Chess, known as the Royal Game, has been played for centuries in countries around the world.
It is played in homes, parks, schools and on grand stages. It is a strategy game for two opponents that simulates a war between kingdoms, and those players at the highest levels are awarded the Grandmaster title by FIDE, the International Chess Federation.
This year, for the first time, the Cayman Islands Chess Federation sent a team to Chennai, India to compete in the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad from 27 July-10 Aug. It could not have been a more auspicious location, as it is believed that the game of chess originated in India. Based on the pomp and circumstance of the opening ceremonies, which would not have been out of place at the Olympics, the country clearly holds the game and its players in high esteem.
The Cayman team was captained by Campbells attorney and president of the Cayman Islands Chess Federation, Shaun Tracey, and also comprised Clifford Shaw, Christopher Young, Malcolm Powell (CICF secretary) and 13-year-old Laia Swaminathan of Cayman International School. The head of delegation was Woman International Master Anzel Laubscher.
From the moment they arrived in India, it was clear this was no ordinary tournament.
“We were really given the VIP treatment,” said Young. “When we came off the plane, we were met by police and representatives from the All India Chess Federation. We were taken through a dedicated immigration line, then driven to our hotel.”
How “mad keen” the Indians were about chess became obvious fairly quickly.
“Anywhere public we went, people were asking for selfies with us because they saw us wearing our player tags,” Young said. “There were photographers everywhere. This was a major event for them.”
Opening ceremonies
The FIDE Olympiad is the flagship international chess event, ordinarily held every two years. However, the 2020 Olympiad had been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 44th Olympiad was originally due to have been held in Moscow, but the outbreak of hostilities meant that it was moved at very short notice to India, “which organised the event remarkably well in only four months, rather than having the usual four years of preparation”, Tracey said.
The opening ceremony featured an extravaganza of music and dance, and a speech by the prime minister of India, Narendra Modi. It also involved a display of each country’s national flag, and an image of the Cayman Islands flag was beamed onto the arena floor, as well as proudly carried in procession by Tracey and Swaminathan.
Representing Cayman
In the initial rounds, the Cayman team fought hard, but were defeated by stronger teams from Tunisia, Barbados and St. Lucia. However, they went on to secure victories against Niger (population: 22 million), Bermuda and Nauru, and draws against the established African countries of Senegal and Togo.
Each member of the Cayman team secured at least one individual win, and the standout performance was by Young, whose 6.5 points from 11 games meant that he qualified conditionally for the title of ‘Candidate Master’.
Before it all kicked off, Cayman was seeded 172nd out of 187 teams. By the end of the tournament, Cayman had moved up 21 places to position 151 – an impressive achievement.
“This is a proud moment for Cayman Islands chess, and we are delighted to be competing – and performing well – on the world stage,” said Tracey. “We hope to build upon this, and develop the sport further in the Cayman Islands.”
The youngest team member, Swaminathan, said, “This was my first international tournament of this magnitude, and I was one of the few women playing in the open section. My opponents were more experienced than me, and the games were tough, but I learned a lot and I was able to improve my game tremendously.”
The open section of the Olympiad was won by Uzbekistan, with Armenia securing the silver medals, and India, bronze. The women’s section was won by Ukraine, with Georgia second and India, again, placing third.
Getting in the game
The participation of the Cayman Islands in its first-ever Olympiad marks a culmination of a decade of chess development locally, including a flourishing tournament scene and many aspiring players.
What started with free lessons at the George Town Library has grown to include teaching at schools, competitions against visiting Grandmasters, and the creation of the official Cayman Islands Chess Federation.
Looking to the future, the next FIDE Olympiad will be held in Budapest, Hungary, in 2024. The CICF plans to send a female team as well as an open team, and so aspiring female players are encouraged to contact the CICF to become involved.
The CICF also aims to raise funds to re-establish its Chess-in-Schools programme, which operated successfully in 2018 and is aimed at developing youth talent in the Cayman Islands. The CICF will be seeking government support, as well as reaching out to private sector sponsors.
Meanwhile, the CICF thanked national team sponsor, Campbells, and the sponsor of the Cayman Islands’ first international tournament (held in June 2022), BDO Cayman.
Hopefully others will get the chance to enjoy the experience that the Cayman team members had this year, by getting in the game.
Young said he won’t soon forget his time in India.
“It was something the likes of which I’ll never experience again,” he said. “It was truly amazing.”
| For more information about the Cayman Islands Chess Federation email [email protected], visit the website www.cicf.ky or see its Facebook page.
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