History was created in local chess when a pair of 14-year-old twins, Wolmerians John and Amy Stephenson won the National Junior Blitz Championships in the National Master Thomas Figueroa Memorial Blitz Online 2020 competition held over 11 rounds on Boxing Day.
John Stephenson achieved his first national title after defeating Jaden Shaw in a play-off after both went 10-1 in the preliminary round. John defeated Jaden in the fourth round and lost to Javier Smart in the eighth round en route to the play-off which he won in Armageddon.
Amy, while competing among the boys, finished sixth overall with a 6-5 win-loss record to emerge the top junior female player, hence the female champion. She is also the present National Under-14 age group female champion.
The top 10 in the junior section is John Stephenson, Jaden Shaw, overseas-based Najae Powell, Jahiem Smart, Rohit Mahtani, Amy Stephenson, Krish Lalwani, Demarie Comrie, Keith Smith and Michael Graham.
In the senior section, FIDE Master (FM) Joshua Christie with 10 wins and a draw versus Candidate Master (CM) Nathan Hinds won the senior National Blitz title easily over Hinds and Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Raehanna Brown. WCM Brown was a double winner after finishing third overall and the highest female to be crowned the female National Blitz Champion. WCM Brown is also the current National Under-16 age group female champion.
The top 10 in the senior section is FM Christie, CM Hinds, WCM Brown, National Master (NM) Ryan Blackwood, rising star Darren McKennis, Nickaylah Curwin, CM Malik Curriah, Justin Watts, Chewayne Jackson and Michael Antoine.
The NM Thomas Figueroa Blitz Championships is played in honour of a man who was among the first of a trio that achieved Chess National Master status in 1974 in Jamaica, the others being CM Robert Wheeler and NM Harald Chan. In the Caribbean Chess Championships held in Guyana in 1975, he won the board prize going undefeated ahead of International Master Eldis Cobo of Cuba, his performance made him the highest-rated player in the history Jamaica chess at that time.
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