CARIFTA Chess Championships 2015
The Bahamas' Daijah Johnson won the bronze medal in thrilling fashion at the CARIFTA Chess Championships held in Barbados from April 3-6.
Competing in the Under-12 Female section, Johnson displayed outstanding poise and talent, defeating players from Jamaica, Suriname, Curacao and the host country of Barbados.
The 11-year-old student of Aquinas College led her rivals through three rounds before falling to defending CARIFTA champion Adani Clarke of Jamaica. It would be Johnson's only loss in the seven rounds played. She then drew with Suriname's top under-12 player, Catherine Kaslan, who finished in second place behind Clarke.
In her other matches, Johnson, in her paradoxically quiet way, absolutely crushed her opponents. Most notable was the final round, which secured the bronze for the young Bahamian. Johnson's Surinese adversary was desperate for a win and tried everything to unnerve our heroine. Move after move, Johnson calmly withstood the incredible pressure until the moment to strike appeared. In a flash, Johnson sprung her queen in action and skilfully chased the opposite king into the inevitable checkmate. The brilliant win gave Johnson 5.5 points.
Johnson was joined by Malik Sands (Under-16 Open) and Philip Hanna Jr. (Under-20 Open) in representing The Bahamas in the tournament. Of their seven games, Hanna and Sands secured 4.0 and 3.5 points respectively, putting the team total at 13 points of a possible 21--an impressive score of 62%.
Reflecting on the team's performance, Andre White, president of the Bahamas Chess Federation, was thrilled. "We have shown once again that The Bahamas has amazing mental talent," he said. "It has only been in the last three years that our junior chess players have competed in regional tournaments, and despite the small size of our teams, we have medalled in all three. Not all countries can say that."
He continued, "Chess is not a marque sport in The Bahamas, and it is very difficult to find corporate partners to support us. But we do what we can with the little that we have to see that our players gain experience and develop their skills. Some countries in the region are so serious about the sport of chess that they import grandmasters to train their junior players. We saw that at this year's CARIFTA. We in The Bahamas do not have that luxury, yet we continue to excel.
The 2015 CARIFTA Chess Championships featured 109 top juniors from nine islands and territories that included Barbados, Curacao, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, Suriname, Trinidad, and U. S. Virgin Islands. The very best of them will compete in the next CAC Chess Festival, scheduled for August in Trinidad & Tobago. The Bahamas plans to be there.
Competing in the Under-12 Female section, Johnson displayed outstanding poise and talent, defeating players from Jamaica, Suriname, Curacao and the host country of Barbados.
The 11-year-old student of Aquinas College led her rivals through three rounds before falling to defending CARIFTA champion Adani Clarke of Jamaica. It would be Johnson's only loss in the seven rounds played. She then drew with Suriname's top under-12 player, Catherine Kaslan, who finished in second place behind Clarke.
In her other matches, Johnson, in her paradoxically quiet way, absolutely crushed her opponents. Most notable was the final round, which secured the bronze for the young Bahamian. Johnson's Surinese adversary was desperate for a win and tried everything to unnerve our heroine. Move after move, Johnson calmly withstood the incredible pressure until the moment to strike appeared. In a flash, Johnson sprung her queen in action and skilfully chased the opposite king into the inevitable checkmate. The brilliant win gave Johnson 5.5 points.
Johnson was joined by Malik Sands (Under-16 Open) and Philip Hanna Jr. (Under-20 Open) in representing The Bahamas in the tournament. Of their seven games, Hanna and Sands secured 4.0 and 3.5 points respectively, putting the team total at 13 points of a possible 21--an impressive score of 62%.
Reflecting on the team's performance, Andre White, president of the Bahamas Chess Federation, was thrilled. "We have shown once again that The Bahamas has amazing mental talent," he said. "It has only been in the last three years that our junior chess players have competed in regional tournaments, and despite the small size of our teams, we have medalled in all three. Not all countries can say that."
He continued, "Chess is not a marque sport in The Bahamas, and it is very difficult to find corporate partners to support us. But we do what we can with the little that we have to see that our players gain experience and develop their skills. Some countries in the region are so serious about the sport of chess that they import grandmasters to train their junior players. We saw that at this year's CARIFTA. We in The Bahamas do not have that luxury, yet we continue to excel.
The 2015 CARIFTA Chess Championships featured 109 top juniors from nine islands and territories that included Barbados, Curacao, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, Suriname, Trinidad, and U. S. Virgin Islands. The very best of them will compete in the next CAC Chess Festival, scheduled for August in Trinidad & Tobago. The Bahamas plans to be there.
