2012 Caribbean Carnival (Trinidad)
The Board of Directors of the Trinidad and Tobago Chess Foundation extends an invitation to all Chess players and federations to participate in the 10th edition of our Caribbean Chess Carnival from August 2rd – August 5th. The tournament will have three junior sections drawing players from around the Caribbean and North America. Details on flyer below.
Link: https://www.caribbeanchesscarnival.com/
Results: https://www.chess-results.com/tnr78411.aspx?lan=1
Photo by Daaim Shabazz.
Cabralis, a surprise entrant!
Chess star Keron Cabralis who withdrew from two major tournaments earlier this year is back in the competetive arena. Cabralis, 16, the Caribbean’s youngest FIDE Master, is a surprise entrant in the four-day Caribbean Chess Carnival which opened at Queen’s Royal College, Port-of-Spain, yesterday. Participation in the popular annual tournament by the Under-20 national champion scotched rumours that he had quit the sport out of disenchantment with competition organisers.
Keron Cabralis shakes hands with Judy Oxley-Fullerton, marketing manager First Citizens Asset Management Ltd (FCAM), after making the first move to open the Caribbean Chess Carnival at QRC, yesterday. Looking on are Amol Golikeri, corporate manager of FCAM, Edison Raphael, president of the Chess Foundation and arbiter Trevor Griffith.
Chess Sportsman of the Year for 2011, Cabralis has scored more victories in local tournaments than any player his age, having won all national junior titles without losing a single game. According to Edison Raphael, president of the T&T Chess Foundation, the sporting community should be happy to see young Cabralis back in the chess arena and “it seems fitting that he should make his return at the Caribbean Chess Carnival which he won last year in the Under 20 category.
Let us hope that Keron will now forget the past and move on to fulfil his great potential in this sport.” Cabralis is the highest rated player (2128) among the 21 participants in the Under 20 category. Fourteen other players in this group are rated, including Isaac Barayev (2083) USA, Yu Tien Poon (2036) of Barbados, Vishnu Singh (2023), Ricardo Perez Sanchez (1955) of Venezuela, Orlando Husbands (1948) of Barbados, Jayson Paul (1899), Raphael Guerrero (1867), Rodrigo Hernandez (1806) and Alejandro Larez Hernandez (1803), Immanuel Kromosoeto (1796) of Suriname.
The Under-14 category has attracted most entries, 31, with Under 20 national champion Joshua Johnson heading the list which includes six Venezuelans, three Surinamese and one Barbadian. Among the 18 Under 10s are five Venezuelans and 13 Trinidadians. A total of 26 novices are taking part, all from T&T. The seven-round Chess Carnival, with a prize fund of $20,000, is again sponsored by First Citizens Asset Management Ltd.
Vishnu Singh of Trinidad clinches the under-20 title at the Caribbean Carnival. He leads the field by 1-1/2 points with one round remaining. He has a perfect 6/6.
Congrats to Vishnu! It’s very likely that next year I will be taking Josh to this neat place called Trinidad for a second time or to Jamaica. He loves the Caribbean atmosphere.
Guy,
I asked Edison about next year and he said it is quite possible that they will get funding for another norm tournament. I told him that the “Young Lions” want a chance at norms and that playing in the under-20 would not serve to benefit them. All three are regularly beating IMs and GMs. I hope he will find a way. Trinidad is a great place for a tournament!
That would be great! A few friends have told me that it’s easier to get the IM norm by playing overseas. Just recently, if Josh had played two more foreign players at the Washington Int’l, he would have been in good position for his first IM Norm. The problem with getting a Norm here is that there are too many independent factors that can ruin one’s chance in spite of of how well you perform. Hopefully, Suzan Polgar will invite them to one of her Norm tournaments like she has done in the past for Naroditsky, Robson and Yang. It’s much easier to get a norm in those type of tournaments.
1 SINGH Vishnu TRI 2023 6.5
2 PAUL Jayson TRI 1899 5.5
3 BARAYEV Isaac USA 2083 5.0
4 POON Yu Tien BAR 2035 4.5
5 PEREZ SANCHEZ Ricardo VEN 1955 4.5
6 GUERRERO Rafael TRI 1867 4.5
7 HUSBANDS Orlando BAR 1948 4.0
8 LAREZ HERNANDEZ Jose Alejandro VEN 1803 4.0
9 WCM SMITH Javanna TRI 1689 4.0
10 FM CABRALIS Keron TRI 2128 4.0
21 players total (full results)
Date : August 8th, 2012
To : Sport Editor
From : Trinidad & Tobago Chess Foundation
Contact : Edison Raphael – President 678-0132
Trinis dominate Chess Carnival
Trinidad and Tobago’s junior chessists took top spots in each four categories to dominate the Caribbean Chess Carnival which ended on Sunday at Queen’s Royal College.
National under 18 Chess Champion Vishnu Singh won the Under 20 category of the Caribbean Chess Carnival. Singh, a student of Presentation College, Chaguanas played unbeaten over seven rounds, conceding a draw to Isaac Barayev, of New York. Singh topped the 21-member field with six and a half points, scoring victories against Orlando Husbands of Barbados and three Venezuelans, Mirian Rodriguez, Alejandro Larez Perez and Ricardo Perez Sanchez and Keron Cabralis.
Second was T&T Jayson Paul who also had a good tournament with a point behind Singh. American Isaac Barayev, finished third on five points. Behind him were Yu Tien Poon of Barbados, Ricardo Sanchez and Rafael Guerrero on four and a half points each.
T&T’s national junior champion Joshua Johnson also played unbeaten as he topped the 31 players in the Under 14 category. Johnson conceded two draws to finish on six points. Half a point behind him was Mahendra Singh, Vishnu’s younger brother, and Allon Richards of Barbados. Four players tied for third place on five points each, Guillermo Quijada of Venezuela, Alex Walcoltt, Shannon Yearwood and Sylvan Yearwood.
The Under 10 category saw two players, Sean Yearwood and Isaac Pegus, finishing ahead of the 18-member field, each on six points. Behind them were Gisell Quijada of Venezuela on five, Amba De Silva on four and a half and four players on four, Catherine Yepez Moreno and Michelle Hernandez of Venezuela, Jordaine Ramnarine and Frederick Ali.
Jon Raphael Sealy emerged the only player with a perfect score, beating all his opponents in the Novices category. Behind him were Amy Ali, six, Athena Martin and Diego Fournillier, five, Jardel Dixon-Harry and Phillip Mohammed, four and a half.
A new feature in this year’s Chess Carnival saw the introduction of an Open Rapid Play tournament to accommodate local adults which was won by Allan Monro who topped the 24 player field with six points. National champion FM Ryan Harper and Ricardo Sanchez Perez finished second on five and a half points each. Behind them were Joshua Johnson, five, Kevin Cupid and Hayden Lee on four and a half each.
The Caribbean Chess Carnival, the popular annual tournament organised by the T&T Chess Foundation and sponsored by First Citizens Asset Management Limited, attracted a total of 98 participants including a contingent of twenty from Venezuela, and entries from Barbados, Suriname and the United States.
Photo Caption: from Left back row: Amol Golikari of First Citizens Asset Management, Vishnu Singh, Joshua Johnson, Kurt Valley and Judy Oxley-Fullerton. Front Row: Sean Yearwood and Jon-Raphael Sealy.