Del Castilho wins fourth online Grand Prix event with another clean sweep

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Six-time national champion Martyn Del Castilho enhanced his bid to win the Barbados Chess Federation’s online Grand Prix Series by capturing his second successive event with a perfect record last weekend.

Taking advantage of the absence of Justin Blackman, who won the first two events, Del Castilho registered a maximum seven points to comfortably stave off his opposition in the fourth event of the series which is being played under the fast rapid format.

Three players finished with five points with Akeem Cox taking second place on the tie break ahead of the youthful pair of third-placed Gaybrianna Moore and fourth-placed Rory Prescod.

With two events remaining in the series, Del Castilho, who celebrated his 32nd birthday last week, has established himself as favourite to win the new onilne series that has been organised to provide some form of competition for local players against the background of restrictions on over the board tournaments in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the format of the six-event series, players are awarded Grand Prix points in each event based on their percentage score in each tournament. Del Castilho, therefore, gained 100 Grand Prix points, with Cox, Moore and Prescod each earning 71.

FIDE Master Del Castilho is now the runaway leader in the series with 356 points, sitting comfortably ahead of his nearest rivals. Blackman, despite missing the fourth event ahead of his participation in this weekend’s knockout rounds of the American World Cup 2021 Qualification Stage, is in joint second place with Cox on 270 points.

Emar Edwards remained in fourth place on 256 points and Prescod moved up a notch to fifth place on 235 points.

The list of the top ten is completed Moore (227), Julissa Figueroa (221), Hannah Wilson (219), Melvin Terence (205) and Chanon Reifer-Belle (199).

Moore has replaced Figueroa has the leader among the females, while Edwards (Best player rated between 1300 and 1599), Prescod (Best player rated between 1000 and 1299) and Joshua Blanchard (Best unrated player) have retained their front-running positions in the other sub-categories.

For the third successive event, there were 26 players and overall 35 players have participated in the series which will move into the fifth event next month. (BCF)

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Blackman, Del Castilho advance to American World Cup knockout rounds

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BCF - Martyn Del Castilho (1)
BCF - Justin Blackman (1)

Leading Barbadian chess players Justin Blackman and Martyn Del Castilho landed top half finishes to advance to the knockout rounds of the American World Cup 2021 Qualification Stage event.

Both Blackman and Del Castilho earned five out of a maximum nine points in last weekend’s preliminary phase which was played as an online event under the fast rapid format.

Blackman was joint 31st to emerge as the highest placed finisher from the English-speaking Caribbean while fellow FIDE Master Del Castilho placed 46th in the two-day event that attracted 107 entrants from 16 countries.

The 29-year-old Blackman, the reigning Caribbean blitz champion who was seeded at no. 43, enjoyed the satisfaction of defeating two Cuban International Masters with higher ratings – Gonzalez Lopez and Perez Diaz.

Five other Barbadians participated in the preliminary phase of the event which was organised by the Confederation of Chess for Americas. Veteran Cyprian La Touche (88th), five-time national women’s champion Katrina Blackman (89th), fellow Woman Candidate Master and one-time national women’s champion Julissa Figueroa (92nd) and the youthful Keon Lashley (93rd) all finished with three points, while another youngster, Tarquin Clark (103rd) ended with two points.

The event was won by no. 6 seed Brazilian International Master Roberto Molina who finished with eight and a half points. Mark Polkin of Canada was second with seven and a half points and Sebastian Sanchez of Colombia third with seven points.

In addition to Justin Blackman and Del Castilho, teenaged Jamaicans Darren McKennis and Jaden Shaw also earned five points to progress to the knockout stage.

Justin Blackman and Del Castilho will join reigning national triple crown champion Orlando Husbands in the knockout phase which starts on May 22. Husbands, the highest rated Barbadian in the FIDE rankings, was entered directly for the knockout stage.

The knockout phase, which will feature 128 competitors, will be played under a significantly longer time control – games are expected to last more than four hours – and will be contested in a hybrid format where players in one country assemble at a single location to play their games online on their computers under the supervision of arbiters. (BCF)

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Seven Bajans to compete in American World Cup prelims

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Seven Bajans to compete in American World Cup prelims

Six-time national chess champion Martyn Del Castilho and reigning Caribbean blitz champion Justin Blackman are among seven Barbadians entered for this weekend’s preliminary phase of the American World Cup 2021 Qualification Stage event.

