Barbados register big wins on second day of Chess Olympiad

FIDE Master Justin Blackman helped the Barbados Open team register a victory against Cayman Islands. (FIDE Picture)

Barbados register big wins on second day of Chess Olympiad

Barbados’ Open and Women’s teams bounced back from first round defeats to register crushing victories on the second day of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India on Saturday.

The Open team, without their top rated player Orlando Husbands, who was rested, defeated Cayman Islands 3.5-0.5 while the Women’s side blanked Djibouti 4-0 at the Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort and Convention Centre.

Both Barbados teams came up came against lower rated opposition and duly delivered victories.

Barbados’ Open team, ranked no. 124 out of 188 teams, had their own away against the 172nd ranked Cayman Islands.

FIDE Master Justin Blackman, playing on Board 1 in the absence of Husbands, defeated Clifford Shaw, and there were also wins for Olympiad debutants Justin Parsons and Adam Roachford as Barbados regrouped after losing to 31st ranked Sweden 3-5-0.5 on the opening day.

Parsons, on Board 3, won against Shaun Tracey, while Roachford, on Board 4, defeated Laia Swaminathan.

Emar Edwards, who played on Board 2, drew against Christopher Young.

Barbados’ Women’s team, seeded at no. 111 out of 162 teams, were too strong for the 153rd ranked Djibouti whose line-up did not include any players with FIDE ratings.

Woman Candidate Master Katrina Blackman, playing on Board 1, defeated Elmi Waberi Saredo, while ladies national champion, 13-year-old Hannah Wilson, who was on Board 2, won against Ismail Hassan Sagual.

Kiarra Eversley, playing on Board 3, beat Mohamed Direh Hasnaa, while 12-year-old Chanon Reifer-Belle, the youngest Barbadian to compete at an Olympiad, won against Mohamed Elmi Ramla on Board 4 after replacing Gaybrianna Moore in the line-up that lost to 31st ranked Peru 4-0 the previous day. (BCF)

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Blackman gains draw on tough first day for Barbados at Chess Olympiad

Blackman gains draw on tough first day for Barbados at Chess Olympiad

Blackman gains draw on tough first day for Barbados at Chess Olympiad

FIDE Master Justin Blackman salvaged a draw to prevent both Barbados teams from slumping to clean sweep defeats on a tough opening day for Caribbean countries at the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India on Friday.

Barbados’ Open team, seeded at no. 124 out of 188 teams, lost 3.5-0.5 to 31st ranked Sweden while the Women’s team, seeded at no. 111 out of 162 teams, went under 4-0 to 31st ranked Peru on the first day of competition at the Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort and Convention Centre.

Blackman, Barbados’ most successful player at the 2018 Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia, played to draw against a Tiger Hillarp Persson to deny the all-Grandmaster Sweden line-up a 100 per cent winning record.

It was, however, a difficult day for his teammates as International Master Orlando Husbands lost to Erik Blomqvist and debutants Emar Edwards and Justin Parsons went under to Jonathan Westerberg and Emanuel Berg respectively.

Barbados’ youthful Women’s team that included three players under the age of 21, also found it a rough against Peru and were unable to avoid a clean sweep.

Woman Candidate Master Katrina Blackman, the only member of the female team to play at a previous Olympiad, lost to Woman International Master Ann Chumpitaz.

First-timers, Hannah Wilson, 13, Gaybrianna Moore, 17, and Kiarra Eversley, 20, also suffered defeats to Woman International Master Mitzy Caballero Quijano, Woman FIDE Master Paula Paredes Bustamante and Kate Bravo Mallco respectively.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Open team was the only English-speaking Caribbean team to win in the opening round, defeating Niger 4-0.

Other English-speaking Caribbean countries also found the going tough.

In the Open section, Jamaica lost 3.5-0.5 to France, Guyana went under 3-1 to Andora, St Vincent and the Grenadines were beaten 4-0 by Panama, Dominica lost 4-0 to Iraq, St Kitts and Nevis were defeated by New Zealand 4-0 and St Lucia went under to Albana 4-0.

In the Women’s section, Jamaica lost to Netherlands 4-0, Guyana went under by a similar margin to Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago lost to Austria 3-5-0.5. (BCF)

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Barbados face tough opposition at start of Chess Olympiad

International Master Orlando Husbands will lead Barbados’ challenge at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India. (BCF Picture)

Barbados face tough opposition at start of Chess Olympiad

Barbados will face tough opposition in the opening round of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad which pushes off in Chennai, India on Friday.

The Open team, which is seeded at no. 124 out of 188 teams, will come up against 31st ranked Sweden, while the Women’s team, seeded at no. 111 out of 162 teams, face 31st ranked Peru.

