CAC Archives - Barbados Chess Federation

Barbados’ Brightest Young Minds in Puerto Rico for CAC Chess Showdown

December 15, 2025/0 Comments/in CAC, Regional Tournament/by Melissa Browne

The Barbados Chess Federation is proud to announce that we have sent a contingent of young, talented athletes to compete at the XX Central American & Caribbean Youth Chess Festival which is being hosted in Puerto Rico from December 15th – 20th, 2025.

The team comprises of a dynamic mix of high-performing and emerging chess athletes registered to compete across the Under-8 to Under-18 age categories for both male and female. Returning to the tournament are last year’s bronze medalists: Woman FIDE Master, Hannah Wilson who will be paired up in the Under-18 female category, and Janiyah Browne who will now be competing in the Under-12 female category. Other highly rated and prolific players to be closely watched are National Under-16 Champion and Woman Candidate Master, Chanon Reifer-Belle; National Under-16 Champion, Noah Clarke; National Under-14 Champion, Aaron Jaikaran; CARICOM Classic Junior Under-16 Champion, Mileke Sinckler and Jeremiah Farley who has been giving outstanding performances throughout the year.

This year’s contingent is being led by Ms. Hetty Wilson, Head of Delegation, and further supported by well-qualified team of coaching officials, including International Master Terry Farley and well-known local trainers Corie Elcock and Emar Edwards.

Speaking ahead of the tournament, Ms. Hetty Wilson expressed confidence in the preparation of the team: “This contingent represents the very best of Barbados’ young chess talent. Our athletes have been training consistently throughout the year, and we are confident they will compete fearlessly and will continue to raise our profile on the regional chess stage.”

Wilson 4th in 2023 CAC Female Chess championship, White wins local Vexx event

November 2, 2023/0 Comments/in CAC, Nationals, Tournaments/by BCF

Wilson 4^th in CAC Female Chess Championship

Teenager Hannah Wilson did herself and Barbados proud when she finished fourth in the 2023 Central American and Caribbean female individual chess championship in Puerto Rico when it finished earlier this week.

Going into the final of the 9-round event, Wilson was sitting in 8^th spot on 4 ½ points from her 8 games and she would play the 4^th ranked player in the event, Catherine Kaslan from Suriname, who was in third position on 5 points.

However, the 11^th ranked Wilson was not daunted by the rating difference and in determined fashion she defeated the Suriname player to record a memorable victory to finish on 5 ½ points. Wilson the youngest player in the event, showed great maturity as she competed with great fervor among the 20 players from 11 countries who were much more experienced than her in both chess play and age. It hopefully augurs well for her in future events.

The tournament was eventually won by Danitza Vasques Maccarini of Puerto Rico with 7 points, a half point ahead of her country woman Natasha Morales on 6 ½ points. Obdullus Hermoso Rodriguez of Trinidad finished in third place on 5 ½ points, to be ahead of Wilson on the tie-break with Carolina Mazariegos of Guatemala and Andrea Ortiz following in 5^th and 6^th spot respectively also on the same score.

White wins Vexx Event

Chris White, an Englishman residing in Barbados recorded another tournament victory for himself, when he edged out Kemp Lynch on the tie-break to claim the 2023 Vexx chess tournament at the Coles Building, Bay Street, Bridgetown earlier in the week.

Going into the final round of the 7-round event, both White and Lynch had 5 points, but White was ahead on the tie-break by virtue of having defeated Lynch in their individual match up. The pairings for the two top boards thus saw White against Mileke Sinckler, while Lynch had a tougher assignment against Travis Grant, who had already defeated White and Philip Roach, the number one ranked player in the event.

However, Lynch was the first to draw blood, as he was always in control against Grant and duly took the point. This result, no doubt put some pressure on White, but the veteran never panicked and brought home the point from Sinckler to edge out Lynch on the tie-break for the top spot.

Julissa Figueroa finished in third spot on 4 ½ points after drawing a tough encounter against Aaron Jaikaran in the final round. Other results saw the veterans Allan Herbert and Philip Roach draw, Jerimiah Farley won by default from Ernest King and Kiarra Eversley score a noteworthy victory over the ever-green Othneil Harewood.

The next foray into the 64 square playing field will see national champion international master Orlando Husband partaking in the IV Panama Open from November 6^th – 10^th.

Unfortunately, before then, the chess community will gather to mourn the loss of past chess federation president Rohan Waithe, whose funeral service will be at the Jehovah Witness Kingdom Hall , Cave Hill, St. Michael on Saturday, November 4^th at 2.00 p.m. Waithe did yeoman service to the local federation and to the region as well through out the years serving in many capacities and being a repository of Bajan chess history. He will be sadly missed by many.

Husbands leads qualifiers for national chess championship finals

August 7, 2023/0 Comments/in CAC, Tournaments/by BCF

International master Orlando Husbands led the final three qualifiers for the 2023 Open national chess championship, when he clinched first place in the 2023 Dr. Philip Corbin Open with 6 points from 7 matches having to miss his final round game because of work commitments.

