Grenada’s Renniel Gilbert secures prestigious title ‘Fide Master’ in Chess Olympiad

Grenada’s star player, 17-year-old Renniel Gilbert has been entitled with the prestigious “FIDE Master” (FM) at the Chess Olympiad held in Budapest. This recognition is a testament to the unwavering dedication of the player towards positioning the country’s name in the field of sports on an international platform.

With this endorsement, Renniel Gilbert became the first ever homegrown FIDE Master. Gilbert, a student of TAMCC left Grenada on 8th September as a totally unrated player but will return to the country with identification of being called the Fide Master.

Fide Master is the third highest title in the game of Chess which is ranked behind International Master and Grandmaster, and above Candidate Master (CM). FM is one of the four major official titles which is bestowed on Chess players by the International Chess Federation (FIDE).

Renniel Gilbert was awarded with this prestigious title following his exceptional performance in the Chess Olympiad. Out of 10 games he played till 21st September, he was won 7, drew 1 and lost 2. He earned 7.5 points which was enough for him to catapult to his new rank of FIDE Master.

FIDE is the world’s governing body for Chess, who unveiled the names of 23 players accorded the title “FIDE Master.” Renniel Gilbert was one of the names to have been published on the list released by International Chess Federation.

Apart from acknowledging the players with the title of FIDE Master, the International Chess Federation unveiled the names of combined 13 players who were recognized with the new titles of International Master and Grandmaster.

As per the details, FIDE uses a rating system in order to determine the strength of a player which is judged by his performance against other players. And, to carry the titles of FIDE Master, International Master, and Grandmaster the player must achieve minimum ratings of 2300, 2400, and 2500 respectively.

A minimum rating to carry the title of Candidate Master is 2200. On the other hand, the lowest rating for the FIDE is 1001 and any player below that mark would be considered unrated.

Chess Olympiad is an international team chess event which is a great platform for all the participants to gain some exposure and skills from the greatest minds across the world. Over 2000 players from 197 countries participated in the Budapest Olympiad.

A total of 10 players from Grenada participated in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. The players who competed in the tournament includes, Renniel Gilbert, Vladimir Mendez, Gennard Roberts, Tyler Thomas, and Javon James, Achazia Lewis, Rockisha Flanders, Naziyah James, Bernel Chitan and Tauriel Frank.