Hannah Wilson, Barbados’s top rated junior chess player finished a creditable 5th place from 16 players in the Central American and Caribbean( CAC) Games blitz championship played in El Salvador. The […]
After two of the three days of the 2023 Central American and Caribbean Games Rapid chess championships being played in El Salvador, the Barbados teams continue to put in a […]
Aaron Jaikaran of Harrison College did Barbados chess proud this weekend, when he captured the XII IRT Híbrido del Sur Sub-1800 2023 División Under 1400 rated section hybrid chess event from a 25-player field with representatives from Ecuador, Saint Lucia and Venezuela, in addition to Barbados.
A hybrid chess event is one where players compete from a central location and play via an online chess platform under the supervision of a chess referee.
Jaikaran went into the event as the fourth highest ranked player but produced a very strong performance to finish unbeaten with 6 points from 7 games. He was steady throughout the event, never losing touch with the early leaders in the event but rose to the occasion when he defeated Felix Eduardo Pilco Velez of Venezuela in the last round, where it was a winner takes all final clash.
Two Ecuadorian players, Cristian Mateo Velasquez Cabrera and Josue Alejan Mendoza Montesdeoca finished a close second and third on 5 ½ points respectively.
Loki Clarke of Barbados finished in 4th position, after being the early leader after day one of the event, having racked up four consecutive wins with some aggressive play. He however stumbled on the Sunday morning losing in rounds 5 and 6 before rebounding to defeat Heidy Yarpas Flores of Ecuador to finish with a creditable 5 out of 7 points.
Other local performances saw Mileke Sinckler, Chaz- Reifer Belle and Rhys Francis finish on four points, while Charis Stuart and Isaiah Archer scored three points.
Depradine places third in Under 1800 Rating Section
In the Under 1800 section of the event, Lawrence Depradine was the highest placed local finisher in third spot with 4 ½ points from his 7 matches. He edged out Louis Wilson in the tie-break. Current local female Under 14 and 16 champion, Channon Reifer-Belle and the top seed Justin Parsons came 5th and 6th respectively on 4 points. Noah Clarke, the Under 14 national champion scored 3 ½ points.
The Bajan players had only themselves to blame as they just did not finish strong in the last two rounds with most of them suffering at least one defeat. This section of the event was topped by the brothers from Ecuador, Luis Manuel first with 6 points and Leandro Nicolas Ulloa Centeno second with 5.
The local federation wishes the Central American and Caribbean(
Aaron Jaikaran of Harrison College did Barbados chess proud this weekend, when he captured the XII IRT Híbrido del Sur Sub-1800 2023 División Under 1400 rated section hybrid chess event from a 25-player field with representatives from Ecuador, Saint Lucia and Venezuela, in addition to Barbados.
A hybrid chess event is one where players compete from a central location and play via an online chess platform under the supervision of a chess referee.
Jaikaran went into the event as the fourth highest ranked player but produced a very strong performance to finish unbeaten with 6 points from 7 games. He was steady throughout the event, never losing touch with the early leaders in the event but rose to the occasion when he defeated Felix Eduardo Pilco Velez of Venezuela in the last round, where it was a winner takes all final clash.
Two Ecuadorian players, Cristian Mateo Velasquez Cabrera and Josue Alejan Mendoza Montesdeoca finished a close second and third on 5 ½ points respectively.
Loki Clarke of Barbados finished in 4th position, after being the early leader after day one of the event, having racked up four consecutive wins with some aggressive play. He however stumbled on the Sunday morning losing in rounds 5 and 6 before rebounding to defeat Heidy Yarpas Flores of Ecuador to finish with a creditable 5 out of 7 points.
Other local performances saw Mileke Sinckler, Chaz- Reifer Belle and Rhys Francis finish on four points, while Charis Stuart and Isaiah Archer scored three points.
Depradine places third in Under 1800 Rating Section
In the Under 1800 section of the event, Lawrence Depradine was the highest placed local finisher in third spot with 4 ½ points from his 7 matches. He edged out Louis Wilson in the tie-break. Current local female Under 14 and 16 champion, Channon Reifer-Belle and the top seed Justin Parsons came 5th and 6th respectively on 4 points. Noah Clarke, the Under 14 national champion scored 3 ½ points.
The Bajan players had only themselves to blame as they just did not finish strong in the last two rounds with most of them suffering at least one defeat. This section of the event was topped by the brothers from Ecuador, Luis Manuel first with 6 points and Leandro Nicolas Ulloa Centeno second with 5.
