May Newsletter
- Belize Chess Federation
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Belize Chess Federation Newsletter - May 2023
The Belize Chess Federation Newsletter for May 2023 highlights key developments in the local chess scene, including the conclusion of the Online Wildcard Invitational for the 2024/2025 Championship Cycle, the National Heritage Library Tournament in Belmopan, and the impactful donation of 300 chess sets from The Gift of Chess in collaboration with FIDEAmerica.
Championship Cycle - Wildcard Update
In May, the Belize Chess Federation successfully finalized the top 8 players for the upcoming championship cycle. These players will compete to challenge the National Champion for the title.
NM Jim Banks who won two of our qualification tournaments has unfortunately withdrawn from the competition as he is no longer in Belize. With this a second qualification spot was created in the Online Wildcard Invitational.
Coming in as the 2nd seed in the tournament, Charlton Roches won a close match again Maximilliano Novelo. His next opponent, Dinsdale Caye, unfortunately was unable to play granting Roches the win and a qualification to the Challengers tournament.
Kelvin Baizar on the other had arguably the toughest road to qualification, His first round opponent was Joseph Koop was narrowly lost the qualification spot for championship points. Following a nice win, his next opponent was the Number 1 seed, Luis Mendez Jr. Despite the tough matchup, Kelvin managed to secure a dominant 2.5-0.5 victory. His last opponent was Cristobal Campos who narrowly lost in the Orange Walk Qualifier. Kelvin would again achieve an impressive performance with a 2-0 score to secure the second wildcard qualification!
Following their performance in the Online Wildcard Invitational, Kelvin Baizar and Charlton Roches secured the last two spots for the finals.
These 8 players will compete later this year at the challengers tournament to determine who will challenge the National Champion for the title.
These 6 young players will compete against each other to determine our national Junior Champion.
Dates for the Challengers Tournament and Junior Chess Championship will be determined later this month.
Belmopan National Heritage Library Tournament Results
The Belmopan National Heritage Library Tournament took place on Saturday, 17th May 2025. We had 17 players attend the event.
Special thanks to Mr. Mac Bay for sponsoring the prizes for the event, the Belmopan National Heritage Library for assisting us with the venue, Mr. Jaime Cal for his help in arranging the event and Dr. Jossely Awe for being our tournament director.
This tournament was special as in the Upper section we had the National Champion Alfred Awe along with three of this years finalists, Nathaniel Reyes, Kuang Lin and Kelvin Baizar. In the lower section we had three finalists for the Junior Chess Championship, Curtis Andrade, Emely Andrade and Gregory McGibney.
UPPER SECTION
Round 1 Highlight
In the upper section, Kuang lin scored a nice win against Alfred Awe marking his second victory in a row against the National Champion.
Round 2 highlight
Nathaniel Reyes vs Kelvin Baizar. Fresh off his qualification through the wildcard tournament, Kelvin won against Reyes.
Round 3 highlight
Kelvin Baizar vs Kuang Lin. Kelvin had a chance at some point in the game but missed it and Kuang went on to win a nice game.
Alfred Awe vs Nathaniel Reyes, Awe got his revenge against Reyes after their last game at the Belmopan library tournament.
Round 4 Highlight
Kuang Lin vs Nathaniel Reyes. Capping off one of his worst tournament performances, Reyes lost to Kuang. Kuang ends the tournament with a perfect 4/4 against the National Champion and 2 of his rivals in the Challengers tournament later this year.
LOWER SECTION
In round 5 we had a matchup between two of the Junior Championship finalists, Curtis Andrade and Gregory McGibney. In a surprising turn of events, we had one shortest games in any BCF event with the game lasting just 7 moves and finishing in under 60 seconds!
Congratulations to all participants and especially to the winners!
Gift of Chess Donation Announcement
We are thrilled to announce a generous donation of 300 chess sets from the Gift of Chess organization. This donation will greatly enhance our outreach programs and support local schools and communities in promoting chess as a valuable educational tool. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Gift of Chess for their support!
Distribution of the chess sets will begin later this year and will be focused on the development of chess clubs here in Belize. Anyone interested in opening a chess club can contact us. You can reach out to us through our email: belizechess.bcf@gmail.com or through whatsapp on 613-1902.
♟ Chess at Dolphin Park – Belize City Sundays
For the past few Sundays, chess Players in Belize City gather at Dolphin Park for casual games and community fun. This informal meetup has become a regular occurrence, offering players to enjoy the game and challenge each other. Join our whatsapp group if you're interested in connecting with players.
June Rapid Rating List
With strong performances from Kenneth Perez and Michael Campos they each climbed above Luis Mendez Jr. in the rankings.
Nathaniel Reyes fell following a poor performance at the National Heritage Library Tournament while Kuang Lin rose from 14th to 12th and Kelvin Baizar rose from 18th to 14th. Mac Bay had the best increase going from 39th to 19th after his performance in Belmopan and Cayo tournaments.
Thank you for your continued support of chess in Belize!
Stay connected, stay strategic, and see you on the board!
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