Del Castilho, the highest ranked Barbadian in the first phase of the event that has attracted 106 entries from 16 countries, is seeded at no. 27, while fellow FIDE Master Blackman is the no. 43 seed.

With 80 places up for grabs to advance to the knockout phase later this month, both Del Castilho and Blackman will fancy their chances of progressing.

Given the COVID-19 pandemic, the event, which was originally scheduled as an over-the-board competition in Chile, will be contested as a combination of an online and hybrid format. The preliminary phase will be held online with players competing from where they choose, while the knockout section will use the hybrid format where players resident in one country assemble at a venue to play their games online on their computers under the supervision of arbiters.

The preliminary phase will be played as a rapid event – games last about half hour – over nine rounds on Saturday and Sunday, starting at 3 p.m. Barbados time each day, while the knockout segment, which is restricted to 128 players, will be played as a hybrid event under a standard format with games running for about four hours.

Five-time national women’s champion Katrina Blackman, who is seeded at no. 80 and fellow Woman Candidate Master and one-time national champion Julissa Figueroa, the no. 82 seed, are also entered for the preliminary phase.

The other Barbadians vying for honours in the preliminaries are veteran Cyprian La Touche and the youthful pair of Tarquin Clark and Keon Lashley.

Reigning national triple crown champion, International Master Orlando Husbands, the island’s highest rated player, is entered directly for the knockout stage which starts on May 22.

The preliminary phase, which features players from United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago among others, has attracted 60 players with FIDE titles, including four Grandmasters, 22 International Masters and four Women International Masters. (BCF)

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Del Castilho wins third online Grand Prix event with perfect record

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Martyn Del Castilho captured the third Grand Prix event with a 100 per cent winning record. (BCF Picture)

Del Castilho wins third online Grand Prix event with perfect record

Martyn Del Castilho turned the tables on Justin Blackman to win the third event of the Barbados Chess Federation’s online Grand Prix Series with a clean sweep of the boards last weekend.

Top seed Del Castilho, who placed second to Blackman in the first two events of the series in February and March, bounced back to take the honours and set the stage for an keen battle in the remaining three events.

The two FIDE masters won all four of their games on Saturday’s opening day before meeting in a top-of-the-table clash in the fifth round at the start of Sunday’s action.

Del Castilho, a six-time national champion, prevailed over Blackman and duly won the next two games to finish with a maximum seven points.

Blackman, the no. 2 seed a reigning online Caribbean blitz champion, was second with six points, while Emar Edwards claimed third place on the tie-break ahead of Cyprian La Touche and Hannah Wilson after the trio ended with five points.

The competition attracted 26 players, the same as the previous event a month earlier. Under the format of the six-event series, players are awarded Grand Prix points in each event based on their percentage score in each tournament. Del Castilho, therefore, gained 100 Grand Prix points, Blackman 85 and Edwards, La Touche and Wilson 71.

Blackman is the overall Grand Prix leader at the half-way stage of the series with 270 points, followed by Del Castilho on 256 points. Edwards and Akeem Cox, who placed third in the first two events, share third place with 199 points while Julissa Figueroa is fifth on 171 points.

The top ten places are completed by Rory Prescod (164), Gaybrianna Moore (156), Hannah Wilson (155), Melvin Terence (148) and Chanon Reifer-Belle (148).

The Guatemala-born Figueroa, the wife of Del Castilho, leads among the females, while the front-runners in the other sub-categories are Edwards (Best player rated between 1300 and 1599), Prescod (Best player rated between 1000 and 1299) and Joshua Blanchard (Best unrated player).

The series, which has attracted 32 players, is being played under the short rapid format on an online platform due to the existing restrictions on physical gatherings in view of the C0VID-19 situation.

The dates of the fourth Grand Prix event will be determined at a later stage. (BCF)

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Blackman sweeps boards to win second online Grand Prix event

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Justin Blackman won the second event of the new online Grand Prix Series with a clean sweep of the boards. (BCF Picture)

Blackman sweeps boards to win second online Grand Prix event

Justin Blackman completed a clean sweep of the boards to capture the second event of the Barbados Chess Federation’s new online Grand Prix Series over the weekend.

