Joshua Johnson, right, receives his trophy from Ashelle Romney of NALIS

JOSHUA JOHNSON played unbeaten to take the Under-10 title in E-Teck Open Junior Chess Tournament held on Saturday at St Augustine Girls’ High School.

The nine-year old Maria Regina Preparatory School pupil ended with a perfect score to take top honours in the five-round Swiss- styled tournament.

It was Johnson’s second win in the series having won the same division in last month’s event. The tournament sponsored by the Evolving Tecknologies and Enterprise Development Company and organised by the Trinidad and Tobago Chess Foundation, attracted 110 youngsters, who displayed competitive spirit, thoughtfulness and good sportsmanship.

The event was the second in a series of monthly tournaments intended to help prepare juniors for the five-day international which comes off from August 6 to 10. Jonathon Paul of Diamond Vale Government Primary and Justin Labastide of the Holistic Primary School took second and their places in the Under 10 section with four) points each.

Paul edged out Labastide with the application of the tie-break system. Adam Marc Oliver of Arima Boys’s RC, Isaiah Baptiste of Trinity Junior, Azikiwe Hinkson of Diamond Vale Government Primary and Rishon Ramlogan of the Specialist Learning Centre trailed the top three with three points each to take fourth top seventh places. Haffiz Emamalie of Blackman’s Private School topped a field of 65 players in the Novice Division with a perfect score of five. The tie-break gave his school mate Shakeith Ahston second place with Joshua Maraj of Diamond Vale Government Primary third– both finishing on four points each.

Play in the Under-14 section was sharpest with Jarryon Paul a pupil of Diamond Vale Government Primary and Trinidad and Tobago’s Under-12 champion regaining his ground to take the victory with a perfect score of five points, after having to settle for second place in last month’s event. Application of the tie-break gave Enzo Kinsiona of Holy Cross College second place followed by Vishnu Singh of Presentation College, Chaguanas and Garth Williams third and fourth places respectively.

Each of the players ended with four points. In the Under 20 category, St’. Mary’s College’s Keron Cabralis, the national Under 18 and Under-20 champion took the top spot with a perfect score of five points.

Brandon Forde of Fatima College sewed up the second place in yet another tie-break with three players ending on four points. Kevin Cupid of Holy Cross College and Jayson Paul of Queen’s Royal College had to settle for the third and fourth spots.

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Next month’s tournament would take place on June 7^th at St. Mary’s College, Pembroke Street, Port of Spain.