TOP Barbados chess player Orlando Husbands stumbled but Leigh Sandiford maintained his gold medal hopes on the penultimate day of the Central American and Caribbean Youth Chess Festival in Trinidad on Tuesday.
Husbands lost to Cuban Abel Gonzales in an eighth round top-of-the-table clash in the evening that ended his chances of claiming the top spot in the Under-18 division and the title of International Master.
The defeat – his first of the tournament – followed a draw against Trinidadian Joshua Johnson in the morning session and left him on five-a-half-points, a point behind joint leaders Gonzales and Calvin Tjong Tjin Joe of Suriname, who square off on Wednesday in the championship decider.
Husbands, who is in contention to win the silver medal, is one of four players on five-and-a-half points and is currently in fourth place on the tie-breaker.
While Husbands faltered, Sandiford notched up two more quick-fire wins, beating Diego Ramos of Suriname and Brad Monroe-Brown of Trinidad and Tobago to complete his seventh victory.
Sandiford was joined at the top of the standings on seven points by Colombian Candidate Master Ramirez Lopez and Jamaican David Thomas.
Lopez, however, was ahead on the tie-breaker and the front-running trio was some distance of the other competitors.
Apart from Husbands and Sandiford, the only other Barbadian with a chance of medalling is Jaydn Gill, who scored two wins in the Under-8 division to move into third place.
Gill beat Jamaican Aidan Rampair in the morning and followed with victory against Maylee Tjin Joe Tjong of Suriname to move to five-a-half-points ahead of a final round showdown with CARIFTA gold medallist, Jamaican Kishan Clarke, who is in fifth place with four-a-half points.
Barbados registered 14 victories on Tuesday, including nine in the evening session where the other winners were Bryan Prescod (Under-20), Jakeel Harewood (Under-20), Niccolo Walrond (Under-16), Gabriella Cumberbatch (Under-16), Kyle Sandiford (Under-14), Azari Gittens (Under-12) and Jerem Gittens (Under-10).
Allon Richards (Under-20), Nitin Mahtani (Under-16) and Segan Sandiford (Under-14) joined Sandiford and Gill as Barbados’ winners in the morning session. (HG)
