Focus on the Bahamas

by Ted Cross
4/20/2019 – On the FIDE Federations list The Bahamas are on place number 162 and the ten strongest players in the country do have an average rating of 1734. But the island has a striving, charming and strong chess community as diplomat and chess fan TED CROSS found out. | Pictured: The Old Fort Bay Club on the Bahamas | Photo: Old Fort Bay Club

Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.

Chess in the Bahamas

My career in diplomacy has given me the privilege of living in many of the great chess countries of the world, including Russia, China, Hungary, Iceland, Azerbaijan and Croatia. It wasn't accidental that I directed my assignments to places where I could pursue my love for chess. So when I was suddenly assigned to a three-year tour to The Bahamas, I was concerned about my chances of finding good opportunities in chess.

I needn't have worried. While the chess community in The Bahamas is tiny, it is passionate and growing, especially now that some influential sponsors have stepped forward to give a significant boost to the development of chess in this island nation.

I had noticed while living in another great island nation, Iceland, that players tend to be a bit underrated, as the community is generally smaller and the players really beat each other up, making it more difficult to raise one's rating to where it should be. This is starker in The Bahamas, where there are less than a dozen active stronger players. I had to face the same players in each tournament I played, and I saw their ratings swing wildly between the 1600s and 1900s.

With such a small chess community, the few stronger players get to play regularly at the Olympiad, giving them valuable experience and the chance to bring home some outsider rating points. The prime example of this is the very first FIDE Master in The Bahamas, Cecil 'Carver' Moncur.

Cecil Moncur (left) vs Ted Cross | Photo: Andre White

Playing so often in Nassau, Carver has never yet been able to push his rating beyond the 1900s, yet he earned his FM title legitimately with fantastic performances in the Olympiads (where the rating requirement is waived). He's a tough, well-prepared player, and I've always both dreaded and enjoyed playing against him.

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.d4 f5 Both times I had been black against Carver previously I had lost, so I decided to try to shake things up with the Dutch. 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.b3 0-0 6.Bb2 d6 7.0-0 c6 8.c4 a5 9.Nc3 Qc7 10.Rc1 Na6 11.d5 e5 GMs seem to prefer Nc5 here, though Stockfish is fine with my move. 12.dxe6 Bxe6 13.Ng5 Bc8 14.e3 h6 15.Nf3 Nc5 16.Nh4 g5 17.Nf3 Nfe4 18.Qc2 Nxc3 19.Bxc3 Ne4 Taking the bishop on c3 seems to minimize white's edge. Play now revolves around my weak pawn on d6. 19...Bxc3 20.Qxc3 Qg7 21.Qd2 Rf6 22.Nd4 f4 23.exf4 gxf4 24.Kh1 fxg3 25.fxg3 Bd7 20.Bxg7 Qxg7 21.Rfd1 Bd7 22.Nd4 Rae8 23.Ne2 Rf6 24.Nc3 Nc5 Trading knights was a little more prudent, though at the time I felt I needed to keep more material on the board, feeling that I'd probably lose the pawn on d6 and need to be able to mix things up tactically. 25.Rd4?! It took me a while here to realize what was wrong with this move. I had been dreaming of finding a way to play f4, and the rook coming to d4 gives me tactical justification to go ahead with that plan. 25.a3 Ref8 26.b4 Na6 27.Qb3 h5∞ 25...f4! 26.exf4 gxf4 27.Qd1 27.Qd2 f3 28.Bf1 Qg5 28...Qe7 29.Rd1 Kg7 30.Qb2 30.Rxd6? Qxd6 31.Qxd6 Rxd6 32.Rxd6 Re1 33.Rd1 Rxd1 34.Nxd1 Bf5 35.h4 Bc2 36.Nc3 Kf6 30...Bf5 31.a3 Qe5 29.Qb2 Qe5∞ 27.Rxf4? Rxf4 28.gxf4 Bh3 29.f3 Nd3!-+ 27...f3 27...fxg3 28.hxg3 Ref8 29.Rc2= 28.Bh1?? I can only think that white believed he must go after the pawn on f3 and he missed the problem of his king and queen being lined up on the first rank (which would have been avoided if his queen was on d2 rather than d1). 28.Bf1 Qg5 29.h4 Qe5 30.Qd2= 28...Rfe6 It's basically over now. 29.Ne4 Nxe4 30.Bxf3 Nxg3! I give this an exclam because Stockfish's preferred line is simply inhuman, while my move crystalized everything for me. 30...Ng5 31.Rd3 Qb2 32.Kf1 Rf6 33.g4 Bxg4-+ 31.Rg4 Re1+ 32.Kg2 Bxg4 33.Qxd6 Bxf3+ 34.Kxf3 Rf8+ 35.Kg2 0–1
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Moncur,F1901Cross,T19910–12018A88Old Fort Bay Invitational5

Shortly after I arrived in The Bahamas, Swedish property developer Orjan Lindroth stepped forward as a new benefactor for Bahamas chess. He lent his aid to the development of youth chess, helped The Bahamas send a women's team to the Olympiad for the first time, and inaugurated the strongest chess event in the country. The Old Fort Bay Invitational Chess Championship has a prize fund of $5000 and brings all the strongest players in the country together to compete to get their names added to the huge trophy.

