The Garfield Sobers Gymnasium played host to a dramatic and tightly contested Primary Schools’ Team Chess Championship this year, where Charles F Broome ‘A’ turned in a masterclass performance to successfully defend their national title. The defending champions entered the tournament as one of the favorites to win, and they did not disappoint, taking every match they played en route to a first-place finish with a total score of 21 tournament points. Their narrow margin of victory held off a fierce challenge from St Gabriel’s ‘A’, who claimed second place with a solid 19.5 points after five rounds of competitive play.
Heading into the final round of the multi-team tournament, the race for the championship title looked set to come down to a showdown between three leading teams. Charles F Broome ‘A’ held the top spot with 17 points, followed closely by Providence “A” at 15.5 points and St George Primary “A” at 15 points. Analysts and spectators alike predicted that the overall winner would emerge from this leading trio. In a pivotal matchup, Charles F Broome ‘A’ faced off against second-place Providence “A” — and delivered an emphatic 4-1 win that sealed their undefeated run. Victories from team members Nathan Culpepper, Daesha Rose Parris, Nia Snow Clarke and Naja Howard pushed the team over the finish line, while Caelynn Gordon of Providence “A” earned the only consolation win for her side with a defeat of Kymani Gayle.
The battle for the third and final podium spot delivered just as much excitement for chess fans. St Jude’s and St Cyprian’s ‘B’ finished the tournament tied on 18 and a half points, forcing a tie-break to determine the final ranking. St Jude’s ultimately claimed the third-place position after the tie-break resolution.
This year’s championship win solidifies Charles F Broome ‘A’s reputation as the dominant force in Barbadian primary school chess, marking the latest in a consecutive string of championship victories for the program over recent years.
In total, 29 teams drawn from roughly 20 primary schools across the region took part in the 2024 championship, bringing 150 total young chess players to compete. Each participating school was allowed to field a core roster of five players, plus two reserve players who could step in for matches throughout the tournament.
Along with team honors, the tournament also recognized standout individual performances from players across all competing schools. Nine players walked away with board prizes after winning every one of their individual matches throughout the competition. The honorees included Caelyn Gordon of Providence “A”, Liam Lowe of St Cyprian’s “B”, Naja Howard of Charles F Broome, Tyriq Goddard of St George “A”, Nia Sow-Clarke of CFB “A”, Rydun Jones-Jordan of St George “B”, Janea Clarke of St Judes, Dominic Cadogan of St Cyprian’s A, and Benjamin Luciene of St Gabriel’s “A” — who also earned distinction earlier this year as the top performer on the national Common Entrance exam. Minister of Education Chad Blackman presented the individual awards to the winning players.