Bahamas Chess Olympiad Open team roars back in Round 6 – EyeWitness News

NASSAU, BAHAMAS The Bahamas Open Team trumped Seychelles in Round 6 winning three out offour games.

CM Kendrick Knowles, WCM Polina Kerelina, and Noah Albury all secured a win for the Open Team. The Bahamas Womens Team put up a valiant fight against Sudan but only WCM Daijah Johnson was able to secure a win in Round 6.

This Olympiad experience has been a challenging one but has also been a fun and learning experience, said Albury, Open Team.

He continued: Whether I win or lose I get to grow from the experience. My goal for the rest of the tournament is to win more games.

The 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad is an over-the-board team event. National Chess Federations competein classical games for gold medals, trophies, and the title of strongest chess nation in the world. Theevent consists of an 11-round Swiss tournament; each player from a national team plays againstanother player from the opposing national team.

Teams receive game points for winning or drawing games and match points for winning or drawing a match. Teams with the most match points for each section become the champions of their section, with a third award going for the team with the most points from both sections combined.

After taking a two-year hiatus from chess due to Covid, and adjusting to university life, being offered the opportunity to participate in the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India was a whirlwind of emotions for me, said Daijah Johnson, Womens Team.

She continued: After being gone for so long, my first two rounds started off a bit shaky, however, my game returned to what it once was for the preceding three rounds. After 6 rounds in all and having played 5 rounds, I won 3 games and lost 2 of them. My final win out of my three-win streak was honestly one of my favorites.

In my opinion, I played a good game from start to finish, and I truly felt like I was tapping back into the strength that I once had.

Yesterday served as a well-deserved rest day after six straight days of play. Tournament playresumes today, and Round 6 will see The Bahamas Open Team up against Barbados.

The Barbados Team comprises a highly rated International Master (IM) and FIDE Master (FM). The Bahamas Womens Team will face off against Guam. The Bahamas has a total of 17.5 points.

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Bahamas Chess Olympiad Open team roars back in Round 6 - EyeWitness News