Chess star Cabralis back in the fray

Keron Cabralis shakes hands with Judy Oxley-Fullerton, marketing manager First Citizens Asset Management Ltd (FCAM), after making the first move to open the Caribbean Chess Carnival at QRC, yesterday. Looking on are Amol Golikeri, corporate manager of FCAM, Edison Raphael, president of the Chess Foundation and arbiter Trevor Griffith.

Chess star Keron Cabralis who withdrew from two major tournaments earlier this year is back in the competetive arena. Cabralis, 16, the Caribbean’s youngest FIDE Master, is a surprise entrant in the four-day Caribbean Chess Carnival which opened at Queen’s Royal College, Port-of-Spain, yesterday. Participation in the popular annual tournament by the Under-20 national champion scotched rumours that he had quit the sport out of disenchantment with competition organisers. Chess Sportsman of the Year for 2011, Cabralis has scored more victories in local tournaments than any player his age, having won all national junior titles without losing a single game. According to Edison Raphael, president of the T&T Chess Foundation, the sporting community should be happy to see young Cabralis back in the chess arena and “it seems fitting that he should make his return at the Caribbean Chess Carnival which he won last year in the Under 20 category.

Let us hope that Keron will now forget the past and move on to fulfil his great potential in this sport.” Cabralis is the highest rated player (2128) among the 21 participants in the Under 20 category. Fourteen other players in this group are rated, including Isaac Barayev (2083) New York City high school chess champion, Yu Tien Poon (2036) of Barbados, Vishnu Singh (2023), Ricardo Perez Sanchez (1955) of Venezuela, Orlando Husbands (1948) of Barbados, Jayson Paul (1899), Raphael Guerrero (1867), Rodrigo Hernandez (12806) and Alejandro Larez Hernandez ((1803), Immanuel Kromosoeto (1796) of Suriname. The Under-14 category has attracted most entries, 31, with Under 20 national champion Joshua Johnson heading the list which includes six Venezuelans, three Surinamese and one Barbadian. Among the 18 Under 10s are five Venezuelans and 13 Trinidadians. A total of 26 novices are taking part, all from T&T. The seven-round Chess Carnival, with a prize fund of $20,000, is again sponsored by First Citizens Asset Management Ltd.