Grandmaster Short win Blitz chess event

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While English grandmaster Nigel Short, the Director for Chess Development in the world governing body of chess, FIDE was in Barbados on a courtesy visit, he took part in several chess playing activities. These included a simultaneous exhibition against several of Barbados’s top junior players, but also, he partook in a grandmaster blitz chess challenge tournament, where he played against  nine of Barbados’s top ranked players.
A blitz event is where the players each have a limited amount of time to complete their moves, and a game will are completed in less than 15 minutes. The action is fast and furious and is akin to T-20 cricket.
In the event, GM Short lined up against some of the top players from Barbados including current National champion FIDE master Martyn Del Castilho, former champions international master Terry Farley and FIDE master Dr. Philip Corbin along with the like of national representatives Kemp Lynch, Emar Edwards and Justin Parsons.
Short however, showed why he was once a challenger to the great Garry Kasparov’s title and was able to defeat all his opponents to finish on 9 points from his 9 games.
After 4 of the 9 rounds were completed, it was GM Short sharing the lead with Terry Farley as both players had won their previous matches. In this pivotal matchup of the leaders, Short playing with the white pieces, was however able to capture an early positional advantage and duly went on to win the game. Short then showed great competence in winning the remainder of his games, including a tricky last round one against Dr. Philip Corbin.
Two players finished the event in joint second place. These were Terry Farley and Justin Parsons. Both players finished with 7 ½ points from their 9 games having both lost to grandmaster Short and drawing with each other. Kemp Lynch finished on 5 points to finish in 4th spot, while Emar Edwards scored 4 ½ points to round out the top 5 finishers.
It was a memorable experience for the local players to play against such an esteemed player, who in his prime would have been in the top 10 players on the official rating list. I am sure that they would have benefited from his post analysis and anecdotes from the games.

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Wilson takes clear lead in national female chess championship

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Woman FIDE master Hannah Wilson has struck the front of the 2025 Barbados National Female chess championship after an exciting fifth round was completed on Friday evening at the Fine Arts Gallery, Barbados Community College.
Wilson took the clear lead in the 10- player round robin event when she defeated former national player Gaybrianna Moore after a tough battle. Wilson had taken the advantage in the early middle game when she clearly won a piece for a couple pawns. However, she then miscalculated and in a tactical melee she lost the exchange and allowed Moore to regain some parity. Moore however, over stretched in the position allowing Wilson to penetrate with a knight and capture several pieces. From here she did not renege and stormed on to victory.
 Chanon Reifer-Belle, who was also a co-leader of the event up to that point, slipped from that position after she was held to a draw by Janiyah Browne. Going into the game, Chanon would have favored her chances against the much lower rated Browne. However, she soon found herself in a blocked position where even after a lot of piece maneuvering, she could find no advantage and had to settle for a draw.
Other results in this round saw Sameera Jaikaran defeat Laura Nicholls, Kayla Culpepper won from Daisha-Rose Parris, while Jaeda Herbert upset Leshay Springer.
As it currently stands, Wilson leads with 4 points, with Chanon in second with 3 ½ points. Sameera Jaikaran has 3 points, while Janiyah Browne and Leshay Springer have 2 ½ points each. It must be noted the two leaders have a game in hand on their closest rivals.
On the other side of the world, Chaz Reifer- Belle continues to find the going rough as he lost his second-round match against Andrew Tzu Chun Chao of South Korea at the FIDE 2025 World Cadet Under 12 Open Chess Championships in Almaty Kazakhstan.  We wish him better luck in his round three game against Damba Gun-Erdem of Mongolia.

