The Knights Chess Club is not only the country's oldest chess club; it continues in fact to be the most popular, the most active and the most progressive.
This was again clearly demonstrated in its recent open tournament, the 42nd annual, which attracted an unprecedented total of 60 players including the best in the sport plus a growing number of keen under-20 juniors.
The enduring success of Knights, of course, is the result of a combination of factors, not the least of which has been the enlightened leadership of its executive and the innovations they have introduced to take the sport forward, most notably the award of cash prizes and a system for the rating of players. The club has also been fortunate in the loyal support it has received from RHAND Credit Union Cooperative Society whose head office building on Abercromby Sreet, Port-of-Spain, has provided a spacious venue for the club's major tournaments for many years.
The reliable partnership of RHAND must be credited to General Manager David Maynard, a keen chess player himself who, apart from his actual participation in the tournament, has added a welcome feature at the Knights Open prize-giving by the award of up-to-date chess books to the tournament's outstanding juniors seven of whom earned an ELO rating at this event.
Written by the sport's leading players and analysts, these books should become a vital part of the quest by aspiring youngsters to improve their skills and ratings and so lift the standard of the sport. In RHAND, then, Knights and the game have acquired an informed and genuine supporter. Endeco Trinidad Ltd has also contributed to the club's success by its reliable sponsorship.
Last Thursday's blitz tournament, a popular feature of the Knights Open prize-giving function, attracted a total of 47 players including a record number of 22 juniors. Winner of the event, national champion IM Vishnu Singh, showed his class by playing unbeaten in the six-round event, sharing points only with CM Adrian Winter Atwell who won both the Knights Open and the first national qualifier. In the blitz, Winter Atwell confirmed his emergence at the top by taking second place on five together with Keevin James and David Jones.
Vishnu's younger brother, Mahendra, scored four and a half to support his promise. A bunch of eleven "heavyweights" maintained the event's interest by finishing on four: Marcus Cobham, FM Joshua Johnson, WCM Gabriella Johnson, CM Kevin Cupid, Hayden Lee, Anderson Gordon, Esan Wiltshire, Jonathan Forde, Alpacino Smith, Ian Grant and Dev Soondarsingh.
Winter-Atwell collected the Open first prize of $1500, Kevin Cupid the second of $1000 while FM Frank Yee and Dev Soondarsingh shared the third of $1200. Joint winners of the $800 fifth prize were Marcus Cobham, David Jones, Andrew Bowles and Paul Browne.
Also winning cash prizes were Isaiah McIntosh, Best Junior; Gabriella Johnson, Shannon Yearwood, Della-Marie Walcott, Jennika Lynch, Best Female; Mikel Martin, Best U 17; Rickson Thomas, Best Unrated. A special prize was awarded to Jordan Robertson for winning five games in a recent Barbados tournament. Frank Sears and Cesar Ramos-Caldera shared the Seniors' prize.
Former national champion, ex-TTCA President and Knights member Anderson Gordon substituted as master of ceremonies for the club's ailing President Louis Wiltshire. Apart from announcing the prizes, Gordon made a strong appeal for more women to enter the Knights tournament as only eight competed in the recent event. While DR supports Gordon's appeal, he notes that the sport's traditional sexual imbalance may well be changing as more girls are now entering the junior tournaments.