This commitment was demonstrated when United Insurance director Andy Toppin handed over the sponsor's cheque to BCF treasurer, Beverley Howell-Mayers at the recently concluded prize-giving ceremony for the Tertiary and Inter-School Chess League.

In addition to sponsoring the United Insurance Inter-School Secondary Team Chess Championships, they will now be sponsoring the Inter-School and Tertiary Team Chess League and the Primary School Chess Championships.

The local chess federation has enjoyed about 20 years of continuous support from United Insurance, and believes this additional injection of funds would not only providethe means necessary for hosting these costly team events but would help it to have greater impact on the development of players from their entry into the primary ranks until they leave university.

The federation is hoping in the not too distant future to see the introduction of chess in the inter-campus games.

This year's inter-school team tournament which got under way last Saturday at St Leonard's Boys' School, has attracted 29 teams from nine secondary schools, more than 150 competitors.

In this line-up are defending champions The Lodge School, Queen's College, Lester Vaughan, Combermere, Garrison, Louis Lynch, Coleridge and Parry, Alexandra, and Alleyne School.

In the primary section, which is being played alongside this event for the first time, there are nine teams from six schools. These include St Jude's Primary, Christ Church Boys', St Gabriel's, St Winifred's, People's Cathedral and St Cyprian's Boys'.

(SC)