The Barbados Beach Club in Christ Church served as the backdrop for the conclusion of the second annual SITTU Barbados Open, a prestigious international chess tournament that attracted over 100 competitors from ten different nations. The five-day event, characterized by intense competition under the Caribbean sun, saw international grandmasters and masters claiming victory across multiple sections in decisive fashion.
In the premier Section A, Canadian Grandmaster Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux delivered a commanding performance, securing the title with an undefeated record of 7.5 points from nine games. His consistent play resulted in six victories and three draws, establishing clear dominance in the round-robin format. The Canadian contingent continued their strong showing with International Masters Mark Plotkin and Aaron Reeve Mendez finishing second and third respectively, both accumulating 6.5 points with Plotkin prevailing on tiebreak criteria. Barbados’s national champion, FIDE Master Martyn Del Castilho, emerged as the top local competitor with 4.5 points, concluding his campaign with a victory over Jamaica’s Candidate Master Darren McKennis.
Section B witnessed a flawless performance by Venezuela’s FIDE Master Jose Mora Moron, who achieved a perfect score of seven wins from seven games. Mora Moron’s dominance was such that he mathematically clinched the section title by the sixth round. He capped his impressive run with a decisive final-round victory against Barbados Women’s Champion and Woman FIDE Master Hannah Wilson. Local talent Emar Edwards secured sole possession of second place with five points, benefiting from a draw between Justin Parsons and Guyana’s Taffin Khan in the final round.
The competitive intensity continued in Section C where Loki Clarke registered a perfect seven-win sweep. Having already secured the section victory in round six, Clarke maintained his aggressive approach to defeat Woman Candidate Master Kiarra Eversley in the final round. Savion Little captured clear second place with 5.5 points after drawing his final match against Allan Herbert, while Aaron Jaikaran claimed third position with a last-round victory over veteran Cyprian LaTouche.
The most dramatic conclusion unfolded in the Novice Section D, where four players finished tied at six points each after a tumultuous final round. Nathan Simmons-Patterson entered the final match as sole leader with six consecutive wins but suffered a critical defeat against Conrad Grits. This outcome, combined with victories by Derick Boyce and Harry Shepherd, created an unprecedented four-way tie. The title was ultimately awarded to Harry Shepherd who edged out his competitors by the narrowest of margins on tiebreak criteria. The section featured intense competition among 50 participants, with Jaekeb Barrow, Rene Lashley, Gabriel Canterbury, Ernest King, and Canada’s Savinos Minas rounding out positions five through nine.
The successful tournament has generated significant anticipation within the chess community for next year’s edition, promising continued growth for Caribbean chess on the international stage.