Jamaica’s junior chess players delivered an outstanding performance at the 21st Central American and Caribbean Youth Chess Festival in San José, Costa Rica, finishing third overall in the country standings and emerging as the top-performing Caribbean nation.

Competing against some of the region’s strongest young chess talents, Jamaica secured 40 points in the country standings, behind host nation Costa Rica, which topped the table with 104 points, and Panama with 58 points.

The championships featured 12 competitive categories across six age groups, from Under-8 to Under-18, comprising six Girls’ sections and six Open sections. Nine rounds of classical chess determined the individual standings and contributed to the overall country rankings. Jamaica earned eight top-five awards in the Classical Championships, including three prestigious silver trophies. Under the championship’s awards structure, the top three finishers in each category received trophies, with eligible players also earning international chess titles, while fourth- and fifth-place finishers were recognised with medals.

Jamaica’s youngest players led the medal charge with eight-year-old Je’Nasiya Mais leading the way in the Under-8 Girls’ section. Mais scored an outstanding 8 points from nine games, finishing tied on points with the section winner and securing the silver trophy on tie-breaks. Rhea Gardener continued Jamaica’s success in the Under-10 Girls’ section, capturing silver with an impressive 7.5 points, while Jotham Mais earned a fourth-place medal in the Under-10 Open with 6.5 points.

In the Under-12 Girls’ section, Noelle Noble claimed Jamaica’s third silver trophy with 7 points, while teammate Nyah Wood secured a fourth-place medal with 6 points. Vaishnav Gali added another fourth-place medal in the Under-14 Open with 6 points, while Glory Murphy (Under-16 Girls) and Kaia Gayle (Under-18 Girls) completed Jamaica’s award tally with fifth-place finishes, each scoring 5 points. The three silver trophy winners — Mais, Gardener and Noble — also earned the prestigious Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title, pending an 1800 rating attainment, marking an important milestone in their chess development.

Jamaica also impressed in the Rapid and Blitz Championships, staged alongside the Classical competition, testing their skills in the faster formats of the game. Je’Nasiya Mais continued her impressive showing, securing Jamaica’s only hardware in the Rapid Championship in the Under-8 Girls’ section, securing second place among boys and girls, resulting in her being named champion among the girls.

The Blitz Championship brought further success, with Rajvir Shergil capturing gold in the Under-12 Open section after an exceptional performance of 8.5 points from nine games. Je’Nasiya Mais also struck gold in the Under-8 Girls’ section with 8 points, adding another major achievement to her tournament. Khalel Davy secured silver in the Under-10 Open with 8 points, completing three confirmed Jamaican podium finishes in the Blitz competition. Other strong Jamaican Blitz performances included Jotham Mais, who placed sixth in the Under-10 Open with 6 points, Ronak Shergil, with 5.5 points in the Under-16 Open, and Jayden Foreshaw, in the Under-18 Open with 5.5 points.

The head of the Jamaican delegation National Master Mikhail Solomon shared, “Jamaica’s overall performances and third-place team finish, which placed Jamaica atop the English-speaking Caribbean, is an important achievement for the country’s ongoing junior chess programmes. Particularly encouraging was the success of the youngest age groups, whose high scores, podium finishes and newly earned international titles reflect the strength of the next generation of Jamaican chess talent. The results also highlight the dedication of the young players, their coaches, the Jamaica Chess Federation and above all, their parents, whose continued commitment is helping Jamaica to establish itself as a formidable force in regional junior chess.