Saint Lucia secured sixth place out of 10 teams at the recently concluded Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Classic Team Chess Tournament.
The five-member delegation returned from Georgetown, Guyana, on Monday, comprising Saint Lucia Chess Federation president Dr Sixtus Gabriel, candidate master (CM) Kaieem Elizee, woman candidate master (WCM) Chelsea Wahid, 13-year-old Kiara Lambert and head of delegation Tori Mason.
Gabriel began the tournament at the Pegasus Hotel by splitting his first two games before falling to Suriname’s FIDE Master Jason Yeung in the third round. However, he rebounded with decisive victories over Barbados’ Emar Edwards and Dominica’s Nigel Francis.
The 24-year-old Elizee also opened with two draws before claiming a win against Suriname’s Ethan Tjin Kon Kiem. Despite a loss to Barbados’ Kemp Lynch, he closed strong with a victory over Dominica’s Edger Berridge.
Wahid delivered a solid performance, securing three wins and two losses. After an initial split in her first two matches, she defeated fellow WCMs Victoria Kaslan of Suriname and Chanon Reifer-Belle of Barbados before losing to Dominica’s Ludmila Domennova.
Lambert, Saint Lucia’s youngest competitor at 13, faced tough opposition, falling to Suriname’s WCM Alexandra Kaslan, Barbados’ Leshay Springer and Dominica’s Ayani Casimir.
The tournament also featured a Caribbean Blitz event, where Elizee placed fifth and Gabriel finished 10th. The team gained valuable rating points and praised the competition for offering a chance to test their skills against the region’s best.
After nine rounds over six days, Trinidad & Tobago claimed the title, with Jamaica and Suriname taking second and third, respectively.