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Wilson and Reifer-Belle share National Female chess championship lead

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After 4 of the 9 rounds of the 2025 National Female chess championship have been officially completed, the two top seeds in the event woman candidate master Chanon Reifer-Belle and woman FIDE master Hannah Wilson share the lead with 3 points.
Having only played 3 games so far, have looked the clear favorites for the title and they have both so far lived up to their billing.
Wilson, the defending champion, won her last game by default from Kayla Culpepper while Reifer-Belle was given a scare by the ever-improving Leshay Springer. Reifer-Belle had initially gained the advantage in the middle game by winning a piece, but then she allowed a tactical shot by Springer which brought back parity to the game. However, Springer went astray in the end game and Reifer-Belle was able to convert the point. Springer thus now sits in clear third spot with 2 ½ points but having played one more game than the two co-leaders.
Janiyah Browne and Sameera Jaikaran share 4th spot with two points in the 10-player field. In their latest matches, Browne won against Laura Nicholls, while Jaikaran defeated Daisha Rose Parris. The other match in the round saw Gaybrianna Moore defeat Jaeda Herbert.
When the action continues this weekend at the Liberal Arts Gallery, Barbados Community College, it will be Reifer-Belle and Wilson who would be looking to stamp their name on the winner’s trophy.

While Chanon is pushing to win her first female championship, her younger brother Chaz Reifer- Belle, the current Barbados Under 12 Open champion is participating in the Open section of the 2025 FIDE World Cadet Under 12 championships being played in Almaty, Kazakhstan over the next two weeks. Unfortunately, Chaz lost his first game against Nikolay Gladchenko of Russia. This section of the tournament has 173 players from about 80 countries. Chaz will be seeking to improve his rating going into the event as one of the lower rated players. The Cadet championships have young players participating in the Under 8, 10 and 12 age categories in both open and female section

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Del Castilho takes clear lead in 2025 national Open Chess Championship

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FIDE master Martyn Del Castilho has taken firm control of the 2025 national Open chess championship at the end of the fourth round which came to completion on Sunday at the Liberal Arts Gallery, Barbados Community College, this weekend.
Del Castilho defeated the then co-leader Justin Kirton in what was a top of the table clash to claim the sole overall lead with 4 points from his 4 games. Playing his favorite French defense opening Kirton could not withstand a determined Del Castilho who has his eyes sighted on retaining his national championship title.
Kirton now sits in clear second place in the 10-player field with three points from his four games, his only blemish being against the leader Del Castilho.
National Under 16 champion Noah Clarke is in third place with 2 ½ points. Clarke had a good Sunday at the event when he defeated Jsutin Parsons and Emar Edwards, two players who would have represented Barbados at recent chess Olympiads.
Mileke Sinckler, Ronaldo Rochester, Dr. Philip Corbin and Jeremiah Farley all share the 4th – 7th spot with two points. Farley, the youngest in the field at 11 years old, has shown great resilience so far. After losing both his opening games on the opening Saturday, he bounced back with two victories on Sunday including a massive upset against Emar Edwards. Parsons, Boris Thompson and Edwards round out the field in the 10- player , all play all event.
In an event that has so far seen many upsets, Del Castilho has been the one to keep his composure and with the other five games over the next weekend, it is difficult to see if anyone will be able to dethrone him of his crown.

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Wilson and Del Castilho start defense of chess titles in style

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The Barbados Chess Federation’s National Open and Female chess championships began this weekend at the Visual Arts Gallery, Barbados Community College, Howells X Road, St. Michael in earnest.
Both events are being played as 10- player round robin events, that is where each player will get to play with each of the other ones in the tournament for a maximum of 9 games.
Both defending champions, FIDE master Martyn Del Castilho and woman FIDE master Hannah Wilson are looking to repeat as champions but will face stiff and determined challenges from several persons in their respective events.
In the Open section first round, Del Castilho started his defense confidently as he defeated the number two seed in the event Emar Edwards. Edwards was holding the position, but a simple one move blunder allowed Del Castilho to win a piece which he duly converted this advantage into victory. It continued a bad week for the ace road tennis player.
Justin Kirton showed glimpses of his form as a junior player some time ago as he masterfully outplayed the current Under 16 champion Noah Clarke.
An upset occurred when junior player Mileke Sinckler in his first national finals defeated the higher rated Justin Parsons. FIDE master Philip Corbin got his umpteenth national finals off to a bright start with a victory over Boris Thompson while Ronaldo Rochester was able to defeat the young upstart, Jeremiah Farley also in his first national finals.
In the Female section, Wilson set the tone for her event when she quickly defeated Laura Nicholls in round one. Out of a fiery opening, Wilson was able to tactically out- duel Nicholls which led to Nicholls losing several pieces and eventually the game. The next result saw Kayla Culpepper winning from Janiyah Browne. Culpepper was able to conjure up an attack in the middle game which eventually led to Browne being checkmated.
Gaybrianna Moore and Leshay Springer battled to a long hard draw, while the game between Daesha Rose Parris and Jaeda Herbert was postponed.
Other results in the round saw woman candidate master Chanon Reifer-Belle defeat Sameera Jaikaran in a workwoman like fashion.
The chess action will continue this Sunday at the Barbados Community College with matches being played at 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. respectively.

