The preliminary stage of the contest to decide the country's 2015 national chess champion is over. Now, looking at the 11 finalists who have qualified from the four regional qualifiers, DR anticipates a truly exciting finish.
To begin with, 20-year-old champion IM Vishnu Singh faces a herculean task to retain his title against a formidable array of finalists including seven-time champion FM Ryan Harper and FM Joshua Johnson who will both be seeking "revenge" for last year's defeats. Vishnu's success so far, of course, demonstrate he is up to the task, but still the final battle is anybody's.
The last three to join the final run will certainly add to the excitement. After a long lay-off from tournament play, David Christopher has surprised, indeed shocked, the chess fraternity by topping the strong 20 player field in the eastern preliminary. Christopher scored six points, ahead of CM Kevin Cupid on five and a half and former national champion Anderson Gordon on five. The last qualifiers, then, have further ensured that the final battle for the country's chess crown will be a fascinating affair.
CM Adrian Winter Atwell who won the North preliminary on six points will be seeking, of course, to climax his impressive run of victories with the national title. Last year he topped a field of 48 in the De Verteuil Memorial and last May he emerged ahead of 60 entries in the Knights Open, setting a record of its own and gaining favourite status in the title race.
FM Frank Yee, among the most consistent of T&T's top class players, with several victories in the Knights Open behind him, will be seeking to regain the national honours he won a few years ago.
CM Frank Sears, one of the country's notable veterans, played unbeaten in the South qualifier, scoring 6.5 points. Sears, apparently now in top form, will contest the national finals for the first time, seeking a fitting honour to cap his long and prominent career.
What more can DR say about the achievements of FM Ryan Harper? With seven national titles in the bag, he can only now aspire to excel the record left by Christo Cave who won the championship a total of 13 times.
When questioned by DR, however, Harper evinced no particular desire to surpass Cave's phenomenal record. "All I can say is, I shall continue to play and whatever happens happens," he added. However, it would be no surprise to anyone if Harper proceeds to add another national title to his bulging bag of trophies.
Anderson Gordon won the national title as a youngster and is now seeking to repeat that performance 21 years afterwards. Although his business career and his administrative duties as former president of the T&TCA has kept him away from the tournament arena, his recent return to competitive play, particularly his third place ranking in the east, shows that he has lost little, if anything, of his former skill.
Over the last decade, CM Cupid has graduated into the first class ranks from a group of promising youngsters most of whom have left the sport to pursue professional carfeers. He placed second in the East, half a point behind Christopher, and is now faced with the opportunity of writing his name indelibly in the history books.
Mahendra Singh is one of the game's rising young stars. He placed third among the 27 entries in the South qualifier, equalling Harper's five points. As the younger brother of the champion, he may well be inspired by this added incentive. Mahendra's performance in this supreme contest, then, should have an interest of its own.
Hayden Lee's steady climb from the lower echelons of the sport to his present status as a formidable contender is a fascinating story in itself. His love and appetite for the royal game has made him something of a legend.
His second place in the North qualifier, half a point behind Winter Atwell, brings him within striking distance of his ultimate goal. Good luck Hayden, from his partners in Woodford Square.