The final matches took place on the Emancipation Day bank holiday at the Coles Building, Bridgetown and was Husbands second consecutive tournament victory this week at the boards.

Husbands was always in firm control of the event and when he defeated the second ranked player in the event Dr. Corbin in round 6, he took an unassailable lead and had already clinched the event with a round to spare.

Adam Roachford came second with 5 points, the same as Dr. Corbin but was ahead in the tie-break as he had won their individual head-to-head encounter in round 3.

Going to the last round at least 5 other players had a chance of joining Husbands in qualifying for the national finals with all the combination and permutations of results possible. However, the final round results saw Roachford taking a draw against Louis Wilson to secure his spot while Dr. Corbin downed a stubborn Allan Herbert to also secure his place in the finals. Julissa Figueroa and Kemp Lynch also winning in the final round would only see them reaching 4 ½ points each, but just falling short of the 5-point tally that would have put them in contention for a possible finals spot.

Figueroa won the prize for the best female performer, while Mileke Sinckler was the best Under 16 player on show from the twenty or so players who battled for the final three national final qualification spots.

The National Open chess championship finals is due to take place in early September and will see three qualifiers each from three qualifiers going forward to meet the defending champion FIDE master Martyn Del Castilho.

International master Husbands takes July Central Bank of Barbados Blitz chess event

August 3, 2023/0 Comments/in CAC, Tournaments/by BCF

International master Orlando Husbands returned to his winning ways on the chess board as he dominate the 2023 Central Bank of Barbados (CBB) July Blitz Championship held over the last weekend at the Coles Building, Bay Street, Bridgetown.

Blitz chess is akin to T-20 cricket where the action is fast paced and in this event each player had three minutes with a two – second increment per move to complete their games and Husbands wasted no time in defeating all the nine opponents that he faced to convincingly win the event with 9 points, a point ahead of the second place finisher Kemp Lynch.

Husbands struck the front of the field at round 4, when he defeated the current Central Bank governor and former national player Dr, Kevin Greenidge in a match full of verbal bravado and from then, it was a matter of Husbands keeping his foot on the gas until the end of the tournament.

Kemp Lynch finished a strong second on 8 points, having only lost a single game to the overall winner, Husbands. He would have been proud of his performance as he took some higher rated scalps like Greenidge and FIDE master Dr. Philip Corbin.

Dr. Corbin came a creditable third with 6 points from his 9 matches after a long layoff from active over the board competition. Top rated junior player Hannah Wilson scored 5 ½ points to be the top female performer in the event in fourth spot.

Adam Roachford and Louis Wilson scored 5 points to finish 5th and 6th respectively, with Roachford winning the Under 1400 rating prize, while Wilson captured the 1401 – 1600 rating prize.

The event was a fast paced, fun fill event which allowed the players to show their chess playing skills under the gracious auspices of the sponsor Central Bank of Barbados.

Wilson finishes CAC Games chess on positive note

July 11, 2023/0 Comments/in CAC, Tournaments/by BCF

Hannah Wilson, Barbados’s top rated junior chess player finished a creditable 5^th place from 16 players in the Central American and Caribbean( CAC) Games blitz championship played in El Salvador.

The format of the event was a 16-player round robin played at a time control of 3 minutes with 30 seconds increment from move one. A team consisted of two players, a board one and two with teams competing in an Open and female section. The top three finishers on each particular board and section were rewarded with medals.

Wilson playing at board one in the female section scored 8 ½ points from 15 points, winning 8 games and drawing one. Wilson defeated a number of higher rated players including women FIDE master Sandra N Guillen Cristobal of Mexico and women international master Gabriella Johnson of Trinidad.

Playing on board two, Julissa Figueroa scored 5 ½ points. As she had done in the rapid section of the event, Figueroa again defeated the highest rated female player in the event, women’s grandmaster Yerisbel Miranda Llanes of Cuba. This can be viewed as an outstanding achievement for Figueroa.

Men’s Team finds going tough.

The men’s team of international master Orlando Husbands and FIDE master Martyn Del Castilho the going a little more difficult as they could only muster 5 and 5 ½ points, respectively. The team did however show their resilience when in round 3, when they handed the much more highly rated Costa Rican team a 1 ½ – ½ defeat, with Husbands defeating international master Leonardo Valdes Romero and Del Castilho holding international master Sergio Duran Vega to a draw.

Women International master Valentina Argote Heredia of Colombia and Lilia Ivonne Fuentes Godoy of Mexico tgook the two gold medals on offer in the female section, while grandmasters Cuban Carlos Daniel Albornoz Cabrera and Colombia’s Jose Gabriel Cardoso Cardoso won the two gold medals on offer in the Open section

Barbados chess teams making moves at CAC Games in El Salvador

July 6, 2023/0 Comments/in CAC, Tournaments/by BCF

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 creditable performance.

The tournament is played with an Open and female section, in a rapid format with each team being made up of 2 members. They are 16 qualified teams per section with each team having to play all the others with a fixed board order.

