Trinidad Trinidad Trinidad

FIDE Master Ryan Harper has appeared to take the mantle as Trinidad and Tobago's strongest player having won four out of the last six championships.  His most recent win was a dominating performance in a field including 13-time champion FM Christo Cave and FM Mario Merritt.

According to a report from T&T's Newsday, Harper defeated Merritt in a tense last-round encounter clinching the title. Harper ended on 9½-1½ while Merritt was on 9-2 and Cave ended on 8-3. The three clinched spots to the 2008 Olympiad in Dresden, Germany.

In the women's section,
Aditi Soondarsingh successfully defended her crown and won her third title since first wining the competition in 2004 at age 15.  There were twelve competitors in the tournament and it was sponsored by RBTT, a frequent sponsor of chess events.

Trinidad Newsday article

FM Ryan Harper. Photo by Daaim Shabazz.

Posted by The Chess Drum: 3 November 2007