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The 2025 Heroes Day Festival Begins!

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The 2025 Heroes Day chess festival began this weekend at the Divi Southwinds Hotel with the tournament divided into three sections, a master’s section, a challenger’s section and a novice section.
In the master section, there are 6 players partaking in a double round event. This is where each player will play against each of the other participants, once with the white pieces and once with the black pieces.
These include grandmaster  Luis Lazaro Aguero Jimenez of Cuba, international master Felix Jose Ynojosa Aponte of Venezuela, FIDE master Angel Gabriel Roa Cordoba, alongside international masters Orlando Husbands and Terry Farley, and Emar Edwards.
After the first day the Cuban grandmaster Aguero leads the event with 2 points having racked up victories against local boy Edwards and the Venezuelan Ynojosa. Local international master Farley also had a good first day to sit in second place as he upset fellow Bajan Husbands in the first round before gaining a draw with the Colombian Cordoba, from a favorable position.
In the challengers’ section, three players share the lead with two points in the 20-player field. These are local playerscandidate master Justin Parsons, Adam Roachford and Justin Kirton. These are followed by a large group on 1 ½ points which include Kemp Lynch, Ronaldo Rochester, Aaron Jaikaran, Savion Little and FIDE master Dr. Philip Corbin. The section is turning out to be a very competitive one.
In the novice section 5 players share the lead in the event after two rounds. These are Aidan Singh, Derick Boyce, Dominic Cadogan, Zefan Scott and Darren Toppin. Boyce has looked impressive so far in his games and will be one of the favorites in this section. He is a seasoned campaigner and would be looking to eclipse the 20-player field.
The action continues over the two upcoming bank holidays at 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. and Tuesday evening at 6.00 p.m.

 

 

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Bajans Husbands and Wilson win Sub zonal 2.3.3 Open and Women chess championships

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International master Orlando Husbands receiving his first place trophy.
Winner Hannah Wilson accepting her trophy from Carol Pesquiera

 

