Jamaica Jamaica Jamaica

Brandon Wilson accepts  1st under-20 trophy. Photo by Daaim Shabazz.

Peter Myers, "Jamaica's Brandon Wilson takes Caribbean Junior Title," 14 August 2007.

Jamaica's
Brandon Wilson won the Junior (Under 20) section of the CMMB Caribbean Open Chess Championships which ended in Trinidad and Tobago over the weekend. Wilson, who won Jamaica's National Junior Champion title in 2004 and 2006 and was runner-up in 2005 and 2007, scored 7 points from 8 games to finish ahead of Justin Salloum of Trinidad and Tobago and Slomy Noreskal of Martinique, each of whom finished on 6 points to share second place.

Jamaicans
Zachary Ramsay, Jared Lewis and current National Junior Champion Onaje La Mont each finished with 4.5 points to tie for tenth place in the junior section, while Mikhail Gilespie ended on 3.5 to finish in 20th place and Jamaica's lone female representative Ariel Barrett ended on 2 points in 32nd place.

In the Under 14 section, Jamaica's lone entrant
Phillip Pryce finished on 6.5 points to take second place behind Barbados' Alex Jackman who ended on 7 points.

The Junior contingent is now in Barbados competing in the Sagicor Open Junior Chess Championship. The only Jamaican to have won this event was
NM Jomo Pitterson in 1994. Check the Barbados Chess Federation website at www.barbados.org/chess to keep abreast of the results.

In the Open section, Jamaica's National Master Jomo Pitterson finished unbeaten, but had to settle for a share of the fourth place prize after ending on 5.5 points. First place was shared between International Chess Masters
Amon Simutowe of Zambia and Humberto Pecorelli-Garcia of Cuba each of whom scored 6.5. Trinidad's National Champion Ryan Harper ended with 6 points to take third place. Jamaica's other entrant in the Open Section, National Master Russel Porter ended with 4 points to tie for thirteenth place.

Jamaica's National Master Pitterson and International Masters Amon Simutowe of Zambia and Humberto Pecorelli-Garcia of Cuba were the only unbeaten competitors in the Open Section.

Please check The Chess Drum Website for further details at www.thechessdrum.net.

Posted by The Chess Drum: 14 August 2007