Jamaican Chess dons post-Olympiad energy

The Jamaican chess delegation trekked to Budapest, Hungary, for the 45th Chess Olympiad. The island nation sent two teams, with former president Ian Wilkinson as head of the delegation. The event marked the 100th anniversary of FIDE, the world’s governing chess body. The Chess Drum got a chance to chat with members of the Jamaican delegation.

Wilkinson spoke about talent development on the island with the “GM in 10” supported by Nigel Clarke, Minister of Finance and the Public Service of Jamaica. Grandmaster Maurice Ashley is spearheading this initiative, and he also discussed his desire to help develop talent throughout the African Diaspora.

Jamaica is one of the most active federations in the Caribbean and made its Olympiad debut in 1978 in Buenos Aires. In the recent Olympiad, Jamaica came in 108th, which was first among English-speaking nations in the region. Federations in the Caribbean have a long way to go as far as harnessing talent. Still, Jamaica played a significant role in chess development in the region.

Four former national players captained other teams in the Caribbean: Cayman Islands (Jomo Pitterson and Ryan Blackwood), St. Vincent & Grenadines (Russel Porter), and St. Kitts & Nevis (Deborah Richards-Porter). Jamaica had national heroes Warren Elliott and Shane Matthews to captain the Open and Women’s teams, respectively. Tris-Ann Richards (Portland Parish) is President of the St. Lucia Chess Federation but was listed as a player! She scored 7.5/9, and earned the WFM title.

Jamaica is amidst a youth movement, and their current national champion is 17-year-old Jaden Shaw, who last May with 10/11. Shaw won the “Fair Play” award in Chennai for concern for his opponent who had fallen ill at the board. He scored 6.5/10 in Budapest, and the rest of the team performed at their rating level. Shreyas Smith, the “elder statesman” of the Open team, upset IM Jose Gemy of Bolivia. It seemed not long ago that Smith was the top junior in Jamaica. Now at 27, he is a role model for younger talent.

On the women’s side, Gabriella Watson led the team with 6/10. Raehanna Brown held double medalist Vantika Agrawal to a draw in round 1. Despite the 3.5-.5 loss, the games were competitive. Jamaica’s 2.5-1.5 win over Denmark may have been the highlight for the women, as each board saw a 100-point Elo deficit. “Lots on which to build,” Wilkinson told The Chess Drum optimistically.

The Chess Drum spoke with IM Shane Matthews, who captained the women’s team and gave insight on plans to improve the talent pipeline. In other interviews, Ian Wilkinson discussed the chess scene in Jamaica and gave his assessment. GM Maurice Ashley spoke of the “GM in 10” initiative he spearheads.

Interview with IM Shane Matthews

Interview with Ian Wilkinson

Interview with GM Maurice Ashley

Videos by Daaim Shabazz/The Chess Drum