The much anticipated 2017 edition of the IA CM Robert Wheeler Chess Open ended recently with National Master (NM) Kevin Merritt being crowned champion after four days of enthralling action at Liberty Academy.

The defending champion National Master (NM) Shreyas Smith could not stave off the silent but deadly Merritt, who, in the top of the table clash in the final round, defeated the former champion in style, to win on tiebreak with five points from six games. This was Merritt’s first tournament win since earning the National Master title in May of last year.Smith came second, also with five wins from his six games, only losing to eventual champion Merritt, while Candidate Master (CM) Daren Wisdom finished third with 4.5 points after finishing ahead of four others on tiebreak, who also ended on 4.5 — Malik Curriah, Akeem Brown, NM Geoffrey Byfield and Joshua Christie.Arguably the top three juniors in the country, Curriah, Brown and Christie topped the Under-20 age group category, with Curriah of Corporate Area High School Champions Jamaica College being first on tiebreak, Brown of Rural and National High School Champions St Jago second, and Christie also of St Jago, third.Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Margoe Williams took the top female prize after ending with 3.5 points. She was followed by WCM Ariel Barrett with three points and the promising female junior from Charlemont High School Ashanti Blackwood, who took third with 2.5 points.The Intermediate Section was won by Orion Isaacs, who ended alone atop the standings on 5.5 points; second place was taken by Kyle Pratt over Rohan Roberts on tiebreak, after both players ended on five points. Fifty-one entrants participated in this section.The Amateur Section was won by John Stephenson, who was unbeaten with 5.5 points from six games. Second went to Amy Stephenson who finished with five points, the same as Aayush Jain and Aaron McKoy. Jain and McKoy took third and fourth, respectively, after tiebreaks were employed.The Robert Wheeler Chess Open was sponsored by the Kasparov Chess Foundation, the Sports Development Foundation, the Liguanea Chess Club and the first-place trophy was donated by the Endgame Chess Club.