Barbados chess history was created this week when local players won both the Subzone 2.3.3 Women and Open Chess Championships 2025 played in Trinidad and Tobago. The event contained the best players from the English and Dutch Caribbean along with Haiti. 
International master Orlando Husbands lived up to his top ranking in the 96-player field from 15 different countries and won the Open section with 7 ½ points from a possible 9 matches. He won 6 games and drew three, with his last round draw against FIDE master Joshua Christie of Jamaica sealing the title.
International master Vishnu Singh of Trinidad placed second with 7 points, just ahead of a young Jason Yeung of Surinam on the tie-break also on 7.
Another Barbadian, ace road tennis player Emar Edwards put in an impressive performance to finish joint 4th, but 7th on the tie-break with 6 ½ points. His last round draw against the second seed FIDE master Joshua Johnson of Trinidad climaxed a good tournament result for Edwards. He was among the prizes and with his score more than two thirds, he will be provisionally awarded the FIDE master title. Chess has several titles which start with candidate master, rise to FIDE master, then to international master and finally grandmaster. They are based on performances at specific events and a players’ rating.
Justin Parsons, the other local participant in the Open section lost his last round game against Trini Yogendranath Ramsingh to finish with a creditable 4 ½ points.
Queen’s College’s 15-year-old Hannah Wilson then did herself, country, parents and all proud when she clinched the Female section by winning her last round game against Polina Karelina of the Bahamas to finish with 8 points from her 9 rounds. With this victory in such a prestigious event, Wilson will now have her woman FIDE master title upgraded to woman international master.
Barbados then had more glory as Wilson’s school mate , Chanon Reifer-Belle and also 15 years, drew her last round game against Victoria Kaslan of Suriname to finish in clear second with 6 ½ points, just ahead of Ysvett Hermoso Rodriguez of Trinidad with 6. Chanon will have her title upgraded from woman candidate master to woman FIDE master due to her placing.  Both young ladies played tough chess throughout the event, and I believe that their fierce rivalry pushes both players to excel.
To justify the young ladies’ talents, Wilson’s only loss in the event came at the hands of Reifer-Belle. However, Wilson’s last wrong victim Karelina has defeated the Open winner Husbands over 8 years ago in a standard tournament game.
With their victories both Husbands and Wilson have qualified for the next chess FIDE World Cup. This is a knock out event that is part of the World championship cycle with the best players in the world from which the top three players will move forward to the candidates’ event, where the eventual winner of that will go on to challenge the current world champion Dommaraju Gukesh of India in the men and Ju Wenjun of China in the women for the world championship title.
As Husbands and Wilson will be the first participants to take part in a World Cup event from the English, Dutch or French speaking Caribbean, this is a momentous achievement by these young players. The only chess achievement, that I can say is as comparable for Barbados, is when Kevin Denny became the first international master from the English, Dutch or French speaking Caribbean in 2001 at the then Subzonal 2.3.5.  
Kudos must go to these players, but also to their parents, coaches and supporters. In Husband’s case, special mention must be made of Dr. David Jordan who would have taught him the game at Lodge school and supported him in many of his early chess endeavors. In Wilson’s case , to her parents Albert and Jenita who have sacrificed a lot to support Hannah’s love for chess. These two players will now have to prepare earnestly for their next big challenge. Congratulations on an incomplete journey of hard work and dedication.

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Barbados chess players making strong moves in Trinidad

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Five Barbados chess players are currently participating in the Subzone 2.3.3 Absolute and Female Chess Championships 2025 being played in Trinidad and Tobago over this week at the Cascadia hotel.

The tournament is a 9-round event being played as separate Open and female events whereby the winner of each separate event will progress to the 2025 World Cup which is a qualifier for the world chess championship. All the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean from Bermuda in the north to Suriname in the south, along with Haiti are invited to take part.

Barbados is represented in the open section by international master Orlando Husbands, candidate master Justin Parsons and Emar Edwards. There are 96 players from 15 countries participating.

Husbands is the top-rated player in the event and after the first day, he has two victories to be one of the leaders. He defeated Jayden Foreshaw of Jamaica and Kael Samuel-Bisnath of Trinidad. Edwards has one and a half point so far, having defeated Gennard Roberts of Grenada and drawn with Kaieem Elizee of St. Lucia. Parsons had a fair day with a victory over Arthur Superville of Trinidad in round one, before going down to FIDE master Joshua Christie of Jamaica.

Other favorites to win their first two games included the second ranked FIDE master Joshua Johnson of Trinidad, Christie and Kevin Cupid of Trinidad.

In the female section Barbados’s representatives are woman FIDE master and current national champion Hannah Wilson and woman candidate master Chanon Reifer-Belle. They are the third and fourth ranked players in the 27-player field with representatives from 13 countries.

Wilson won her first two matches against Adaya Johnson of Trinidad and Chika Pride of the Bahamas. Reifer-Belle started well with a victory over Jessica Callender of Guyana but then fell to an upset defeat to Samantha Dolly of Trinidad.

Other favorites doing well with two victories, also include Ysvett Hermoso Rodriguez of Trinidad and woman FIDE master Polina Karelina of the Bahamas.

The Bajans will look to keep the local flag high as the participate during the week.

