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Writer's pictureAlfred Awe

Nathaniel Reyes Triumphs at Third Qualifying Tournament for Belize National Chess Championship Cycle

Updated: Jul 27


Belize Qualifier Players

On Saturday, July 20th, the third qualifying tournament for the Belize National Chess Championship Cycle took place at the Leo Bradley Library in Belize City. The winner of this event earned a coveted spot in the upcoming challenger’s tournament later this year. We extend our gratitude to the Leo Bradley Library for graciously hosting our event.


Games from event can be viewed here: https://www.chess.com/c/Ty8YeDAe


Tournament Overview

The tournament featured 14 players hailing from Stann Creek, Cayo, Belize, and Orange Walk. Among the participants were top contenders such as Rank 4 Kenneth Perez, Rank 6 Charlton Roches, Rank 9 Jerome Sho, and several other members of our top 20. Notably, Nathaniel Reyes, one of our highest-ranked online players, was expected to perform exceptionally well.

 

 

Round-by-Round Highlights


Round 1:

Players before their round 1 game
Players before their round 1 game

The highlight of Round 1 was the intense match between Nathaniel Reyes and Joseph Koop. Joseph, who has been steadily proving himself over past events and currently holds the most championship points, faced off against Nathaniel, one of the top online players. The game was evenly matched but entered a complicated middlegame and in time trouble, Nathaniel got the better for Joseph.


Round 2:


A key matchup in this round was between Kenneth Perez and Reyhan Rosado. This game proved to be one of the most exciting of the tournament, with Reyhan holding his own against the number one seed. The game ended in a draw as both players faced time trouble in a complicated position.


Round 3:

Round 3 was explosive, with several top seeds facing each other.


The exciting matchup between Rank 6 Charlton Roches and rising star Nathaniel Reyes saw Roches holding the advantage going into the endgame. However, a surprising slip-up by Roches on Move 44 (Bxd4) turned the tables, allowing Nathaniel to win and emerge as the tournament leader going into Round 4.


Next we had the rematch between Kuang Lin vs Kenneth Perez, Kuang was the victor in their last matchup however this time Kenneth secured the victory.


Marric Elijio (Right) vs Joseph Koop (Left)
Marric Elijio (Right) vs Joseph Koop (Left)

Our last key matchup of the round was between Marric Elijio vs Joseph Koop. In their last encounter, Marric had unfortunately lost on time in a drawn position. We had a little pre game banter between the two players.

Today Marric avenged his previous loss by playing nice attacking chess, securing the win. 


Round 4

Kenenth Perez vs Nathaniel Reyes
Kenneth Perez vs Nathaniel Reyes

The key matchup of this round was between Nathaniel Reyes and Belize's Rank 4 Kenneth Perez. Nathaniel held an advantage for most of the game but lost it due to a slight inaccuracy in the endgame. Seeing that a draw would keep him as the tournament leader, Nathaniel forced a three-move repetition.


Battle of the Jasons! Jason Hsu vs Jason Belmont
Battle of the Jasons! Jason Hsu vs Jason Belmont

Board 3 also had the All Stann Creek Matchup between Marric Elijio and Jerome Sho. This is the 4th time the pair have matchup in an event with their current score being 3-0 in favor of Jerome. Marric looked to secure his first win but once again it was Jerome who secured the win.


Jerome Sho vs Marric Elijio
Jerome Sho vs Marric Elijio

 

Round 5:

The battle for second place between Rank 4 Kenneth Perez and Rank 6 Charlton Roches was intense. Despite a quiet opening and middle game, the position exploded into a complicated endgame with Roches securing a kingside advantage and Perez the queenside. The evaluation flipped between the players, and after the dust settled, the game miraculously ended in a draw.


The final test for Nathaniel Reyes was against Rank 9 Jerome Sho. Needing only a draw to secure first place, Nathaniel quickly gained a better position due to a dubious opening by Sho. An uncharacteristic blunder by Sho on Move 22 (Qxe4??) led to Nathaniel's victory.

 


 

Results


Nathaniel Reyes Wins the Belize City Qualifier 2024
Nathaniel Reyes Wins the Belize City Qualifier 2024

Congratulations to Nathaniel Reyes on securing the Belize Qualification spot for the 2024 Challengers tournament with an outstanding performance against Belize's Rank 4, 6, 9, and 17!!




Championship Points:

1st Place: Nathaniel Reyes (BZ) - 160 Pts

2nd Place: Kenenth Perez (OW) - 110 Pts

Charlton Roches (BZ) - 110 Pts

Kuang Lin (BZ) - 110 Pts


Despite the disappointing performance, Joseph Koop leads in Championship Points at 210.


We thank all the players who attended the event. Special thanks for the Leo Bradley Library for providing us with their venue to host our tournament.


Also special thanks to Alfred Awe, Steve Flowers and Luis Mendez Jr. for arranging this event.


Belize Chess

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