Ramos stalled in De Verteuil chess

TOP Trinidad and Tobago chessist player Cesar Ramos was held to a draw by Michael Marcano as the seven-round Swiss-style Knights De Verteuil Memorial Open Chess tournament began.

Playing at the Association of the Hearing Impaired (DRETCHI) building on Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain on Thursday last, Ramos’ Philidor Defence strategy was blunted by the moves from Marcano who, on the other hand, could not capitalise on numerous winning positions. Guelmo Rosales used his experience to overcome the stiff challenge from teenager Chay Gomez. The teen earned a second queen in the late middle game of the Queen’s Gambit Declined, with  Rosales surrendering his queen in the ensuing exchange. But time ran out on Gomez, who had a queen compared to Rosales’ rook and bishop pairing, before he could press home his advantage.

Also victorious on the night were defending Christo Cave, who defeated Everon John; Ravishen Singh, who got the better of Newsday’s Editorial Consultant Carl Jacobs; and Mario Merritt, who whipped Russell Gomez. Other Round One Results: Christo Cave bt Everon John; Michael Pouchet bt Louis Wiltshire; Eddison Chang bt Prakash Persad; Leonard Duncan bt Bryan Valentine; Andrew Bowles bt Robert Daniel; David Christopher bt Sherwin Duke; Nicholas Chin bt Jonathan Forde; Frank Yee bt David Maynard by default; Cecil Lee bt Daniel Primus by default; Arlene Blackman bt Sylvan Seaforth by default; Satyam Maharaj bt Jesse Sudan by default; Alpacino Smith bt Ken Fitzpatrick by default; Ian Ramrattan vs Kishore Ramadhar - tie.

Round Two Fixtures: C Cave vs A Bowles; L Duncan vs M Merritt; G Rosales vs F Yee; D Christopher vs M Pouchet; A Blackman vs E Chang; C Lee vs S Maharaj; A Smith vs R Singh; N Chin vs K Ramadhar; I Ramrattan vs M Marcano; C Ramos vs S Seaforth; J Sudan vs D Primus; C Jacobs vs K Fitzpatrick; E John vs R Daniel; R Gomez vs B Valentine; D Maynard vs C Gomez; S Duke vs L Wiltshire; P Persad vs J Forde.