Grenada selects 12-member squad to make historic debut at Chess Olympiad in Budapest

The 12-member squad is all set to represent Grenada at the 45^th edition of Chess Olympiad for the first time. The island nation has reached yet another significant milestone in developing chess by selecting a 12-member squad to participate in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.

The Chess Olympiad will run from 10^th to 23^rd September 2024 while representing the most prestigious event on the global calendar of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the world governing body for chess.

The Olympiad is expected to attract over 2,000 participants from 200 countries. FIDE recently approved all 12 team members for the Olympiad.

The participants who will be competing at the Olympiad were introduced by the Grenada Chess Federation at Chess Camp 2024. This camp was held at the Grenada Boys’ Secondary School Auditorium from August 19th – 23rd, 2024.

The inaugural Grenada Chess team will make a history by comprising 5 male and female players each (totalling 10). Along with that, they have also selected two non-playing captains, one for the male and other for the female team.

The male team includes Renniel Gilbert, Tyler Thomas, Javon James, Gennard Roberts, Carlyle Glean Jr. and Vladimir Mendez. The female squad comprises Rockisha Flanders, Achazia Lewis, Naziyah James, Tauriel Frank, Bernel Chitan and Denise Bouah.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports of Grenada has also extended best wishes to the team as they will be representing their nation on the global stage in Budapest.

The Prime Minister of Grenada, Dickon Mitchell, has also lauded the Chess Federation for this historic achievement of fielding a team for the first time at the Chess Olympiad. He has expressed optimism that the team will definitely make Grenada proud and bring laurels to the nation.

Moreover, the female team of Grenada were also benefitted from a special three-month FIDE sponsored and organized training session. These sessions were held from March to June this year which was specifically designed to promote women in chess.

It was conducted by Dr. Bouah, a FIDE-certified coach from South Africa. All 5 female players bound for Budapest participated in the three-month training session aimed at preparing them for the 45th Olympiad.

Also, 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest has made a history by recording the participation of around 184 women’s teams competing alongside 196 teams in the Open Section. This is the closest ratio of men’s to women’s teams in the event’s history, which marks the significant progress in gender equality.

The participation of Grenada in the Chess Olympiad 2024 is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Federation towards positioning Grenada on an international stage.