Grenada shines at Budapest, secure first double victory at Chess Olympiad

The Team Grenada, representing at Budapest secured its first double victory at the Chess Olympiad with both male and female teams securing wins over the U.S Virgin Islands (USVI) and Sierra Leone, respectively on Thursday, 19^th September, 2024.

The Grenada’s Male Team defeated the USVI with 3 wins in a set of four matches, with the fourth match being a draw. Renniel Gilbert, Gennard Roberts, and Vladimir Mendez were the three victorious, with Javon James ending up in a draw against his opponent.

The 17-year-old Grenadian, Renniel Gilbert is continuing to shine at the Chess Olympiad as till now, he has played a total of 8 games, out of which he has won 5, drew 1, and lost 2. He is getting highly appreciated for his performance at the Olympiad and people are regarding him the “Jack of the Trades.”

Meanwhile, the Female team also sparkled a like, winning their at least one game. The Women’s defeated Sierra Leone by 3-1. The female participants namely Achazia Lewis, Rockisha Flanders, and Tauriel Frank, all won their games. However, 12-year-old Naziyah James had to face defeat from her opponent.

Grenada is competing at such prestigious competition for the first time, taking place in Budapest, Hungary. It is a global team chess event which is organised by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

This event is a huge opportunity for all the participants representing Grenada at Hungary to gain some exposure and learn new strategies and skills from the liveliest minds worldwide.

The players that are currently representing Grenada at the Chess Olympiad includes, Renniel Gilbert, Vladimir Mendez, Gennard Roberts, Tyler Thomas, and Javon James in the Men’s team. Meanwhile the female squad includes, Achazia Lewis, Rockisha Flanders, Naziyah James, Bernel Chitan and Tauriel Frank.

The Grenada Chess Federation was established in May 2019 in order to bring the game of chess nationwide throughout the communities and in the schools of Grenada both primary and secondary by using it as an education tool.

Moreover, Grenada’s next game has been scheduled against Guam in the Men’s category and Ivory Coast in the Women’s Category on 20^th September, 2024.