The modest participation by Guyana at the chess Olympiads in 1978 and 1980 reverberated well among other Caribbean nations owing to its stellar performances. When FIDE Caribbean representative Alan Herbert visited Guyana six years ago or thereabouts, accompanied by ‘Reds’ Pereira, he was armed with the results of Guyana’s exemplary showing at both Olympiads. Naturally, Herbert wanted to rekindle the fire that had been extinguished when chess, unfortunately, fell by the wayside for at least a decade.
But now we are back, and there is a measure of optimism surrounding efforts to make chess as attractive as it was previously. In contrast to Guyana’s regrettable decade old hiatus, however, one Caribbean nation, Haiti, has been making some unusual waves in the chess world. Although beset by hurricanes and earthquakes, Haiti remains strong in chess and has been participating more-or-less regularly in the chess Olympiads beginning from 1986. Haiti missed the 2008 chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany, owing to a series of hurricanes that ravaged the island nation, but since then, Haiti has played every Olympiad with the last being Istanbul, Turkey, 2012. And I am optimistic the nature-troubled nation would answer the bell at Tromso, Norway, for the 2014 Olympiad in August .
It remains a remarkable feat that Haiti is represented at Olympiad after Olympiad on the international stage while Guyana still reminisces about that Olympiad which we attended 34 years ago in Valletta, Malta. But our young, creative players still possess the spirit, the ambition, and determination to accelerate our chess to significant heights. In November, one of our more prominent juniors, Anthony Drayton, single-placed at the Suriname Independence tournament at which there were some high-profile players from India and Europe. Chess is on the move, and we are dedicating our efforts to making the 2014 Olympiad in Tromso, Norway, happen.
Chess solution for last week
Qf7 + Kxe5 f4 + Ke4 Re1 + Kd3 Qd5 mate
Chess games
Mueller v Lebrun
Piersont Lebrun is a FIDE Candidate Master and was the coach/captain of the Haitian chess team for the 2012 chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey. His current FIDE chess rating is 2000.
Event: Chess Olympiad
Site: Istanbul, Turkey
Date: Sept 3, 2012
Result: 1/2-1/2
White: Leonhard Mueller
Black: Piersont Lebrun
White Elo: 2166
Black Elo: 1973
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 g6 5. Bg2 Bg7 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 O-O 9. O-O d6 10. Qd3 Rb8 11. Be3 a6 12. Rac1 Bf5 13. Qd2 Qd7 14. Rfd1 Ng4 15. Bd4 Bxd4 16. Qxd4 Rfd8 17. Nd5 Be6 18. Nb6 Qc7 19. b3 Nf6 20. b4 Nd7 21. Nxd7 Rxd7 22. Rc3 Rc8 23. Rdc1 a5 24. a3 axb4 25. axb4 b6 26. g4 Qa7 27. h4 Rdc7 28. h5 Qa2 29. h6 f6 30. g5 Rxc4 31. Rxc4 Rxc4 32. Rxc4 Qxc4 33. Qd2 Qa2 34. Qxa2 Bxa2 35. f4 fxg5 36. fxg5 Kf7 37. Kf2 Ke6 38. Kg3 Kf5 39. Kh4 Kf4 40. Bc6 d5 41. Be8 d4 42. Bxg6 Bg8 43. Bd3 e5 44. g6 hxg6 45. Bxg6 e4 46. h7 Bxh7 47. Bxh7 Ke3 48. Kg5 Kxe2 49. Bxe4 d3 50. Kf4 Kd2 51. Ke5 Kc3 52. b5 d2 53. Bf3 Kb4. 1/2-1/2
