ST. KITTS AND NEVIS SHOW PROMISE DESPITE TOUGH START AT CHESS OLYMPIAD

Samarkand, 20 September 2026:

St. Kitts and Nevis may have lost their opening five matches at the 46th FIDE World Chess Olympiad, but the final scorelines do not fully reflect the opportunities created by this inexperienced team.

Seeded 203rd among 206 participating teams, St. Kitts and Nevis entered the Olympiad with only one rated player and practically no tournament experience. The results were therefore not unexpected. However, the team repeatedly reached promising positions, only to miss winning or drawing chances at critical moments. These missed opportunities proved costly, but they also demonstrated the players’ potential.

The team has collected 2½ individual board points from the opening five rounds. Carl Adams has produced an excellent performance on the top board, displaying confidence and resilience against considerably more experienced opponents. His victory over Christian Guanzon of Bermuda in Round 3 was an important highlight.

TEST YOUR CHESS — POSITION 1

Carl Adams vs Christian Guanzon
Round 3 | White to play and win

Black has just played 51…Kxc6. Can you find the winning move played by Carl Adams?

Kaeden Fyfield-Jones has also impressed on Board 3. His determined victory over Junior Lui of the Solomon Islands in Round 5 earned the team a valuable point and underlined his growing confidence at the international level.

TEST YOUR CHESS — POSITION 2

Kaeden Fyfield-Jones vs Junior Lui
Round 5 | White to play and win

Black has just committed a serious error with 23…Rb7?? Can you find the winning move played by Kaeden Fyfield-Jones?

David Jeetlall, the team’s only rated player, secured his first draw of the tournament in Round 5 after missing a winning opportunity in the previous round. Nohar Anganoo has also gained invaluable experience while facing stronger and more seasoned opposition.

One of the most encouraging aspects of the team’s performance has been the players’ patience and willingness to remain at the board for long periods. They are learning to calculate carefully, defend difficult positions and compete with greater discipline. In many ways, they are gradually being moulded to meet the demands of classical chess.

Although the first five rounds have not brought a match victory, the tournament is about much more than results alone. Every game is providing lessons that cannot be replicated in a classroom or an online training session. With better conversion of advantageous positions and improved decision-making at crucial moments, the team can look forward to stronger results in the remaining rounds.

For this developing St. Kitts and Nevis team, Samarkand represents an important step in a much longer chess journey. The foundations are being laid—and the signs of progress are already visible.

Round-by-round results:
https://s1.chess-results.com/tnr1469895.aspx?lan=1&art=3&rd=1&turdet=YES&flag=30&SNode=S0