BVI Chess Teams Secure Historic Olympiad Wins
The British Virgin Islands national chess teams have achieved major milestones at the 46th Chess Olympiad, securing their first match and individual victories. Both the Open and Women's squads registered historic triumphs against international competitors as tournament action continues.
The British Virgin Islands chess delegation has made historic strides on the international stage, claiming multiple team and individual victories during the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. The Women's team delivered a standout performance in Round 3, convincingly defeating regional rival Bermuda with a 3–1 scoreline to earn the territory's first match point of the tournament.
Kiara Phillip, competing on Board 4, recorded the BVI's first-ever individual game victory at the event by defeating Bermuda's Francesca Creasall-Haycock. Teammates Chane-Ann Chin on Board 3 and Makalia Fergus on Board 2 followed with decisive wins to seal the overall match. Tiandra Scatliffe held Board 1 after moving up from Board 3 in previous international competition, while Alexis Ganigan took a scheduled rest day.
Following the match, the squad debriefed with team trainer and coach, Women's International Master Angela Franco, to analyze key moves and strategize for future rounds. The Open team carried the winning momentum into Round 4, capturing its first overall match victory of the Olympiad against Comoros.
Raheem Hodge, playing on Board 4, earned his first personal victory of the tournament to secure the Open team's breakthrough individual win. Shamoy Joseph followed with a triumph on Board 3 to strengthen the territory's position, while Jhon Samuel held his opponent to a draw on Board 2, and Maurice Lettsome competed on Board 1.
In Round 5, BVI players continued to make their mark on individual boards despite challenging team pairings. Facing Jersey, Shamoy Joseph secured another impressive win on Board 2 for the Open squad. In the Women's division match against Myanmar, Chane-Ann Chin picked up another personal victory on Board 4.
The 46th Chess Olympiad is recognized as the world's premier team chess competition, featuring a record 208 teams in the Open section and 191 in the Women's section. The combined breakthrough victories represent significant progress for the development of chess in the Virgin Islands.
Team VI now looks ahead to Round 6, where the Open squad is scheduled to face Seychelles and the Women's team will take on Vanuatu as competition continues at the Silk Road EXPO venue.
Primary source: VINO