The local federation wishes the Central American and Caribbean(C.A.C) team of Orlando Husbands, Martyn Del Castilho, Julissa Figueroa and Hannah Wilson, the best at the C.A.C games which begin the next weekend in El Salvador.
C.A.C) team of Orlando Husbands, Martyn Del Castilho, Julissa Figueroa and Hannah Wilson, the best at the C.A.C games which begin the next weekend in El Salvador.
After an exciting final round of matches in the 2023 Karl Sealy Memorial Senior Games championships played on Sunday afternoon at the Coles Building, Bridgetown several age category champions were crowned.
In the 40 – 49 age category Travis Grant emerged the winner, Allan Herbert won the 50 – 64 category, ever green Othneil Harewood was victorious in the in the 65 plus section, while Heather Leslie captured the 50 – 64 Female category.
Going into the final and fifth round of the event, four players were tied on three points from four games and each of these were in contention for some share in the age category prizes.
The top board clash saw Grant against the higher rated Philip Roach and on the second board, defending Age 50 – 64 champion, Cyprian LaTouche was matched against Allan Herbert. After four hours of battle in each of the games where no quarter was given and none was sought, Grant defeated Roach and Herbert had outplayed La Touche to score important victories.
With these results, Grant had clinched the age 40 – 49 category and Herbert had dethroned LaTouche in the 50 – 64 age category. Roach came second and LaTouche third respectively in the category, just ahead of Owen Waldron who also finished on three points.
A win by Othneil Harewood over Ernest King secured him the 65 and over title. Michael Barker finished second in this section.
In a keen all female clash Heather Leslie defeated Sandie Harewood to claim the female 50 – 64 title. Harewood finished second.
After a couple of rounds of the Karl Sealy Memorial Senior Games Chess Championships, top seed Philip Roach and Allan Herbert are the two joint leaders having won both of their games so far.
In the first round Roach defeated Ernest King while in the second round he defeated the defending over 50 years champion, Cyprian La Touche. It was a tough match in which La Touche held the advantage late into the contest. However, a minor blunder by la Touche brought some confusion to the position and in the ensuing complications, La Touche lost on time.
Co leader Herbert has so far defeated a returning Heather Leslie in the first round, and in the second round won from the defending sixty-five plus champion Othneil Harewood.
Other victors in the last round included the likes of ace checkers player Michael Barker, and Travis Grant.
The next round will see a clash between the two leaders in what should be an exciting match.
The tournament is being played under the auspices of the Ministry of Empowerment and Elder Affairs as part of the Senior Games. The sections are thus ages forty plus, fifty plus and sixty- five plus. Due to the entries the tournament is being played in one large group with the persons receiving their separate age category prizes. The American Psychological Association has said that chess has been shown to improve cognitive function, memory, and analytical skills while decreasing anxiety and depression in aging adults. Its thus a sport that can benefit Barbados’s ageing population positively.
Nitin Mahtani has won the second qualifier for the 2023 national chess championship, the IM Kevin Denny Open with 6 points from 7 games. He won five games and drew two of his games against the eventual second and third place finishers Lawrence Depradine and Emar Edwards who both finished on 5 ½ points.
Mahtani who has been based in Canada while he was studying made an emphatic return to the local chess boards and won an exciting event over the Whitsuntide weekend.
Going into the final round three players shared the lead and these included the players who would eventually finish first to third, Mahtani, Depradine and Edwards.
Mahtani was paired against Tyrell McCollin, Depradine had white against Noah Clarke and Edwards faced Chanon Reifer-Belle with the black pieces. On paper it looked like Edwards had the toughest match with Mahtani having the most comfortable. The overall result of the tournament was dependent on the results of these games.
Mahtani was the one who applied the early pressure as he got a clear advantage against McCollin, and after improving his position, he won convincingly in the end. However, it was not so easy for the other two, as Edwards found himself in some trouble and had to sacrifice a piece against Reifer-Belle to force a draw. Depradine also found himself up against it in his game, with Noah Clarke. He also had to force a draw in the position.
With these results, Mathani won the event to lead Depradine and Edwards in qualifying for the 2023 National chess championship finals.
Reifer-Belle finished fourth on four and a half points, just ahead of Cyprian LaTouche in the tie-break.
The next event in the chess calendar will be the Senior Games, Karl Sealy Memorial which is due to start on June 11. Chess has been a game which has been shown to improve ones memory and help elder persons from Alzheimer’s disease.
