At the halfway point, University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona student Malik Curriah remained undefeated as he won against Arena International Master (AIM) Tevanio Steadman this past weekend at the Jamaica Olympic Association.

After a sensational first place finish at the National Junior Championship in March, Curriah has maintained a dominant form throughout the event. In his three-hour game against AIM Steadman, he kept his composure and won with ease after his opponent overstepped in trying to win a drawn position.

This left him as the sole leader after five rounds with AIM Steadman now in third place after tie-breaks on 3.5 points.

Top seed, FIDE Candidate Master (CM) Shreyas Smith, is in second place with four points after winning a melodious game full of tactics and positional harmony against National Master (NM) Paul Brooks. His only loss so far in the event came at the hands of his former teammate Malik in a complex endgame in round two. NM Brooks is currently tied for fifth but sixth after tie-breaks on two points.

NM Stuart James is in third place with 3.5 points after beating NM Brooks in round four. His round five opponent wasn’t present and as such, he got the full point there as well.

After three consecutive losses, the Jamaica Chess Federation (JCF) President Ian Wilkinson got back into form with two wins. His first win was against Daren McKennis in round four with his second win coming from Michael Diedrick in round five. This left the president and Diedrick tied on 2 points in eighth and fifth place, respectively.

FIDE Woman’s Candidate Master (WCM) Annesha Smith recovered to win her game against Daren McKennis. One of her earlier wins came against the President in a game of brilliant tactics. WCM Smith is thus in seventh place, while the Under-12 Carifta champion McKennis is ninth on a point.

Play will resume this weekend at the Jamaica Olympic Association where Curriah will attempt to earn his NM title and win his first President’s Invitational.

The 2018 President’s Invitational is a closed 10-layer round-robin tournament where players are invited by the incumbent JCF President to compete in the event. The time control is 90 minutes with 30-second increments after every move.

The event is sponsored by the Jamaica Olympic Association and Magnificent Chess Foundation.