Jamaican teams move up rankings at 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad
The Jamaica Chess Federation successfully competed in the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad which was held in Chennai, India, from July 25-August 10.
The event had over 2,000 competitors from over 187 countries in the Absolute section and over 162 countries in the Women’s section. Teams competed in an exciting 11-round Swiss format over 12 days.
The Absolute championship was a fiercely contested category, with Uzbekistan emerging the winner with 19 points (tie-break), followed by Armenia also on 19 points and India, who finished on 18 points. Jamaica finished on a commendable 11 points, moving from its starting position of 108th in the rankings to 85th in the final standings.
In the Women’s tournament, the winner on tie-break was Ukraine with 18 points. This remarkable win by the brave women who made it from war-torn Ukraine to become champions would have warmed the hearts of many of their compatriots during this difficult time.
Georgia captured silver with 18 points, and India bronze with 17 points (tie-break). The Jamaican women’s team finished with 11 points, placing them at 89th in the rankings from a starting position of 96th in the world.
The Absolute team had five victories, one draw and five losses. On board one, FM Joshua Christie scored 6/11 points; on board two, FM Shreyas Smith scored 6.5/10 points, while on board three, FM Ras Malaku Lorne had 5/9 points. Jaden Shaw had 6/11 points on board four, while Reserve Jhustice -Dimonte McDonald had 1/3 points.
The Jamaica Women’s team had identical five wins, one draw and five losses to their male compatriots. On board one, WIM Rachel Miller had 5.5/11 points; on boards two and three, WCM Adani Clarke and Nickaylah Curwin had 6.5/11 points and 4.5/11 points, respectively. On board four, Gabriella Watson had 4/9 points, while Reserve Kaia Gayle had 0/2 points.
The Jamaican delegation’s participation was made possible with the financial assistance from FIDE, Jamaica Olympic Association, Sports Development Foundation, and the Ministry of Sport.