Entrance to the Old Fort Bay Club | Photo: Old Fort Bay Club

Since I wasn't a Bahamian player, I felt truly honored to be invited to the first invitational. The six top players in the country played a double round-robin, and it wasn't easy to grind the way to victory there. I felt very fortunate to win that event with seven wins and three losses. Mr. Lindroth made the event special, hosting it in the gorgeous Old Fort Bay Club and bringing in Cuban grandmaster Renier Gonzalez to do commentary and analysis of the games.

GM Renier Gonzalez, Ted Cross and Orjan Lindroth | Photo: Andre White

The format was changed the following year to allow up-and-coming youth players to participate, so it became an 11-player single round-robin. I surprised myself by managing an undefeated six win four draw 8/10. Given how tough it had been, could I possibly pull off a hat trick in my third and final year here?

The 2019 edition of The Old Fort Bay Invitational really showed me the great future chess has here in The Bahamas. Four top youth players showed off their skills, with me coming very close to defeat against talented newcomer Nathan Smith.

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Nd5 I groaned inwardly when he played this variation. Since it has so seldom come up in my games, I have never really studied it. Naturally I had seen it played in the recent Carlsen-Caruana match. Nxd5 8.Qxd5? Nathan shows his lack of opening knowledge, but with his youthful talent, he proceeds to outplay me from here on out. a6 9.Na3 Be6 10.Qd1 Be7? I thought simple development was called for, but apparently black needs to take action right away. 10...Qh4 11.Bd3 d5 12.exd5 Bxd5 13.0-0 Be7 14.Be3 Rd8 15.f3 Nb4 11.Bc4 Qd7?! 11...0-0 12.Be3 0-0 13.0-0 b5 14.Bd5 Rac8?! 14...Bf6= 15.c4! This was the point when I began to worry. While Nathan was nearly four hundred points lower-rated, I was well aware that young talents often play far better than their ratings. b4?! 15...Bxd5 16.cxd5 Nb8 17.Nc2 f5 18.exf5 Rxf5 16.Nc2 a5 17.Bb6?! 17.Qd3 17...Bd8 17...Rb8! 18.Be3= 18.Bxc6?? Qxc6 19.Bxa5 Qxc4 18.Bxd8 Rcxd8?! 18...Bxd5 19.Qxd5 Rfxd8 20.Qd3 19.Ne3?! In a complex position that neither of us understood well, we make a string of less-than-perfect moves. 19.b3 19...Ne7?! 19...Nd4 20.Bxe6?! 20.b3 20...fxe6 21.Rc1 Qc6 22.Qg4 Rf6 23.Qg5 Qb7?! I protected the knight because of his threat of Ng4. 23...h6 24.Qg4 Ng6= 24.c5 Rg6 25.Qh4 d5? I knew this was pushing for a loss here, but I really didn't want to play Rh6 and go for the repetition, so I decided to risk losing. 25...Rh6 26.Qg5 Rg6= 26.exd5? 26.Ng4! Qc7 27.Nxe5± 26...exd5 27.Nf5 Nc6 28.Nd6 Qe7?! 28...Qa6 29.f3 Rf8= 29.Qxe7 Nxe7 30.Rfd1 30.Rfe1 Re6 31.f4 Nc6 32.Rcd1 d4 30...d4?! 30...Re6 31.f3 g6= 31.Kh1?! 31.Re1 Nc6 32.Re4 Re6 33.f4 Rf8 34.fxe5 31...Nd5?! I saw that Nc6 was more solid, but I didn't see many winning chances for me after that, so again I played the more risky line, hoping tactical opportunities might arise. 31...Nc6= 32.Nb7 Rf8 33.Rd2 a4 34.c6? I didn't realize at the time how big a mistake this was. 34.g3= 34...Rc8 Ironically, I saw the brilliant 34...Nc3!! here, but I couldn't see deeply enough to catch all the nuances and I feared it could lose, while I thought my move would at least not lose. 34...Nc3‼ 35.Na5 35.bxc3? bxc3 36.Rdd1 Rxc6 37.Na5 Rc7-+ 35...Nxa2 36.Rc5 e4! 37.h3 37.Rxd4? e3! 38.f3 Re6 39.Rd1 e2 40.Re1 b3-+ 37...d3 38.Kh2 Re6 35.Rc5?? Finally, after outplaying me for so long, my opponent blunders. He saw his threat but failed to notice his back-rank weakness. I felt bad for young Nathan but certainly relieved since a loss or draw here would have been a serious blow to my chances of winning the tournament. 35.Na5 Rd6 36.Rc5 Ne7 37.g3 Nxc6 38.b3 a3 39.Kg2 Kf7 40.Nxc6 Rcxc6 41.Rxe5 d3 42.Kf3 Rc2 43.Ke3 Rb2= 35...Rgxc6 36.Rdc2 Rxc5 36...d3! 37.Rxc5 Rxc5 38.Nxc5 a3 39.Nd3 e4 0–1
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Smith,N1603Cross,T19980–12019B33Old Fort Bay Invitational5