International Master Orlando Husbands, who is competing at his fourth Olympiad, spearheads the Open team that faces a Sweden line-up that includes all Grandmasters.

FIDE Master Justin Blackman is the only other Barbadian in the Open team to play at an Olympiad as newcomers Justin Parsons, Emar Edwards and Adam Roachford prepare for their debut.

Woman Candidate Master Katrina Blackman leads a youthful Women’s team which will clash with a Peru squad that includes one Woman Grandmaster, two Women International Masters and one Woman FIDE Master.

Reigning ladies national champion Hannah Wilson, 13, Chanon Reifer-Belle, 12, Gaybrianna Moore, 17, and Kiarra Eversley, 20, will all be making their first Olympiad appearance.

The Olympiad, which is a team event, will be played over 11 rounds in both the Open and Women’s sections and will conclude on August 9.  It is being contested by a record number of teams at the Four Points by Sheraton Mahabalipuram Resort and Convention Centre.

At the 2018 Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia, both Barbados teams were the highest-placed of the English-speaking Caribbean countries. The Open team finished 97th out of 185 teams, while the Women’s team placed 99th out of 151 countries. (BCF)

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Seven newcomers in Barbados team for Chess Olympiad

Seven newcomers in Barbados team for Chess Olympiad

Seven newcomers have been selected in a youthful ten-member Barbados team for the upcoming FIDE Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India.

Thirteen-year-old Hannah Wilson, who was crowned as the youngest Barbados ladies national champion in April, heads the list of first-timers for the global event which will be held from July 28 to August 10.

Chanon Reifer-Belle, 12, who won gold medals in the online rapid and blitz events at the Pan American Youth Championships in recent weeks, becomes the youngest ever Barbadian selected for an Olympiad.

The other debutants in the Women’s team are Gaybrianna Moore, 17, and Kiarra Eversley, 20. Both Moore and Eversley were chosen for the 2020 Olympiad which was subsequently cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Five-time ladies national champion, Woman Candidate Master Katrina Blackman is the only member of the Women’s team with the experience of competing at a previous Olympiad.

There are three first-timers in the Open team which is spearheaded by four-time national champion, International Orlando Husbands, 25, who will be making his fourth appearance at an Olympiad.

The three newcomers are Justin Parsons, 25, Emar Edwards, 24 and Adam Roachford, 20.

FIDE Master Justin Blackman, the most successful Barbados player at the last Olympiad in 2018, completes the Open team.

Seven-time national champion Martyn Del Castilho, who has played in seven previous Olympiads, was originally selected for the Open team but withdrew due to medical reasons. It also led to the withdrawal of his wife, Julissa Figueroa, from the Women’s team. Figueroa has played at five Olympiads, including four for her native Guatemala.

Belgian Grandmaster Mikhail Gurevich is coach of the Open team for the second straight Olympiad while British Grandmaster Nigel Davies is the Women’s team coach. Barbados Chess Federation 3rd Vice President Kelvin Daniel will be the Head of Delegation.

At the 2018 Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia, both Barbados teams were the highest-placed of the English-speaking Caribbean countries. The Open team finished 97th out of 185 teams, while the Women’s team placed 99th out of 151 countries.

This year’s Olympiad is expected to attract more than 1 700 players from 189 countries in the Open section and 162 teams in the Women’s category. (BCF)

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Moore stands out for Barbados at Online Chess Olympiad

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)

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Barbados set to push off in FIDE Online Olympiad

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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Barbados end off with a victory at Online Chess Olympiad

Barbados end off with victory at Online Chess Olympiad

Barbados defeated Dominican Republic in their final game of the FIDE Online Olympiad to claim seventh place in Pool E of Division 3 on Sunday.

The Bajans beat fifth-placed Dominican Republic 4-5-1.5 to finish off strongly after losing to eventual Pool winners Mexico 5-5-0.5 and second-placed Costa Rica 4-2 earlier in the day.

With four wins from nine games over three days of competition, Barbados ended with eight points which represented a commendable showing against mainly opponents with higher ratings from the Americas region.

The impressive win against Dominican Republic was set up by victories from Orlando Husbands, Katrina Blackman, Julissa Figueroa and Vanessa Greeenidge. Nitin Mahtani played to a draw, while Martyn Del Castilho suffered defeat.

In the penultimate round against Costa Rica, Barbados were in contention for victory after going ahead 2-1 with the help of a win by Husbands and draws from the two Under-20 representatives, Mahtani and Azaria Johnson.

Costa Rica, however, pulled back as Del Castilho, Figueroa and Blackman lost their games.

Barbados found the going tough in their first match of the day against top rated Mexico where Justin Blackman prevented a clean sweep by earning a draw.

Terry Farley, Gaybrianna Moore, Kiarra Eversley, Aaron Haynes and Johnson all went under against the Mexicans.

