FOUR PLAYERS are battling it out at the top of the standings in the Junior National Chess Championship after the first two rounds.
Leading the way are the top-ranked Akeem Cox of the Barbados Community College, current Under-14 champ Kemp Lynch of the Garrison Secondary, and the Lodge School duo of Bryan Prescod and Lawrence Depradine – all on two points from two games.
The tournament has seen a couple of upsets of the top seeds as both Bryan and Lawrence have taken the scalps of higher-rated opponents.
Lawrence took out the second-ranked Yutien Poon of St Angela’s in Round 1, and then defeated the 2009 Open Sagicor champion Corinne Howard of the University of the West Indies in Round 2.
Bryan defeated talented youngster Shae Cardozo in Round 1, then raised his standard of play to defeat third-ranked Boris Thompson.
Cox breezed past Ross Degia of Harrison College in the first round, but was severely tested by women’s candidate master Katrina Blackman before grinding out a win in the end.
Lynch has looked quite competent in disposing of his opponents, Sanjeev Mahabir of Harrison College in the first round and Jerome Harewood from The Lodge.
Other players recording wins in the second round were Poon, Cardozo, Nellon Collymore, Ross Degia, Orlando Husbands, and Christopher Gibson. (PR)
