Bahamas Junior Chess Championship 2014
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On August 31st, Philip Hanna Jr. was crowned the 2014 Bahamas Junior Chess Champion after going undefeated in five long rounds of tough mental struggle.
The eagerly-awaited contest pitted the country's top under-20 chess superstars ranging in age from 7 to 19, including two-time defending champion Sandeep Gali, and 9-year-old Candidate Master Nathan Smith. Throughout the tournament, Hanna used his trademark style of careful, positional play to build an advantage before closing out with stellar tactics and endgame technique. On his way to the championship, Hanna defeated Daijah Johnson and survived a near-draw against Smith in round two. He then outlasted Gali in round three before closing out the tourney with wins over Ashley Gibson and Kelsie Thomas. Finishing in second place with four points was Gali, whose only defeat came at the hands of Hanna. Gibson placed third based on tie-breaks, with a total of three points. Winning their respective age categories were: Under-8: William Diggiss Jr. Under-10: CM Nathan Smith Under-12: Daijah Johnson Under-14: Kelsie Thomas Under-16: Sandeep Gali: Under-18: Philip Hanna Jr. Under-20: Ashley Gibson 18-year-old Hanna is a Bahamas Academy graduate and now attends the College of The Bahamas. 
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