Eighteen-year-old FM Keron Cabralis made a surprise appearance at the First Flight Air Ambulance Invitational Chess Tournament held at the National Library in Port-of-Spain last Saturday.
But, of course, the young chess star didn't come to compete against the student enthusiasts; rather, he was there in his capacity as the country's youngest chess coach, having added a new dimension to his already outstanding career in the royal game. Cabralis came to the Library, in fact, to support six of his charges, students of St Augustine Girls High School who were playing in their first tournament.
"I didn't expect them to win prizes," Cabralis told DR, "but the tournament experience would have been useful."
As fate would have it, the country's youngest FM became the chess coach to St Augustine Girls by an on-line encounter last September with one of the players. Keron readily agreed to fill the coaching need when he learned that chess-playing students of the school were keen on forming a club.
After reviewing his impressive credentials in the sport, Principal Jo Ann Mahadeo had no problem in approving the innovative enterprise. And so the record-breaking Arimian teenager has embarked upon the first chess project of its kind, coaching students of St Augustine Girls, from Form One to Upper Six, and guiding them in the formation of an active chess club.
The young FM visits the school every Tuesday and Thursday to conduct one-hour sessions. "The girls are keen on the sport, which I find encouraging," he said, "and apart from the fun, they know that there are also many benefits to be gained from playing this great mind game."
Of the six St Augustine High School girls who played in the First Flight tournament, Amelia Ram had the best score, placing second among the secondary school entries. The others were Selena Hodge, Ellesiann Khan, Afifa Abdul-Hamid and Chelsea Holder.
DR welcomes this initiative. Historically, the sport of chess in T&T has been dominated by male players. No female player, in fact, has ever won an open tournament in T&T or consistently held a place among the country's best. Commentators have offered different reasons for this kind of gender imbalance among chess players, but it can hardly be taken as evidence of any kind of mental inferiority.
In fact, it may well be the result of prejudice or influence on the part of parents who would prefer to see their girl children pursue more practically "profitable" occupations. DR hopes, however, that the initiative being taken at St Augustine Girls will set an example for other girls schools to follow and eventually serve at least to reduce this traditional onesidedness.
Such a development, of course, would need other qualified and committed players willing and able to give of their time and talent on a consistent basis.
As for Cabralis himself, the next major competitive challenge lies in the 41st Chess Olympiad which comes off next August in the Norwegian city of Tromso dubbed "the Paris of the North." DR understands that both he and Joshua Johnson have been selected to represent T&T on the basis of their tournament successes over the last year, while national champion FM Ryan Harper, Alex Winter Roach and Ravishen Singh are automatic choices as the top three finishers in last year's national championship contest.
Our country can hardly enter a more talented team than this fivesome in the world's supreme chess tournament, comprising as it does the best possible mixture of youth and experience. However, whether T&T will be able to do more than just hold its own among developing countries is left to be seen.
As in all chess encounters, the chances of improved success most often rely on the depth of preparation so that our chances of surpassing that "norm" may well depend on what we do with the team in the six months between now and the international showdown at Tromso.
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