Bajan chess champs compete in Budapest

The grand opening of the 45th Chess Olympiad took place at the Dr Jeno Koltai Sports Centre in Budapest, Hungary, on Tuesday evening. The event brought together thousands of players, team captains, FIDE Congress delegates, officials, tournament guests, and media.

Barbados is one of the 194 countries represented, a record for this event. The Barbados Chess Federation has sent a 10-member team comprising five men and five women.

In the open section, FIDE Master Dr Philip Corbin is making a return to competition, having played the last of his 12 Olympiads in 2010. Corbin, 67, was national champion seven times between 1975 and 1997, and his peak FIDE rating was 2315 in 1991.

Aged 33, Justin Blackman has been the most successful men’s player for Barbados in recent years. He is currently rated 2265.

Kemp Lynch Kemp, aged 28, is rated 1944. 2024 national championships runner-up Emar Edwards, 27, is rated 1898. And 30-year-old Lawrence Depradine is rated 1782. The men’s captain is Mikhail Gurevich.

The women’s team includes four Women Candidate Masters (WCM). The top-rated player is 15-year-old Hannah Wilson at 1888, followed by Katrina Blackman, 32, at 1814.

Another 15-year-old, Chanon Reifer-Belle Chanon, is rated 1736. 22-year-old Kiarra Eversley is rated 1615. And 17-year-old Leshay Springer Leshay, the only player without WCM status, is rated 1425.

The women’s captain is Adrian Mikhalchishin.

Barbados got their 2024 campaign underway on Wednesday in the Hungarian capital. The men lost to Montenegro 4-0. Blackman was beaten by Grandmaster Denis Kadric. Lynch was overcome by Grandmaster Nikita Petrov. Corbin was undone by Nikola Djukic. And Edwards was defeated by Grandmaster Luka Draskovic.

The women went down to Switzerland 3.5-0.5. Wilson was bested by FIDE Master Lena Georgescu. Blackman was unsuccessful in her opener against Woman Grandmaster Ghazal Hakimifard. Reifer-Belle held Woman International Master Sofiia Hryzlova to a draw. And Eversley suffered a setback against Woman FIDE Master Mariia Manko.

In the second round of play, the Barbados team will hope for better fortunes against their Caribbean neighbours. The men will play the US Virgin Islands, and the women will take on Saint Lucia. Competition continues until September 23.

This year’s tournament marks a truly special moment in the history of chess, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the International Chess Federation. Over the past century, FIDE has worked tirelessly to promote the universal values of chess, bringing together minds from all corners of the globe in the spirit of friendship, respect, and competition.

(TF)