaran finished with three points and Alexander Berry two and a half points, while Christian Mayers ended with two points in the Under-12 Open section.

Some of the players turned their attention to the local scene with the start of the Philip Corbin Open – National Championship 2nd Qualifier on Saturday. The event runs over five successive days at the Coles Building on Bay Street in Bridgetown.

There will be more international competition for local players when Division 3 of the FIDE Online Olympiad is contested from next Friday until Sunday. (BCF)

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