Nine-year-old chases New India chess title

TINY nine-year-old Keron Cabralis will begin his challenge for a place in this year’s New India Assurance-sponsored National Chess Championships on Saturday. The Arima Boys RC student who placed 10th among the juniors (Under-20) last December will hit the board at the Legacy Hall, Arima, when East Zone preliminaries begin. Already, Andrew Bowles, Dr Eddison Chang and FIDE Master Frank Yee have qualified for the championships. Bowles won the North Zone prelims with six points; Dr Chang was runner-up with 5.5; and Yee third also on 5.5. The top three players from each zone — North, East and South/Central, and two from Tobago will qualify to challenge Christo Cave, the 11-time winner for the Prime Minister’s Trophy.

Also seeking to upstage senior chessists are Bishop Anstey Lower Sixth student and national women queen Desire Derrick; 12-year-old Justin Saloom of St Mary’s and Kifano Thomas, 15, of St Anthony’s. But among those favoured in the seven-round Swiss-style East Zone series which begins at 4 pm on weekends are FIDE Master Mario Merritt, Cecil Lee, John Raphael, National Blitz champ Michel Pouchet, Olympiad silver medallist Ravishen Singh, Kirby Hope, Kishore Ramadhar, Lenard Duncan and Jerome Joseph. Austrian International Master Martin Neubauer will oversee the matches.