The CARIFTA Junior Chess Team Competes in Jamaica
The Bahamas’ junior chess team returned from Jamaica recently where they competed in the 2013 CARIFTA Junior Chess Championship. The four-day, seven-round event, held April 4-8, 2013, was the first regional chess tournament in decades which The Bahamas has travelled to.
Rising chess stars Philip Hanna, Sandeep Gali, and Chaz Garraway battled against their regional rivals in the Under 20 and Under 16 sections to finish with a cumulative score of 10 ½ of a possible 21 points – an impressive showing given the team’s lack of experience in international competition.
Hanna, 17, has been playing tournament chess for less than one year and has shown dramatic improvement over that period. Gali, 13, started chess at age nine and is was named the 2012 Chess Player of the Year by the Bahamas Chess Federation. Garraway, also 13, has been so captivated by the game that he started a chess club at his school, Queen’s College, which now boasts some twenty members.
At the end of the tournament, it was Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad who would dominate the medal count -- finishing one, two, and three respectively.
Shyeras Smith (JAM) collected 5 ½ points in the Under-20 section, edging out Horace Sinclair (JAM) for the gold. Yu Tien Poon (BAR) proved unbeatable in the Under-16 section, concluding his weekend with 6 points after two draws. Della-Marie Walcott (TRI) won the tie-break to claim gold in the Under-12 Female section, while Brian Diaz (ARU) secured the top prize in the Under-12 Absolute section.
The trip was made possible by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and corporate sponsors such as Schooner Bay. Their commitment to the development of critical thinkers in The Bahamas through the game of chess has already started to pay off. The Bahamas Chess Federation is currently formulating plans to train more junior players and field more teams in tournaments abroad, including the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Norway.
Over 175 players from Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, and the U.S.V.I registered for the CARIFTA chess tournament, which was held at the Jamaica Conference Center in Kingston.
For photos and results, click here.
Rising chess stars Philip Hanna, Sandeep Gali, and Chaz Garraway battled against their regional rivals in the Under 20 and Under 16 sections to finish with a cumulative score of 10 ½ of a possible 21 points – an impressive showing given the team’s lack of experience in international competition.
Hanna, 17, has been playing tournament chess for less than one year and has shown dramatic improvement over that period. Gali, 13, started chess at age nine and is was named the 2012 Chess Player of the Year by the Bahamas Chess Federation. Garraway, also 13, has been so captivated by the game that he started a chess club at his school, Queen’s College, which now boasts some twenty members.
At the end of the tournament, it was Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad who would dominate the medal count -- finishing one, two, and three respectively.
Shyeras Smith (JAM) collected 5 ½ points in the Under-20 section, edging out Horace Sinclair (JAM) for the gold. Yu Tien Poon (BAR) proved unbeatable in the Under-16 section, concluding his weekend with 6 points after two draws. Della-Marie Walcott (TRI) won the tie-break to claim gold in the Under-12 Female section, while Brian Diaz (ARU) secured the top prize in the Under-12 Absolute section.
The trip was made possible by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and corporate sponsors such as Schooner Bay. Their commitment to the development of critical thinkers in The Bahamas through the game of chess has already started to pay off. The Bahamas Chess Federation is currently formulating plans to train more junior players and field more teams in tournaments abroad, including the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Norway.
Over 175 players from Aruba, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad, and the U.S.V.I registered for the CARIFTA chess tournament, which was held at the Jamaica Conference Center in Kingston.
For photos and results, click here.
(L to R) Philip Hanna Jr., Sandeep Gali, and Chaz Garroway will represent The Bahamas at the CARIFTA Junior Championship in Kingston, Jamaica.
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