After 10 of the 15 rounds, the Barbados Open team featuring international master Orlando Husbands and FIDE master Martyn Del Castilho are in 7th position with 11 points out of a possible 20. Both players have scored 5 ½ points from their 10 games so far. They have won 5 or their matches, defeating the likes of Trinidad, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Honduras, and a pleasing 2 – 0 victory over the host El Salvador.

Both players have shown gritty determination, and this was especially seen when Husbands held the highest rated player in the event Cuban grandmaster Carlos Daniel Albornoz to a draw in round 9.

The ladies’ team of Hannah Wilson and Julissa Figueroa have also been holding their own in the event. After 10 matches, they currently sit in 9th position from the 16 teams with 7 points. They have won two matches against Jamaica and Dominican Republic and drawn against Panama, Costa Rica, and the mighty Cuban team.

The draw against Cuba was facilitated by Julissa Figueroa, who defeated woman grandmaster Yerisbel Llanes Miranda, the highest rated female in the event. In an exciting game that went down to an endgame, Julissa showed better technique in a dynamic position to secure a memorable victory. This has been the only blemish on Miranda’s record as she has scored 9 points out of 10 so far.

So far in the event, Colombia leads in the Open section with 17 points, a half point ahead of Venezuela, while Cuba leads the female section also with 17 points, also a half point ahead of Puerto Rico.

La Touche and Reifr-Belle lead chess event

February 2, 2023/0 Comments/in CAC, Tournaments/by BCF

La Touche and Reifr-Belle lead chess event

After three rounds of the CB Gilkes Open chess tournament, veteran Cyprian La Touche and junior female player Chanon Reifer-Belle lead the 32-player field with three points each.

La Touche has been the impressive stand out in the tournament as he has so far upset Justin Parsons, a current Olympiad team member in round two and then won from current female CAC Under 14 silver medalist Hannah Wilson in round three, players who are higher rated than La Touche.

Reifer-Belle has been slightly just as impressive with victories over Leshay Springer, Boris Thompson and Aaron Jaikaran. Her most impressive victory has been against the much higher rated Thompson who is making a return to the boards after a long layoff.

Three players sit in third to fifth on two and a half points . These players include Renaldo Rochester, Allan Herbert and Philip Roach, the top-rated player in the event, another person making a return after a long lay-off. In the last round Herbert had a commendable draw against Roach, while Rochester won a long endgame from Travis Grant.

A few players are also just off the pace on two points and these include Thompson, Jacob Layson, Wilson, Othneil Harewood, Alesha Lovell, Emar Edwards and Kanye Williams.

In the next round to be played, the featured game will see La Touche with the white pieces against Reifer-Belle. Other important matches will see Rochester versus Herbert, Roach against Thompson, Edwards against Harewood and Layson versus Wilson.

They are three qualifiers and the top three players from each will qualify to the National finals to join the current national champion Martyn del Castilho. The current event is named after CB Gilkes who was one of the past chess champions of Barbados and also a former Caribbean chess champion which he won in 1938.

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Latest News

Farley Leads Barbados – St. Kitts and Nevis Chess EventDecember 10, 2025 - 4:24 pm
Grandmaster Short win Blitz chess eventOctober 8, 2025 - 3:14 pm
Wilson takes clear lead in national female chess championshipSeptember 20, 2025 - 2:14 pm
Wilson and Reifer-Belle share National Female chess championship leadSeptember 19, 2025 - 4:12 pm
Del Castilho takes clear lead in 2025 national Open Chess ChampionshipSeptember 18, 2025 - 12:17 pm

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Barbados teams qualify for CAC chess in El Salvador

January 29, 2023/0 Comments/in CAC, Tournaments/by BCF

Barbados teams qualify for CAC chess in El Salvador

The Barbados chess team has qualified for the 2023 Central American and Caribbean games to be held in El Salvador in June this year.

The team qualified for the championship over the weekend when they played on the online Tornelo platform. The event was a two player team event, played in an Open and female section. It was a rapid event played at the time control of 15 minutes with 30 second increment from move one for each player to complete their moves.

Fifteen teams would qualify from the event in each section to join the host country in the final. Barbados was represented in the Open section by current national champion Fide master Martyn del Castilho and international master Orlando Husbands and by woman candidate master Julissa Figueroa and top junior female player Hannah Wilson.

In the Open section, Barbados finished 11^th place from 20 teams scoring 10 ½ points from a possible 22 points. The players played 11 games each with the sum of points being the team’s overall tally. Husbands tallied 5 ½ points after some initial connection issues, while Del Castilho score 5 points.

Husbands best result was a draw against Grandmaster Luis Ibarra Chami of Mexico but he did suffer an upset against St. Lucia junior Nathaniel Mathurin. Del Castilho best result was a draw against Grandmaster Luis Queseda of Cuba. Both players were inconsistent in their efforts but duly completed their qualification. The Cuban team won the event followed by Colombia and Mexico.

In the female section, the Barbados team qualified in 14^th spot with 9 ½ points from the 18 team field. Wilson scored 5 points from 11 and Figueroa scored 4 ½.The Cuban female team dominated the event and won quite easily. Just like the males, the females performed below their initial rankings and both teams will have to take the 5 months or so before the finals to put in some serious work to get into medal contention in the finals.