Harper blazes rivals

Harper played the tournament without losing a game, coming up against formidable local and international opposition. Among his rivals were Swedish expert master Niklas Hedlund, FIDE master Mario Merritt and the impressive July Moses of Botswana.

Leaving everyone in his wake, after round five Harper stood at a dominating 5/0, no one being able even to hold him to a draw.

Playing black in the sixth and final round, he deployed a novel defence, BixC3, on move 3, against David Christopher’s favourite English Opening, a move, which he also successfully used earlier against FIDE master Mario Merritt.

This subsequently led to aggressive play by black in the centre and kingside in a complex position to which white was unable to adequately reply.

Christopher had to settle for second place as he surpassed the allotted time limit due to the extreme pressure exerted in his crumbling position.

Also playing black in the final round, expert master Efrain Valle of Columbia, the original favourite in the tournament, defeated the talented Guelmo Rosales to come in third after Rosales obtained a very promising position in the opening but failed to convert it. Rosales, who eventually place fifth, saw his queenside quickly overun by the invading black pieces. The highly ranked Valle had earlier dropped a crucial point to the attacking brilliancy of July Moses of Botswana in round four, a game which was arguably the biggest upset of the tournament.

Moses, however, was unable to contain the sharp and precise play of junior champion Marcus Joseph in the final round. Marcus, who finished fourth, also upset FIDE master Mario Merritt earlier in round five, clearly indicating that this young upstart is more than equal to the task, even at senior international level. Expert masters Alonzo Jaramillo and Niklas Hedlund, after much sizzling over the board action, ended sixth and seventh respectively and after suffering a couple of defeats each, must have been surprised by the calibre of the local players.

Aspiring junior, Alpacino Smith won the prize for the best player ranked under 1800. Alpacino has shown steady improvement over the last year and finished just half a point behind seniors Hayden Lee and FIDE master Mario Merritt. His sister, Javanna Smith won the prize for best female player and her ceaseless energy and unflinching mental attitude hold great promise for the future.

Joseph Gill won the Under-16 prize after convincing wins against George Calixte and Jeugela Morgan. His breathless draw against the furious attack of junior champion Joseph where he displayed amazing composure surely displays his coming of age. Organised run by the School Chess Union of Trinidad and Tobago (SCUTT) in association with the UWI Chess Club concluded with the prize-giving ceremony held after the final round. The event will now be staged annually.

The final standings—

Ranking after Round 6 —

No Name Score WP SB PS

1 Harper Ryan (FM) 6.0 21.0 21.00 21.0

2 Christopher David 4.5 22.0 14.25 17.5

3 Valle Efrain 4.5 19.0 13.75 16.0

4 Joseph Marcus 4.5 20.0 10.25 14.5

5 Rosales Guelmo 4.0 17.5 7.75 14.0

6 Jaramillo Alonzo 4.0 20.0 7.75 14.0

7 Hedlund Niklas 4.0 19.5 7.25 14.0

8 Mose July 3.5 25.5 13.75 15.5

9 Merritt Mario (FM) 3.5 23.0 11.25 14.0

10 Lee Hayden 3.5 18.0 8.75 12.5

11 Smith Alpacino 3.0 18.5 6.75 11.0

12 Gill Joseph 3.0 19.5 5.25 10.0

13 Hamilton Hugh 3.0 17.0 3.50 10.0

14 Hunte Keelan 3.0 16.0 7.00 10.0

15 Ali Ian 2.5 20.0 6.75 11.5

16 Mitchell Adrian 2.5 21.0 12.25 9.5

17 Smith Vandoff 2.5 15.0 3.75 7.0

18 Morgan Jeugela 2.0 17.0 8.25 9.0

19 Botlhola

Kealeboga 2.0 14.5 4.25 7.0

20 Calixte George 2.0 13.0 4.25 7.0

21 Reid Shaun 2.0 14.5 2.25 3.0

22 Thekwini Oliver 1.5 13.5 2.75 5.0

23 Smith Javanna 1.0 15.0 0.25 3.0

24 Banyes Clint 0.5 18.0 9.00 3.0

25 Silvera Steven 0.5 18.0 9.00 3.0

26 Williams Lawrence 0.5 18.0 9.00 3.0

27 Ali Rondell 0.5 18.0 9.00 3.0

28 Sankar Shastri 0.0 15.0 6.25 0.0

29 Basimanelsotthe

Ogotsitswe 0.0 15.0 6.25 0.0