by SHERRYLYN CLARKE

WHILE the Barbados Chess Federation is well run and its members have knowledge and expertise, the growth of the game in Barbados is hampered by the small number of competitors.

This was the assessment of Grandmaster Nigel Short, Commonwealth chess champion and secretary-general of the Commonwealth Chess Federation.

Short is on what he calls a "fact finding and promotional" tour of the chess-playing nations in the region to raise the awareness of the game.

"The federation is fairly healthy. It's small, but it is well organised and I was impressed by the fact that, for example, in this area, Barbados is the only federation that has international arbiters so it has qualified people," he said, referring to president Dr Kumar Areti and long-standing member Allan Herbert.

Short said more needed to done to raise the level of the game by providing training for both the men's and women's national teams, as well as hosting some international tournaments.

"It is expensive to send players abroad and although Barbadians will have to travel to some degree, it is better if we could also bring players from outside. This gives more opportunities.

"The problem with many small federations is that the gene pool is a little bit too small. If you are one of the top players here, you tend to see the same faces several times a year so the same mistakes are made over and over again and people are not really learning. You need this infusion of blood and knowledge from outside," said the former world championships finalist.

Short said chess was one of the most popular games in the world and played by millions, but was not properly marketed. He said, chess, the "ultimate mind sport", was proven to help children with attention and this had spillover effects.

During his visit, Short matched his skills against 31 players simultaneously. He also held a question and answer session to pass on any tips about plays and openings. He is scheduled to leave the island today to continue his tour in Trinidad and Tobago.