Charis Stuart of Eagles Academy put in an outstanding performance last week to become the Under 10 National Open Chess Champion when he finished first, winning all his 6 games. In only his […]
Englishman Chris White and Cuban Isan Ortiz were the winners of the two sections of 2023 Heroes Day chess tournament that was played over the Heroes Day weekend at the […]
After the latest round in the 2023 Heroes Day chess tournament, in the Open section, Englishman Chris White and Martinique’s Marvin Guillaume lead the event with 5 points out of 6. They are closely followed Gilles Suez-Panama of Martinique and local girl Hannah Wilson, who both have 4 ½ points.
In a brutal sixth round, the veteran White was able to hold the youth Hannah Wilson with the black pieces. White took a draw even though he was a pawn up but was dubious on whether he could have held on to this advantage.
Louis Wilson, Hannah’s older brother was able to hold the other current leader Guillaume also to a draw, but many pundits were of the view that Louis who was the exchange up was in a superior position.
Suez-Panama however played a long arduous game to grind down Adam Roachford , another member of the Barbados team to the 2022 chess Olympiad in Chennai. Suez-Panama showed excellent skill and patience to whiter down his opponent and move closer to the leaders.
Other top board results saw victories for Lionel Buisson and Mathis Huyghues-Beaufond to keep them within striking distance of the leaders on four points also.
Masters’ Section
In the masters’ section, it’s a four ways tie at the top with the grandmasters Luis Aguero and Isan Ortiz (Cuba), Neuris Delgado (Paraguay) and Christian Rios (Colombia) all have four points.
In the last round, Ortiz defeated Orlando Husbands, Aguero and Delgado drew, while Rios was held to a draw by current national champion Martyn Del Castilho.
The final round of the event, will culminate on Tuesday evening at 5.00 p.m. at the Coles Building, Bay Street, Bridgetown.
Barbados players have found the going tough so far in the 2023 Heroes Day Chess tournament being played over this Heroes Day weekend at the Coles Building, Bay Street, Bridgetown
In the top master’s section, local boys international master Orlando Husbands and FIDE master Martyn Del Castilho are battling in a field which include four grandmasters Neuris Delgado(Paraguay), Cristhian Rios(Colombia) and Luis Aguero and Isan Ortiz, both of Cuba. The event is a double round robin, where each player will play the other twice, each with the white and black pieces.
The locals are seeking to put in strong performances, which would allow them not only to improve their ratings, but achieve a grandmaster norm, which is a high-level performance in a tournament which includes grandmaster opponents.
After 3 rounds of the event, Ortiz, Aguero and Rios share the lead with two points, while Delgado sits in fourth with four points, Husbands has one and Del Castilho brings up the rear with half a point.
The three leaders have each won against the Bajans in the first two rounds and drew their other matches. Husbands defeated Del Castilho in the third round, amidst the other two games tamely drawing. Del Castilho managed a first-round draw against Rios.
The Bajans are fearing only slightly better in the Open section of the event, where 5 players from Martinique and one from England are present in the 28-player field for this 9 round Swiss type event.
The French have so far dominated the event and two of their players Marvin Guillame and Samuel Alcindor sit in the lead with two wins from their two matches along with Englishman Chris White and local Adam Roachford.
Guillame has looked in fine form and would have impressed in round two, when he defeated top junior female player Hannah Wilson, the current Central American and Caribbean Under 14 silver medalist. Guillame was able to stemmy Wilson attacking intentions and was able to exploit his better endgame technique to acquire victory.
Alcindor has also done well, and his defeat of the second ranked player Kemp Lynch was viewed as one of the upsets of the event so far. Alcindor playing with the white pieces simply overwhelmed Lynch who is making a return to over the board chess after a long break.
Christ White in the latest round defeated the recently in form Ronaldo Rochester to claim his share of the lead. Adam Roachford has been the only local player to keep pace with the foreign invaders and he upset the higher rated Katrina Blackman in round two to stake his claim as one of the leaders.
Five other players sit just off the pace with one and a half points. These are Louis Wilson and Julissa Figueroa, along with the Martinique’s Gilles Suez-Panama, Mathis Huyghues- Beaufond and Lionel Buisson. In their last games Wilson and Figueroa drew a long battle, while Suez Panama and Buisson defeated veteran Othniel Harewood and Allan Herbert and Huyghues- Beaufond defeated the much higher rated Justin Parsons, who was a member of the Barbados team to the last chess Olympiad in 2022.
In round three, the key match ups at the top will see Guillame against Alcindor and Roachford against White.