Mexico topped the Pool with seven wins and a draw to finish with 15 points while Costa Rica took second place with 14 points from six wins and two draws. Guatemala rounded off the top three with 12 points which came from five wins and two draws.

Mexico, Costa Rica and have Guatemala have advanced to Division 2 which will be contested from Friday.

Jamaica, the only other English-speaking Caribbean team in Division 3, finished sixth in Pool D, collecting ten points from four wins and two draws.

The Online Olympiad, which has attracted more than 1 500 participants from 163 countries, has been organised by the world governing body for chess in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. (BCF)

 

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Mixed fortunes for Barbados in Online Chess Olympiad

Mixed fortunes for Barbados in Online Chess Olympiad

Barbados enjoyed mixed fortunes on the second day of competition in the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad on Saturday.

The Bajans defeated Suriname 4-2 but lost to Guatemala 4.5-1.5 and went under to El Salvador 4-2 as the battle intensified in Pool E of Division 3.

With the results, Barbados slipped to sixth place in the ten-team pool after holding their own on the first day with wins against Honduras and Panama that left them in third place.

It was a tall order for the Bajans in the fourth round when they took on the higher rated Guatemala.

Martyn Del Castilho registered the only victory for Barbados to maintain his 100 per cent winning record, while Justin Blackman managed a draw in his first game of the competition. The rest of the team, however, found it tough, resulting in losses for Katrina Blackman and Kiarra Eversley and the two Under-20s, Nitin Mahtani and Vanessa Greenidge.

Barbados bounced back in the fifth round to beat Caribbean rivals Suriname with Del Castilho, Orlando Husbands, Mahtani and Greenidge achieving victories. Katrina Blackman and Julissa Figueroa, however, were on the losing end.

The Bajans were unable to sustain the winning tempo in the sixth round and lost to the higher ranked El Salvador.

Terry Farley scored the only win for Barbados by completing his second victory in as many games, while there were draws for Figueroa and Azaria Johnson, who was playing her first game on the Under-20 female boards.

Del Castilho lost for the first time in five games while Katrina Blackman and Haynes also suffered defeats.

Having recorded three wins and as many losses, Barbados are on five points and in sixth place. They are level on points with fifth-placed Guatemala and seventh-placed Panama.

Costa Rica lead the table on nine points, leading top seeds Mexico on the tie break. The first three teams will advance to Division 2.

The Bajans, who are playing at the Chess Centre on Exmouth Gap on Brandons, will round off their Division 3 campaign today with games against Mexico at noon, Costa Rica at 1 p.m. and Dominican Republic at 2 p.m. (BCF)

Captions:

Vanessa Greenidge completed her third win on the Under-20 female boards. (BCF Pictures)

Terry Farley has won both of his games.

Note: Live streaming of the FIDE Online Olympiad with a focus on teams from the Americas region can be viewed by clicking on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/c/DavysChessChannel

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The Barbados Chess Federation has name a 12-member team

The Barbados Chess Federation has named a 12-member team.

Barbados is among 163 countries set to compete at the inaugural FIDE Online Chess Olympiad.

The Barbados Chess Federation has named a 12-member team for the global event which will start on Saturday and run until August 30.

The event has been organised in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic which forced the world governing body for chess to postpone the over-the-board 44th Olympiad from August this year until the summer of 2021 in Moscow, Russia.

Played as a mixed event – each country will field three males and three females for each round – the Online Olympiad will be contested over the rapid format in which games usually last a maximum of half-hour. Each team is mandated to play an Under-20 male and Under-20 female in every round.

Reigning double crown champion International Master Orlando Husbands, six-time national champion FIDE Master Martyn Del Castilho, former national champion International Master Terry Farley and FIDE Master Justin Blackman, the island’s most successful player at the 2018 Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia will carry Barbados’ hopes on the male boards which also include Under-20s Nitin Mahtani and Aaron Haynes.

The youthful women’s unit is spearheaded by five-time national ladies champion Katrina Blackman and fellow Woman Candidate Master Julissa Figueroa. They are joined by four players under the age of 20 – Vanessa Greenidge, Gaybrianna Moore, Kiarra Eversley and Azaria Johnson.

Dirk Austin, who has the experience of coaching in Malaysia, is non-playing captain, while Belgian Grandmaster Mikhail Gurevich is coach for the male players and Spanish International Master Renier Castellanos is coach for the females.

The Online Olympiad is split into five divisions based on performances at the 2018 over-the-board Olympiad. Barbados, seeded at no. 102, will play in Division 3 from August 5 to 9. They are among 35 seeded teams in that division which will be completed by 15 qualifiers from Division 4 which will be played from July 29 to August 2.

Barbados is the only English-speaking Caribbean country in Division 3 – the others are in either Division 4 or the Base Division.

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