Last weekend was a great weekend for chess in The Bahamas. A total of 14 players, ranging from high school students to seasoned adults, took to the boards at C.W. Sawyer Primary School to play in the 2012 Jack Rogers Summer Splash Tournament.
The two-day event - a new entry to the Bahamas Chess Federation's (BCF) calendar - was organized as a four-round Swiss game in 60 minutes, and was held June 23-24.
Round 1 went according to form, with all higher-rated players defeating their opponents.
Round 2 is when the competition heated up. Lemaro Thompson, returning to federation action after an extended period of university studies, secured a clear advantage over former two-time National Champion Byron Small, but failed to convert before his time expired and fell in bitter defeat.
Also in Round 2, Kyle Curry, a College of The Bahamas student and new federation player, crushed veteran Andre White in a match that would earn Curry the "Biggest Upset" prize.
Round 3 saw Byron Small win against defending National Champion Ken Gibson, setting the stage for Small to win the top prize with one more victory.
Paired in the fourth round against the young talent of Sandeep Gali, Small played an aggressive gambit line that required extremely accurate play on the part of Gali.
For most of the match, Gali was able to fend off Small's incessant pressure, but ultimately the weight of the position was too much to bear.
Small uncorked a simple but vicious knight move that spelled doom for his opponent. Gali was forced to give up material to extend play, but with the result all but decided, Gali eventually resigned, handing Small his fourth win of the tournament and the first-place trophy.
By placing third in this event, Lemaro Thompson automatically qualified for play in this year's national championship, scheduled for November.
The federation's Grand Prix standings with four events to go have Yan Lyansky and Byron Small tied for first place.
Competition is proving to be extremely fierce in 2012, and the remainder of the federation's calendar will be intriguing to follow.
For more information on the Bahamas Chess Federation and its scheduled events, the public is asked to visit the federation's website or its Facebook page.

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