Guyana’s Sasha Shariff scored four points from the nine-round Swiss system chess tournament which ended yesterday in Puerto Rico.
Shariff, with a FIDE rating of 1263, ended in 15th place from the 19 competitors that participated in the Central American and Caribbean tournament.
The tournament was won by FIDE Master Danitza Vazquez (2074) of the host country Puerto Rico with seven and one half points while her compatriot Woman International Master (WIM) Natasha Morales (1854) with seven points was second. Obdulis Hermoso, Woman Candidate Master (1951) of Trinidad and Tobago, was third with five and one half points and Barbadian Hannah Wilson (1660) fourth also with five and one half points.
Shariff lost her first three matches before gaining a bye in the fourth round.
In the first round she lost to Woman candidate Master Polina Karelina (1849) and in the second round to Woman Candidate Master Yanira Rivera (1667).
In round three she lost to Trinidad’s Hermoso before getting a bye in the fourth round. In the fifth round she won against Yorelis M. Febles (1062) but in round six lost to Dairyn Lopez (1554).
In round seven Shariff defeated Gabriela Vera Perez (unranked) but lost to Woman International Master Andrea Ortez (1918). In the final round Shariff defeated Angelo Merino Vallecillo (1175).
The tournament was organized by the Puerto Rico Chess Federation and held at the Hotel Verdanza Isla Verde, Carolina, Puerto Rico. Sandy Razark was the Tournament Director and Ismael Soto Gonzalez, the Chief Arbiter.
