After a strong performance at the 41st Chess Olympiad in Tromso, Norway, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) has named three local players as candidate masters.
Kendrick Knowles, Elton Joseph and Cecil Moncur had to score at least 50 percent in a minimum of seven games at the event to secure the prestigious title. They did just that, and The Bahamas managed to move up to an overall rank of 118 out of 174 countries, after coming into the Chess Olympiad ranked at number 158. The team moved ahead of perennial Caribbean chess powerhouses Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname. In the region, only Jamaica scored more match points by the end of the 11-round competition.
"This tournament was an important benchmark for us to set for ourselves, and what we were able to accomplish. This has really given us a lot of confidence. We see the potential of our players and now we just have to apply ourselves and get the proper training and coaching to do well in the sport," said Bahamas Chess Federation (BCF) President Andre White.
"We played against proven chess masters and were able to hold our own. The guys are incredibly motivated now to continue their training and to represent the country at upcoming international tournaments. They saw the results of preparation, and the efforts that we put into participating in this Olympiad were well worth it."
The trio being awarded the title have now increased the number of candidate masters in The Bahamas to four. Nathan Smith received the honor last year after his performance at the 2013 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Youth Festival. The young chess phenom won the gold medal in the under-8 division of the youth festival, which was held in Costa Rica. The tournament played host to more than 230 players from 16 Central American and Caribbean countries.
In Norway, the three chess veterans led The Bahamas to its best finish ever at the Olympiad, which the country had not competed in, in over 20 years.
A major player in the BCF's recent success is Serbian grandmaster Predrag Trajkovic who worked with the team for two months prior to the tournament and served as team captain during the Chess Olympiad. As captain he developed strategies and provided analysis of the opponents games.
The 42nd Chess Olympiad is scheduled to be held in 2016 in Baku, Azerbaijan, and the BCF is already making preparation for a team to attend.
More playing opportunities are expected to be offered to local chess players in the near future, and there has been some discussion of The Bahamas hosting an international tournament in 2015.

Click here to read more at The Nassau Guardian