Gerald v Lebrun
Event: Chess Olympiad
Site: Istanbul, Turkey
Date: Sept 1, 2012
Result: 0-1
White: M T Winston Gerald
Black: Piersont Lebrun
White Elo: 1907
Black Elo: 1973
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Nbd7 5. e3 c6 6. Nf3 Qa5 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Ne4 9. Bf4 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Qxc3+ 11. Nd2 Bb4 12. Rc1 Qa3 13. O-O Qa5 14. Nf3 Be7 15. Bb3 O-O 16. Qd3 Qh5 17. e4 Nf6 18. h3 Rd8 19. Qc2 Qg6 20. Bc7 Rf8 21. Rfe1 Ne8 22. Bg3 Bd6 23. Bxd6 Nxd6 24. Qe2 h5 25. Rc5 Qh6 26. Kh1 g6 27. Kh2 Rd8 28. g3 Bd7 29. h4 b6 30. Rcc1 Be8 31. Red1 Nb7 32. Ng5 Na.5 33. Qf3 Nxb3 34. Qxb3 Qg7 35. Qc4 Qf6 36. f4 Qe7 37. Rd3 c5 38. Rcd1 Rxd4 39. Rxd4 cxd4 40. Qxd4 Rc8 41. Rd2 b5 42. Qf2 Bc6 43. f5 exf5 44. exf5 Ba8 45. Qf1 Qe3 46. Rd7 gxf5 47. Rxf7 Rc1 48. Rf8+ Kxf8 49. Qxf5+ Ke7 50. Qh7+ Kd6 51. Nf7+ Kc5 52. Qxh5+ Bd5 53. Qf5 Rh1. 0-1
Bazile, Jocelyn v Silveirinha,
Jose Antonio C (2200)
Yerevan, Armenia, 1996
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.Bd3 Nf6 5.Ne2 Bg4 6.f3 Bh5 7.Nf4 Bg6 8.Nc3 e6 9.Nce2 Bd6 10.c3 0-0 11.Bxg6 hxg6 12.0-0 Qc7 13.g3 Nc6 14.Nd3 b5 15.Bf4 Nd7 16.Bxd6 Qxd6 17.f4 b4 18.Ne5 bxc3 19.bxc3 Nb6 20.Rf3 Ne7 21.Qe1 Rac8 22.h4 Rc7 23.g4 f6 24.Nd3 Na4 25.Qd2 Rfc8 26.Rc1 Qa3 27.Ne1 Rc4 28.Ng2 Rb8 29.Rc2 Rb1+ 30.Rf1 Rxf1+ 31.Kxf1 Rc6 32.Ne1 Nc8 33.Qd3 Nd6 34.Qxg6 Nxc3 35.h5 Kf8 36.h6 gxh6 37.Qxh6+ Ke8 38.g5 Nf5 39.Qg6+ Kd7 40.Qf7+ Kc8 41.Rxc3! Ne3+ 42.Rxe3 Qxe3 43.Qh5 fxg5 44.fxg5 Kb7 45.g6 e5 46.g7 Rf6+ 47.Nf3 Rxf3+ 48.Ke1 Qf2+ 49.Kd1 Rd3+ 50.Kc2 Rf3 51.Qxe5 Re3 52.Qxd5+ Kb6 53.Qc5+ Ka6 54.Qc4+ Kb6 55.g8Q Rxe2+ 56.Kb3 Rb2+ 57.Ka3 1-0.
Lamothe v Moseki
Here is a game by Jean Lamothe. He played in the 1986, 1990 and 1994 Olympiads.
EventL Olympiad 1994
Site: Moscow, Russia
Round 11
Result: 1-0
White: Jean Lamothe
Black: Gaosekelwe Moseki
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.f4 exf4 4.Nf3 g5 5.h4 g4 6.Ng5 h6 7.Nxf7 Kxf7 8.Qxg4 Nf6 9.Qxf4 d6 10.Bc4+ Ke8 11.O-O Bg7 12.Qg3 Qe7 13.Qg6+ Kd8 14.d4 Bd7 15.Bf7 Rf8 16.Qxg7 Rxf7 17.Qxh6 Ng4 18.Qh8+ Qe8 19.Bg5+ Kc8 20.Qxe8+ Bxe8 21.Rxf7 Bxf7 22.Rf1 Be8 23.Rf4 Kd7 24.Rxg4 Bh5 25.Rf4 Nxd4 26.g4 Ne6 27.gxh5 Nxf4 28.Bxf4 c6 29.Kh2 Ke6 30.Kg3 b5 31.Kf3 Rd8 32.Ne2 c5 33.h6 d5 34.e5 d4 35.Ke4 Rd5 36.h7 Rd8 37.Bg5 Rh8 38.Nf4+ Kf7 39.e6+ Kg7 40.Nd5 Kxh7 41.Nf6+ Kg7 42.e7 Kf7 43.e8=Q+ Rxe8+ 44.Nxe8 Kxe8 45.Kd5 1-0.
Claudia Amura v Ingrid Dahl, Novi Sad, Russia, 1990
