Top local chess player Orlando Husbands is holding his own in his pursuit to become the first Barbadian to win a medal at the Pan American Under-20 Championships in El Salvador.
Husbands, the reigning CARIFTA and Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Under-20 champion, had registered two wins, a draw and a loss after the first four rounds of games.
The recently elevated International Master was lying in tenth place among the 26 competitors ahead of yesterday evening’s fifth round of games.
Ranked at No. 5 at the start of the competition, Husbands, the only competitor from the English-speaking Caribbean, started the championships with a victory against Jose Lossi of Guatemala before suffering a second-round defeat against FIDE Master Sebastian Donoso of Chile. It could have been considered an upset, given that Donoso’s rating of 2 045 is considerably lower than Husbands’ 2 327.
Husbands, one of only two International Masters in the championships, bounced back in the third round to defeat Candidate Master Madrid Ramirez of Costa Rica, but had to settle for a draw against American Maximillian Lu in the fourth round.
The championships are being played over nine rounds and will end on Monday.
Jamaican Candidate Master Rachel Miller, the only female from the English-speaking Caribbean, was in 14th place among 29 entrants in the women’s division.
The CAC Under-20 bronze medallist gained two points from a win in the second round and two draws in the first and fourth rounds. (HG)
