Jamaica well represented at Chess Olympiad
The Jamaica Chess Federation is currently participating in the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad being held in Chennai, India, from July 25 to August 10, 2022.
The contingent is being led by head of delegation, president of the Jamaica Chess Federation (JCF), National Master (NM) Peter Myers, who is the official delegate to the Chess Congress, also being staged in Chennai, India.
The absolute team is being coached/captained by International Master (IM) Jomo Pitterson and includes FIDE Master (FM) Joshua Christie, FM Shreyas Smith, FM Ras Malaku Lorne, Jaden Shaw, and Jhustice-Dimonte McDonald.
The female team is being coached/captained by IM Shane Matthews and includes Woman International Master (WIM) Rachel Miller, Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Adani Clare, Gabriella Watson, Kaia Gayle, and Nickaylah Curwin.
The 44th Chess Olympiad has over 2000 participants from over 187 countries in the Absolute or Open section and over 162 countries in the women’s section. The first six rounds have been completed, with an additional five rounds remaining in the 11-round Swiss team tournament.
The absolute team has had victories over San Marino, Guyana, and Dominican Republic, with a tie against Kosovo and losses to higher rated France and Estonia. On board one, FM Joshua Christie has scored 2.5/6 points. On board two, FM Shreyas Smith has scored 2/5 points, while on board three, FM Ras Malaku Lorne has 3.5/5 points. Jaden Shaw has 4.5/6 points on board 4, while Jhustice -Dimonte McDonald has 1.0/2.0 points as reserve.
The female team has had victories over Eritrea, Ghana, and Namibia and losses to higher rated Netherlands, Singapore, and Bangladesh. On board one, WIM Rachel Miller has 3/6 points. On boards two and three, WCM Adani Clarke and Nickaylah Curwin also have 3/6 points. On board four, Gabriella Watson has 2.5/5 points. Reserve Kaia Gayle has 0/1 points.
Wolmer’s Boys’ School’s 15-year-old Jaden Shaw has been the standout for Jamaica for the first half of the Olympiad, with a performance rating of 2359, well above his rating of 1930.
