Chess federation hails national U20 champions

THE JAMAICA Chess Federation has hailed both the male and female under-20 national champions for the outstanding form displayed in the National Junior Chess Championship, which it notes is one of the most prestigious tournaments on its calendar fr bringing some of the most promising young players together.

Top-ranked Candidate Master (CM) Jaden Shaw and Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Raehanna Brown won the respective Absolute and Female sections of the National Junior U20 Championships 2022, which saw four rounds being played over the September 3-4 weekend; and the remaining on September 10 and 11. The competition was held in Kingston.

At the end of the eight-round tournament, Shaw, from Wolmer’s Boys’ School, completed the Absolute section with 7.5 of a maximum 8.0 points, while Brown, from Campion College, captured the Female section with a perfect 8.0 points.

Mark Cameron, the chess federation’s chair of public relations, said both winners performed with excellence.

“Starting off his recent great performance for Jamaica at the Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India, CM Jaden Shaw, who became Jamaica’s newest Candidate Master, continues to show his terrific form. Also, WCM Raehanna Brown has consistently shown her excellent chess ability in having successes in local Absolute and Female events,” Cameron observed.

“They both magnificently represent our current group of outstanding junior chess talent,” added Cameron, a former national junior U20 chess champion on two occasions.

In a competitive field in the Absolute section, Christopher Lyn of Jamaica College took second place with 5.5/8.0 points, St Catherine High School’s Shaheem Richards finished with 5.0/8.0 points to claim third place, and Wolmerian John Stephenson, who was the only opponent to draw with Shaw, had to settle for fourth place in tie-break after ending with 4.5/8.0 points.

In the Female section, national women’s champion Gabriella Watson of Immaculate Conception High School was only good enough to take second place this time around, as she closed the competition with 6.5/8.0 points. St Andrew High School’s Kaity Gayle finished third with 5.0/8.0 points, while Arielle McKoy of Campion College also had to settle for fourth in tie-break, ending with 4.5/8.0 points.

“The National Junior Chess Championship is a Swiss System event, with a time control of G/90 minutes with 30-second increments,” the federation said.