Blackman, the no. 2 seed who also won the first event last month, finished with a perfect seven points in the two-day tournament played under the short rapid format on an online platform due to the existing restrictions on physical gatherings in view of the C0VID-19 situation.

The reigning Caribbean blitz champion established himself as favourite to take the honours when he triumphed against no. 1 seed Martyn Del Castilho in a top-of-the-table fourth round clash at the end of Saturday’s opening day.

The 29-year-old Blackman duly cemented his position with a further three victories on Sunday’s final day to comfortably win the event ahead of fellow FIDE Master Del Castilho who took second place with five and a half points.

Akeem Cox edged Nitin Mahtani on the tie-break to seal third place with five points. It meant that there was a carbon copy of the top three finishers from the first event which was held on February 6 and 7.

Emar Edwards, who finished fourth in the first event, ended with four and a half points to take fifth place on the tie break ahead of Adam Roachford and Rory Prescod.

The tournament attracted 26 players, six more than the first event. Under the format of the six-event series, players are awarded Grand Prix points in each event based on their percentage score in each tournament. Blackman, therefore, gained 100 Grand Prix points, Del Castilho 78 and Cox 71.

The player with the most Grand Prix points at the end of the series will be crowned champion. There will also be prizes for the second and third place finishers, Best Female, Best Player rated between 1300 and 1599, Best Player rated between 1000 and 1299 and the Best unrated player.

The dates of the third Grand Prix event will be determined at a later stage. (BCF)

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Blackman wins the first event of the new online Grand Prix Series

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Blackman wins first event of new online Grand Prix Series

Reigning Caribbean blitz champion Justin Blackman overcame top seed Martyn Del Castilho to come out on top in the first event of the Barbados Chess Federation’s new online Grand Prix Series last weekend.

Blackman, the no. 2 seed, defeated fellow FIDE Master Del Castilho in a top-of-the-table fourth round game and despite losing to Akeem Cox in the penultimate round, he took the honours after finishing with six out of a maximum seven points.

Cox’s win against Blackman paved the way for an exciting finish to the first event in the new series which is being contested under the short rapid format on an online platform given the existing restrictions on physical gatherings in view of the recent spike in C0VID-19 cases.

Del Castilho, a six-time national champion, finished second with five-and-a-half points while Cox, a former national Under-20 champion, was third with five points in the two-day event that attracted 20 competitors.

Blackman and Del Castilho went into the final round level on points. Blackman, however, was confirmed as the winner after defeating Louis Wilson while Del Castilho played to a draw with Cox.

Emar Edwards took fourth place on the tie-break, having finished with four-and-a-half points, the same as Julissa Figueroa, Nitin Mahtani and Melvin Terence.

Under the format of the six-event series, players are awarded Grand Prix points in each event based on their percentage score in each tournament. Blackman, therefore, gained 85 Grand Prix points, Del Castilho 78 and Cox 71.

The player with the most Grand Prix points at the end of the series will be crowned champion. There will also be prizes for the second and third place finishers, Best Female, Best Player rated between 1300 and 1599, Best Player rated between 1000 and 1299 and the Best unrated player.

The dates of the second Grand Prix event will be determined at a later stage. (BCF)

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BCF launches online Grand Prix Series

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Reigning national triple crown champion Orlando Husbands (right) and Justin Blackman, who finished second in the National Rapid and Blitz Championships last year, are expected to be among the contenders vying for the new online Grand Prix Series. (BCF Picture)

BCF launches online Grand Prix Series

The Barbados Chess Federation (BCF) has launched a new online Grand Prix Series.

The series, which will take the form of six rapid tournaments throughout the year, has been conceptualised in view of the pending lockdown and restrictions on physical gatherings in an attempt to contain the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.

Instead of assembling in one location to play over-the-board games in a face-to-face setting, players will compete online on their computers from their homes.

The first event of the series is set for this weekend with the first four rounds of games carded for Saturday and the final three rounds on Sunday. Players will push off from 4 p.m. each day.

