Caribbean Sports Network

DEFENDING Lucozade Chess Cup champion and FIDE Master (FM) Ryan Harper faces a serious challenge in the 15th annual Paladins Chess Club seven rounds Swiss Open championship. The competition began yesterday at Algico Plaza St Vincent Street in Port-of-Spain. Harper, a former national chess champion, is expected to face tough competition from another ex- TT title-holder Marcus Joseph.

Also expected to feature prominently are TT’s latest FIDE Master Keron Cabralis, former national champion Ravishen Singh, (FM) Mario Merritt.

Much is also expected from Dev Soondarsingh, who defeated both Harper and Joseph in the just concluded inaugural Umada Cup, an international tournament held at Cascadia Hotel and Conference Centre in St Ann’s a week ago.

Cabralis was the best local player in the Umada Cup taking third place on the tie-break with Venezuelan (IM) Julio Ostos. A surprise entry in the Lucozade Chess Cup is former national junior champion Sean Perryman, making a welcome return after an absence of almost five years.

Perryman has won the junior title on four occasions during the latter half of the 1990s. Veteran Cecil Lee and national finalist Andrew Bowles are also seasoned players with good track records and could be among the prizes.

Aditi Soondarsingh, national women’s champion will again be heading the list of female players, which includes junior and Under-14 champion Javanna Smith, Under-16 title-holder Melissa Pereira and nine-year old Gabriella Johnson, who will be the youngest female player to participate in the World Chess Olympiad.

The Lucozade Cup Open tournament is a final warm-up the the national teams, both men and women, who will be leaving in three weeks for Khanty Mansiysk, Russia to compete in the 39th World Chess Olympiad involving over 130 countries.

The national teams comprise (men) Joseph, Harper, Cabralis, Singh and (FM) Frank Yee; (Women) Soondarsingh, Smith, Camille Chung, Pereira and Johnson.

Leading the charge among the juniors are Cabralis and national junior champion Joshua Johnson, who is also the youngest player to have made it into the national finals. Several budding juniors are also vying for the special prizes.