Home|Sports|BCF hosts exciting Warren Seymour Chess ClassicSports
The Nassau GuardianSend an emailJune 27, 2023 37 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email
The results of the 2023 Warren Seymour Chess Classic demonstrate that the future of chess in The Bahamas is bright. The Warren Seymour Classic is an open tournament at which junior and senior players square off against each other. The open category in chess refers to a competition in which anyone can participate regardless of age or experience. The Warren Seymour Chess Classic is the first of four qualifiers in the Bahamas Chess Federation’s (BCF) 2023 Open Chess Series.
The tournament took place over the weekend. Round one kicked off Saturday morning, followed by an intense three rounds of competition that afternoon. Rounds four and five continued on Sunday. The event was sponsored by the Sports Center and Colina Insurance.
Noah Albury seized the title of winner of the 2023 Warren Seymour Chess Classic for the second year in a row, winning all of his games. His win qualified him for the 2024 Bahamas National Chess Championship. Shawn Barker finished second, also qualifying for the 2024 nationals. Curtis Pride Jr. placed third.
The Warren Seymour Classic took place in a five-round Swiss format, a game in 60 minutes plus five seconds per move. The Warren Seymour Classic is FIDE (International Chess Federation) rated. The 2024 Bahamas National Chess Championship is scheduled to be held in January 2024.
The 2023 Warren Seymour Chess Classic was also a qualifier for the Pan American Youth Chess Festival in Chicago, Illinois, USA, and the CAC (Central American and Caribbean) Youth Chess Championship in Trinidad & Tobago. The first place finishers in the junior sections (under-8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18) qualified to attend the prestigious international global tournaments.
The Warren Seymour Classic is named in honor of Bahamian Warren Seymour. Seymour committed over 30 years of his life to growing the sport of chess in The Bahamas and contributing to the development of hundreds of young Bahamians. During his prime, Seymour selflessly visited over 30 schools per month, training young men and women in critical thinking and helping them to develop good decision making skills. Without any financial gain, he also taught chess at correctional facilities and assisted in the rehabilitation of prisoners.
“Congratulations to all our players,” said Curtis Pride, first vice president of the Bahamas Chess Federation (BCF) and director of tournaments. Pride continued: “It is encouraging to see so many of you come out to compete. There is a lot of work to do at the federation level but we are committed to hosting more local tournaments and also providing support for our players to travel to compete in international competitions. Travelling to international competitions is particularly important for local players as we have such a small pool of chess players locally. Our players have to travel in order to increase their ratings, compete for titles and move The Bahamas forward in the sport of chess. With the help of parents and Corporate Bahamas we will achieve our goals.”
International Arbiter Andre White served as chief arbiter for the 2023 Warren Seymour Chess Classic. National Arbiter Angel Pride served as assistant arbiter.
Albury won with five points, and was also the top junior and finished first in the under-18 division. Jayla Cargill was the top female, finishing with three and a half points.
In the open section, Shawn Barker was second with four points. Curtis Pride Jr. placed third with three and a half points.
Caerwyn Turnquest won the under-eight category, Danica Rolle finished first in the under-10 category, Adrian Dean was first in the under-12 category, Chika Pride won the title in the under-14 category, and Avian Pride came out on top in the under-16 category. Albury won the title in the under-18 category.