Rather than use the traditional time control where games typically last around three hours, the tournament will be played under a rapid format where each player will have ten minutes plus three-second increments for each move to complete their games which will last around 20 to 25 minutes.

One of the aims of the series is to expose players to this format, while taking into account that more international online rapid tournaments are likely to come on stream this year.

Last year, FIDE, the world governing body for chess, staged the inaugural Online Olympiad in August and the Online World Cadets and Youth Rapid Championships in December with both events attracting more than 1 000 participants from more than 100 countries.

The BCF will also use some of its Grand Prix events as qualifiers for international tournaments this year.

Under the format, players will earn Grand Prix points based on their performances in each event and the top finishers will receive prizes at the end of the series.

In addition to prizes for the first three places, there will also be prizes for four sub-categories – Best Female, Best Player rated between 1300 and 1599, Best Player rated between 1000 and 1299 and the Best unrated player.

This is not the first time the BCF will be staging an online event, having hosted the 2020 National Blitz Championship as an online tournament, while the 2020 National Rapid Championship was contested in a hybrid setting – players competing online on their computers in a face-to-face environment at the Chess Centre on Exmouth Gap, Brandons, St. Michael. Both tournaments were won by International Master Orlando Husbands on his way to completing a national treble for the second time. (BCF)  

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Husbands finishes year in fine style with fourth title

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Orlando Husbands clinched the treble by winning the National Blitz title. (BCF Pictures)

Husbands finishes year in fine style with fourth title

Barbados’ top chess player Orlando Husbands finished off the year in grand style by winning the Michael Forde Memorial Championship with a perfect record over the weekend to secure a fourth major title for 2020.

The 23-year-old International Master brushed aside each of his seven opponents and was crowned champion before the final round of games on Sunday at the Chess Centre on Exmouth Gap, Brandons, St. Michael.

Having secured 11 points in the FIDE ratings, the performance will push him to a career high rating of 2348 when the world governing body for chess updates its rankings list at the end of the month.

The triumph rounds off an amazing year for Husbands who achieved a national treble of senior titles for the second time by winning the National Open, Rapid and Blitz Championships – a feat he also accomplished in 2018.

Husbands started the Michael Forde Memorial Championship with a victory over Hannah Wilson when the tournament pushed off on December 10. He followed up with wins against Aaron Haynes, Cleveston Ifill, Emar Edwards, Louis Wilson, Kiarra Eversley and Adam Roachford

Ifill, the no. 2 seed who returned to returned to competitive chess in October after an absence of more than a decade, finished second with six points – his only defeat was to Husbands in the third round.

There was a thrilling battle for third place which went to Emar Edwards, who ended with four-and-a-half points. Edwards, the no. 3 seed, was among eight players separated by a half-point going into the final round.

Three players – Louis Wilson, Eversley and Tarquin Clark – all finished on four points and also won prizes in the process.

Louis Wilson took fourth place on the tie break and was the Best Player rated under 1600. Eversley was fifth and also won the prize for the Best Female while Clark, who was sixth, was the Best Player rated under 1400.

The Championship, the final event on the Barbados Chess Federation’s 2020 calendar, attracted 13 entrants. (BCF)

BCF-Cleveston-Ifill-vs-Louis-Wilson
Cleveston Ifill (left), who took second place, playing against Louis Wilson, who won the prize for the Best Player rated under 1600.
BCF-Emar-Edwards-vs-Adam-Roachford
Third-placed Emar Edwards (left) battling against Adam Roachford

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Husbands completes another national treble

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Orlando Husbands clinched the treble by winning the National Blitz title. (BCF Pictures)

Husbands completes another national treble

Barbados’ most decorated chess player over the past five years, Orlando Husbands, has completed an amazing treble of national titles for the second time.

The 23-year-old International Master secured his third major title for the year by narrowly winning the National Blitz title on Sunday.

Contested as an online event for the first time, the Championship was a straight fight between Husbands and 2019 champion Justin Blackman with both players finishing with eight out of a maximum nine points.

The first two tie-breaks failed to settle the deadlock but Husbands prevailed on the third tie-break to duplicate the treble he first achieved in 2018 when he became the first player to simultaneously hold the three major senior national championships – Open, Rapid and Blitz.

