Team Jamaica emerged as the winner of the CARICOM Classic Team Chess Tournament 2025, with Trinidad and Tobago coming in a close second and Suriname third.
The week-long FIDE-rated classic round-robin format saw eight CARICOM nations and 10 teams, comprising four team members each, competing for the championship trophy.
From July 1-6, the Pegasus Suites in Kingston, Georgetown, was the venue for highly competitive games hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) in collaboration with the CARICOM Secretariat.
Team Barbados placed fourth, while Guyana’s Team A secured fifth place. WCM Aditi Joshi was Guyana’s top performer with six points, while CM Taffin Khan and Kyle Couchman ended with 5.5 points each.
Team A amassed 21.5 points, in comparison with Jamaica’s 29.5, Trinidad and Tobago’s 29, Suriname’s 25.5, and Barbados’ 22.5 points.
Jamaica’s Shreyas Smith, the top performer for the tournament, played unbeaten in the nine-round tournament, with 8.5 points having drawn his game against Trinidad and Tobago’s FM Kevin Cupid.
In a significant setback, Barbados dented the fortunes of the Trinidadian team and ended their winning streak in Round Eight. Emar Edwards of Barbados scored an upset over FM Joshua Johnson in a match that lasted 28 moves.
A clever manoeuvre by Edwards (known as an ‘in-between move’) won him Johnson’s Rook and a winning checkmate threat (28. Re8) that trumped the capture of Edwards’s exposed Queen by a black Bishop. Johnson resigned soon after.
For the female players, Barbadian Chanon Reifer-Belle also scored a win over WFM Ysvett Hermoso Rodriguez.
The Bajan forced the Trinidadian to concede as Reifer-Belle’s advanced pawns posed a dangerous threat to Rodriguez’s King.
The Junior CARICOM individual segment attracted players from across the region
In the Junior CARICOM individual segment, four Guyanese players received prizes after placing in the top 10 in the FIDE-rated nine-round Swiss tournament. Barbados Mileke Sinckler emerged victorious with 7.5 points over the 46 competing participants.
Noah Clarke, also from Barbados, finished with 7.5 points to earn the second-place position.
Suriname’s Ravish Ramesar placed third with 6.5 points and Guyana’s Alexander Zhang placed fourth also with 6.5 points.
Aaron Jaikaran from Barbados, Guyana’s Nicholas Zhang and Alek Ubaldo-Singh, Suriname’s Ky-mani Wijnhard, and Guyana’s Micaiah Enoe, all gained six points, placing them in fifth to ninth, respectively.
Thie Yen Fung from Suriname placed tenth with 5.5 points. Despite Guyana Team A end in fifth-place, the tournament was deemed a success.
Bringing together chess players from across the Caribbean, the event provides a valuable platform for them to compete, build lasting friendships, and engage in high-level play as a cohesive region.
Dr. Armstrong Alexis, Deputy Secretary-General of CARICOM, had earlier pledged the support of the CARICOM Secretariat and noted the impact of sports in general on the social life of citizens.
“The Caribbean Community places a strong emphasis on sport as a vector of change in the region…We all know that participation in sports serves as a vehicle to mitigate against crime and other anti-social behaviour,” he emphasised at the Opening Ceremony of the games.
The Chief Arbiter for the tournament was International Arbiter Kelvin Daniel, supported by Guyanese FIDE Arbiter John Lee.
The tournament received support from the Confederation of Chess for the Americas (CCA) and FIDE, the International Chess Federation.
The GCF is thankful for the overwhelming support from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, DDL through its brands Topco and Savannah Milk, Industrial Safety Supplies Inc., Apan Energy, NTS Amega Global, CB Group of Companies, Neurospine Services Inc., Movements Restaurant and Bar and all other sponsors who have made this tournament possible.
The GCF expresses gratitude to the Pegasus Suites for their support and for providing an exquisite venue for the tournament. The next instalment of the CARICOM Classic is scheduled for 2027.
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