Three in Knights chess lead

They are FIDE Master and former 13-time national champion, Christo Cave, FIDE Master Mario Merritt, and David Christopher, all qualifiers in the National Chess Championships. Following close in the wake of the leaders are Leonard Duncan, Niklas Hedlund and Dr Eddison Chang with two and a half points. No less than 12 players, including current national title-holder, FIDE Master Ryan Harper, are on two points.

The 34th edition of this prestigious tourney, which is sponsored by ENDECO (Trinidad) Ltd, is being contested by 36 leading senior and junior players on Thursday nights at RHAND Credit Union Building in Port-of-Spain.

Cave adopted the Tarrasch Variation against Christian Posthoff’s French Defence and won his match in abrupt fashion. On move 26, after winning a centre pawn, he performed a fifth rank Rook fork of Posthoff’s Queen and Black Bishop in a fast developing kingside attack. Posthoff resigned immediately rather than prolong the agony. David Christopher brought down Under-20 champion Marcus Joseph after the latter’s sensational surge against his seniors in the first two rounds.

Joseph lost on time after being down a pawn and facing the additional loss of a Bishop. Under-16 champion Joseph Gill, also an upset winner in the earlier rounds, suffered a similar fate at the hands of Leonard Duncan.

Other results (white player first): Mario Merritt def Kishore Ramadhar; Ryan Harper def John Everon; Dr Eddison Chang drew with Niklas Hedlund; Frank Sears def Daryl Davis; Andrew Bowles drew with Louis Wiltshire; Christopher Raphael lost to Hayden Lee; Ian Ali def Rafael Guerrero; Trevor Flower lost to Esan Wiltshire; Rohan Heerah def Shamah Khan; Jarryon Paul lost to Jesse Sudan; Ian Solomon lost to Jayson Paul; Cecil Lee def Vandoff Smith; Carl Jacobs def Avinash Maharaj; Alpacino Smith drew with Javanna Smith; Mateo Duke won by default from Bryan Valentine.

Current points standings:

3 points— C Cave; M Merritt; D Christopher; 2-1/2 points— L Duncan; E Chang; N Hedlund; 2 points: C Posthoff; K Ramadhar; M Joseph; J Gill; R Harper; F Sears; H Lee; I Ali; E Wiltshire; R Heerah; J Sudan; Jayson Paul; 1-1/2 points— A Bowles; L Wiltshire; 1 point— J Everon; D Davis; C Jacobs; R Guerrero; T Flower; S Khan; Jarryon Paul; C Lee; M Duke; C Raphael; one point— I Solomon; A Smith; J Smith

Round 4 pairings (white player first): Merritt vs Cave; Chang vs Christopher; Hedlund vs Duncan; E Wiltshire vs Harper; Posthoff vs Heerah; Ramadhar vs Ali; Sudan vs Sears; Joseph vs Gill; H Lee vs Jayson Paul; Everon vs Bowles; L Wiltshire vs C Lee; Davis vs Jarryon Paul; Guerrero vs Raphael; Khan vs Jacobs; Duke vs Flower; Soloman vs A Smith; J. Smith vs Valentine; Smith v Maharaj