Trinidad & Tobago holds lead after faceoff with Jamaica

Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) strengthened its grip on the lead in the 2025 CARICOM Classic Team Chess Tournament, pulling ahead of Jamaica after Round Five played on Friday, 4 July 2025, at the Pegasus Hotel. Jamaica had trailed their Trinidadian opponents by a slim margin after Round Four on Wednesday. Trinidad now has an accumulated total of 18 points, while Jamaica stands at 16.5 after five rounds.

The four-member team from the twin-island republic—FM Joshua Johnson, FM Kevin Cupid, WFM Ysvett Hermoso Rodriguez and WCM Zara La Fleur—faced the Jamaican quartet of FM Joshua Christie, FM Shreyas Smith, Amy Stephenson and Kaia Gayle in a crucial round that influenced the accumulated team points among the tournament leaders. The only win of the round came from Rodriguez (T&T), who defeated Stephenson. Johnson (T&T) and Christie (Jamaica) drew their game after neither was able to convert their opposite-coloured Bishop endgame into a win. The match between Cupid (T&T) and Smith (Jamaica) also ended in a draw, as did the game between La Fleur (T&T) and Gayle (Jamaica).

Meanwhile, in another Round Five encounter of the round-robin event, Guyana Team A faced Guyana Team B. A notable upset came when CM Sachin Pitamber defeated his compatriot CM Taffin Khan. Pitamber successfully breached Khan’s king defences and pinned an immobile Bishop, gaining a material advantage. Khan resigned on move 32 to avoid a certain checkmate.

After five rounds, the team standings are as follows: Trinidad & Tobago – 18 points; Jamaica – 16.5; Suriname – 16; Barbados – 12; Guyana – 11; Cayman Islands – 10.5; St Lucia – 9; and Dominica – 0.5.

In the junior Under-16 individual category, Barbadian Mileke Sinckler and Surinamese Ravish Ramesar are jointly in the lead with 17.5 points, followed by Nicholas Zhang of Guyana on 16.5. Kataleya Sam, Jeremy Cole and Arysh Raghunauth, also of Guyana, are on a joint score with Barbadian Noah Clarke at 15.5 points.

Results from Rounds Six to Nine will be released as the tournament nears its conclusion. Forty players are competing in the team event, while 48 are participating in the individual Under-16 category. (Guyana Chess Federation)