Martin first in Indian Arrival Day Chess

THE annual Indian Arrival Day Chess tournament attracted 150 young players who competed at the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba on Wednesday. The competition featured five categories and was organised by the Trinidad and Tobago Chess Foundation and sponsored by INUDS Merchant Limited.

After a tense five-round affair, Mikel Martin, Keegan Ragoobar and Luke Balliram played unbeaten in their respective sections to earn the top spots. Martin won the Open division, with Ragoobar and Balliram placing first in the Under 1400 and Under 1200-rated divisions respectively.

The Novice competition, which attracted the largest turnout, saw 112 players contesting the Novice A and Novice B categories. As they raced over the seven-round contest, Mark Buxo played unbeaten to win the Novice A and Joshua Medina did the same to clinch the Novice B division.

Open Division – 1. Mikel Martin (6pts), 2. Matthew Inkim (4 pts), 3. Jennika Lynch (4 pts), Jon Raphael Sealy (2 pts).

Under 1400 – 1. Keegan Ragoobar (4.5 pts), 2. Athena Martin (4 pts), Aaron Chaitram (3.5 pts), Amir Mahadeo (3 pts).

Under 1200 – 1. Luke Balliram (5 pts), 2. Cayleigh Manocha (4 pts), 3. Aaron Seepaul (3.5 pts), 4. Taydan Balliram (3.5 pts).

Novices A – Mark Buxo (7 pts), 2. James Gillette (6 pts), 3. Adrian Lutawan (6 pts), 4. Sameer Bharath (5.5 pts), 5. Renee Ragbir (5.5 pts), 6. Jaden Mitchell (5.5 pts)..

Novices B – Joshua Medina (6.5 pts), 2. Rickard Brown (6 pts), 3. Kyan Muradali (5.5 pts), 4. Kaylon Joseph (5 pts).