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Harrison College “A” team takes Secondary School Team Under 20 Chess championship

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Melvin Terence (boarrd 5) of harrison College A
Mileke Sinckler (board 1) of Harrison College A team.
Players in action in the Under 20 School team chess championship
Harrison College “A” team won the 2025 Secondary School Under 20 team chess championship which was played at their school at Crumpton Street over the last weekend.
Harrison College “A” edged out the number one seed Queen’s College “A” by a mere one and a half game points as the former scored 26.5 points, while the later garnered 25.
Harrison College’ s “A” team of Mileke Sinckler, Aaron Jaikaran, Charis Stuart, Joseph Yeung-Chou and Melvin Terence won all their 6 matches, and none was more important than the head-to-head clash with Queen’s College “A” in round three.
In this match, Kolij “A” edged the Queen’s College “A” team 3 – 2 in a very tense affair. On board one, Mileke Sinckler upset the higher rated Chanon Reifer-Belle in a tough battle, while the other victory for them came on board 5, where Melvin Terence defeated Loki Clarke. Loki’s brother Noah won for Queen’s College “A” on board three from Charis Stuart, while the other two matches ended in draws.
After this match Harrison College “A” held a very slim one-point lead and to secure the title they would have to rely on no slip ups and another team taking some valuable points away from the Queen’s College “A” team. As such would happen in that the Combermere “A” team would take a vital 2 points from Harrison College “A” team in their round 5 match-up. The heroes for Combermere “A” were Leshay Springer and Nathan Griffith who won their games even though the team eventually went down 2 – 3.
Combermere “A” eventually came third on 19 points while Queen’s College “B” came fourth on 15 ½ points in the dozen team field.
The outstanding players were Mileke Sinckler and Melvin Terence who won all their games. Noah Clarke won all his games as well. Aaron Jaikaran and Joseph Yeung-Chou scored 5 ½ points from their 6 games, as well as Amari Blackett form Queen’s College also scored 5 ½ on board 4.
The top 5 finishers were
Rank.   Team              Points
1    Harrison College A      26,5     
2    Queens College A       25        
3    Combermere A         19         
4    Lester Vaughn A        16,5      
5    Harrison College B      16 
 
The next event on the Barbados Chess Federation calendar is the 2025 Under 8 – 18 Youth Championships at the St. Leonard’s Secondary school over the weekend of April 5 – 6 beginning at 9. 00 a.m.    

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Six lead the CB Gilkes Open chess event

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Dr. Philip Corbin will be looking to win the event as the number one seed
Second seed the multi talented Emar Edwards
CB Gilkes Open participants in action
After two rounds of the 2025 CB Gilkes chess tournament currently being held at the Coles Building, Bay Street, Bridgetown, St. Michael, 6 players are in the lead of the 7- round event with 2 points each.
These players include FIDE master Dr. Philip Corbin, candidate master Justin Parsons, woman candidate master Chanon Reifer- Belle, Ronaldo Rochester, Lawrence Depradine and Emar Edwards.
In the last round played  on Errol Barrow day, Parsons defeated Allan Herbert, Reifer-Belle won from Isaiah Archer, Rochester defeated veteran Cyprian La Touche, Depradine defeated Aaron Jaikaran, Edwards won from wily veteran Othneil Harewood, while Dr. Corbin won from Amari Blackett. Blackett would have felt hard done as he played a good game and could have held on for a draw in the ending. However, a slight inaccuracy, Corbin was able to capitalize and claim victory.
Savion Little and newcomer Rasmakonnen  Lowe sit in joint 7th – 8th with one and a half points. These two battled to a hard-fought draw in round 2, with Lowe showing great competence in his play to push Little all the way.
Other players obtaining victories in round two of the event were Boris Thompson, Noah Clarke, Mileke Sinckler, Jerimiah Farley, Alfred Sparman and Janiyah Browne.
With only two rounds of the event completed so far, the battle is definitely on for the top three places who would qualify for the 2025 Open National chess championship final later in the year.
The action concludes over the coming weekend with games played at the Coles Building on Saturday and Sunday with games at 10.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m.

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