Barbados made a solid start on the opening day of the 7th Carifta Chess Championships in Suriname on Friday.
After an impressive showing in the opening round with 15 wins from their 22 games, Barbados found the going tougher in the second round but still played steadily to record 11 victories at the Ministry of Finance Building in Paramaribo.
Barbados’ effort was spearheaded by six players who recorded victories in both rounds – double Carifta medallist Leigh Sandiford, his elder brother Kyle, last year’s silver medallist Vanessa Greenidge and debutants Dominic Jackman, Tarquin Clark and Hannah Wilson.
Clark, 9, and Wilson, 8, are the two youngest members of the team but held their own to start the championships with a perfect record.
Barbados’ Under-12 boys put in a good showing, winning four of their five games in the first round and a further three in the second.
Jackman, the national Under-12 champion, battled long in both games before winning, while Jaydn Gill won his first round game before playing to a hard-fought draw in the second. Debutant Rory Prescod won his first game and put in a grand effort in the second before losing to top rated Jamaican Jaden Shaw.
Wilson was the standout Under-12 girl while Greenidge led the way for the Under-16 girls where Pritika Kandamaran also gave a good account with a victory and a draw.
There were mixed fortunes for the Under-16 boys. While Yeshua Hill, Aaron Haynes, Tyson Holder and Taiye Estwick joined the Sandifords as winners in the opening round, they came out on the losing end in the evening games.
It was an almost similar story for Under-16 girls Azaria Johnson and Gaybrianna Moore, who both won one game and lost another.
Barbados’ mixed fortunes continued in the Under-20 division where the boys and girls are merged because of a shortage of females.
Captain Nitin Mahtani and Shane Maughn won their first round games, but lost in the second, while it was the reverse for Gabriela Cumberbatch and Kiarra Eversley.
The championships, which are being contested over seven rounds, are featuring 171 players from eight countries – hosts Suriname, Barbados, last year’s champions Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Aruba, Curacao and Bermuda.  (BCF)