It was an exciting event in which Husbands suffered a shock defeat against 18-year-old Adam Roachford in the second round.

Husbands, however, was back on level terms with Blackman when he defeated the Caribbean Blitz Online champion in the fifth round. Neither player dropped a point for the final four rounds, forcing the Championship to be decided on the tie-breaks.

It was the second straight week that Husbands, who was crowned the National Open champion for third time in October, prevailed over Blackman for a title, having defeated the 29-year-old FIDE Master in a play-off to win the National Rapid Championship the previous Sunday.

Nitin Mahtani took third place in the fast-paced Blitz Championship with six-and-a-half points, having lost only to Husbands and Blackman.

Justin Parsons was fourth with six points and the top five was completed by 13-year-old Melvin Terence, who ended with five points.

Terence also won the prize for the Best Player rated under 1600, while Louis Wilson, who was sixth with four-and-a-half points, took the prize for the Best Player rated under 1400.

Kiarra Eversley, who completed the top half of the 14-player field with four-and-a-half points, was the Best Female.

The Barbados Chess Federation’s 2020 calendar of events will conclude with the Michael Forde Memorial Championship which starts on Thursday at the Chess Centre on Exmouth Gap, Brandons, St. Michael. It will run over seven rounds and concludes on December 20. (BCF)

BCF-Justin-Blackman-1-1030x773
Justin Blackman took second place after he was edged on the tie-break.
BCF-Kiarra-Eversley-1030x773
Kiarra Eversley was the Best Female.

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Prescod, Wilson tops among English-speaking Caribbean players

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Louis Wilson was the highest-placed finisher from the English-speaking Caribbean in the Under-16 Open section.
BCF-Rory-Prescod-1030x773
Rory Prescod was the highest-placed competitor from the English-speaking Caribbean in the Under-12 Open category.

Prescod, Wilson tops among English-speaking Caribbean players

National junior champions Rory Prescod and Louis Wilson emerged as the top finishers from the English-speaking Caribbean in their categories in the Americas division of the FIDE Online World Cadets and Youth Rapid Chess Championships.

Prescod, the national Under-14 and Under-12 Open champion and Wilson, the national Under-16 champion, both finished the seven-round event with three points as the Bajans ended their campaign on Thursday night at the Chess Centre on Exmouth Gap, Brandons, St. Michael.

Wilson finished 22nd of 31 competitors in the Under-16 Open category while Prescod was 26th of 34 entrants in the Under-12 Open section.

Barbados players scored ten wins during the last two rounds on the final night of competition with Prescod and national Under-18 champion Aaron Haynes leading the way with two victories each.

Prescod defeated Kyle Couchman of Guyana in the penultimate round and followed up with a win against Jaheim Smart of Jamaica to complete his third straight victory.

Haynes, who also ended with three points in the Under-18 Open category, won against Ethan Lee of Guyana in the sixth round and ended with another win over Jonathan Solomon of Antigua and Barbuda.

Apart from Wilson, Prescod, and Haynes, two other Barbadians finished with three points – Vanessa Greenidge and Gaybrianna Moore, who both competed in the Under-16 Girls’ division.

Greenidge, the newly crowned ladies national champion and a joint national Under-16 female champion, finished 17th of 27 competitors to register the highest placing by a Barbadian at the event.

Moore defeated Morales Gomez of Panama in the sixth round where Barbados also gained wins from Azaria Johnson and Yhden Layne. Johnson defeated Cadeau Merisena of Haiti in the Under-16 Girls’ category while Layne won against another Haitian, Kimberlie Dunat in the Under-14 Girls’ age-group.

In the final round, Barbados’ five victories came from Prescod, Wilson, Haynes, Yeshua Hill and Kiarra Eversley.

Wilson defeated Jamesley Decimus of Haiti, Hill won over Joshua Khan of Guyana in the Under-16 Open section and Eversley got the better of another Guyanese, Sasha Shariff in the Under-18 Girls’ division.

The FIDE Online World Cadets and Youth Rapid Chess Championships, staged for the first time in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, is being played in continental divisions ahead of the final stage. The Championships have attracted more than 1 300 participants from 114 countries. (BCF)

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