For the first time in the History of T&T Junior Chess (and perhaps first time ever in T&T), the national champion will be decided by a match.
Simon Ramdath of Naparima College and Mahendra Singh of Presentation, Chaguanas, are fighting for the U18 title. Singh, brother of Open Scholarship winner and National Men’s Champion, Vishnu Singh, held Ramdath to two draws in the first two games. In game 1 Mahendra played a King’s Indian attack setup while in game 2 he played a Sicilian Dragon against Simon’s pawn to e4 opening. The two fighting draws, in which both sides missed chances under the pressure, set the stage for risky play in rounds 3 & 4 of the 4 game match. Simon in particular will have to try for a win because under the rules of the tournament if the match ends in a draw then the boys must play two 10-minute games to break the tie, followed by two 5-minute games if necessary. If the tie still can’t be broken then the younger player, Singh in this case, would become champion.
Tune in again for more results in the boys U18.
Remember that tomorrow Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday of this week will be the age group championships (U8, U10, U12, U14 & U16) at the auditorium of Presentation College, San Fernando.