Polina Karelina has won the Bahamas Junior Champion title three times in a row. She held down first board for the open team at the last Olympiad, and she plays in every tournament that comes along.

Polina Karelina | Photo: Paul Truong

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.e4 e5 I knew something was up when I saw this move. Polina always played the Pirc. When I saw e5 appear on the board, I figured she must have liked what she saw in my database games--I just didn't yet know what it might be. 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 Now I knew! All of my database games in the Giuoco Piano follow a rather tame line, and Polina must have banked on me continuing to use that variation. 4.c3 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.cxd4 Bb4+ 7.Nc3 This was my counter. I had played this variation in my youth but had given it up because when black knows the lines, they tend to favor black. Once I began playing FIDE tournaments, I switched to 7. Bd2, which is tame but at least gives white the tiniest of edges. Since I was pretty sure Polina hadn't prepared for the complexities of Nc3, I went for it. Nxe4 8.0-0 Nxc3?! I suspected she would play this move, which is less sound than the standard Bc3. Now my biggest worry was that I wouldn't remember all of the complicated lines that follow from here, since I hadn't studied them in many years. 8...Bxc3 9.d5 Bf6 10.Re1 Ne7 11.Rxe4 d6 with a wild game that if played perfectly should favor black in the end. 9.bxc3 Bxc3? 9...d5 10.cxb4 dxc4 11.Re1+ Ne7 12.Qa4+ Bd7 13.b5 0-0 14.Qxc4= 10.Qb3 I was aware that Ba3 is the strongest move, but I stared at the position for a long time and knew I wouldn't recall the correct moves, so I went with Qb3, which I felt tended to be easier to remember, especially if black takes the rook. 10.Ba3! d5 10...d6 11.Rc1 Ba5 11...Bb4 12.Bxb4 Nxb4 13.Qe1+ Qe7 14.Qxb4+- 12.Qa4 Bd7 12...a6 13.Bd5+- 12...0-0 13.d5+- 13.d5 Ne5 14.Qxa5 Nxf3+ 15.gxf3 0-0 16.Kh1+- 10...Bxa1 11.Re1+ Ne7 12.Bxe7 Qxe7 13.Rxe7+ Kxe7 14.Qxa1+- 11.Bb5 Bxa1 12.Re1+ Be6 13.Qc2 Qd7 13...Qf6 14.Bxc6+ Kd8 15.Bxb7 Rb8 16.Bxd5+- 14.Ne5 Bxd4 15.Nxd7 Kxd7 16.Rc1+- 10...Bxd4 Polina spent a lot of time on this move. It's so tempting to take the rook, but she had to know that I knew it was winning for white. I think she made the right decision, as I get myself into trouble shortly by forgetting the right lines. 10...Bxa1 11.Bxf7+ Kf8 12.Bg5 Ne7 13.Ne5 Bxd4 14.Bg6 d5 15.Qf3+ Bf5 16.Bxf5 Bxe5 17.Be6+ Bf6 18.Bxf6+- 11.Bxf7+ Kf8 12.Bg5?! I agonized over this move, since nothing jogged my memory of what should be played here. 12.Bh5 d5 12...g6 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 14.Qb4+ Kf7 15.Qxd4 gxh5 16.Bb2 Rg8 17.Qd5+ Kg6 18.Rae1+- 13.Nxd4 Nxd4 14.Qb4+ Qd6 15.Qxd4+- 12...Bf6 13.Rae1 Ne7 14.Re2?! Once I failed to find the correct line on move 12, the win becomes harder and harder to see. 14.Bh5 d5 15.Re3 Ng6 16.Rfe1 Bd7 17.Bxf6 gxf6 18.Nh4 Ne5 19.Rxe5 fxe5 20.Qf3+ Kg7 21.Qg3+ Kf8 22.Re3 e4 23.Qf4+ Ke7 24.Qe5+ Be6 25.Bg4 Qd7 26.Bxe6 Qxe6 27.Nf5+ Kd7 28.Qg7++- 14...d5 15.Rfe1? Bh5 continues to be the right move, but I failed to see how it worked out. 15.Bh5 Ng6 15...Bd7 16.Bxf6 gxf6 17.Rfe1 Ng6 18.Qa3++- 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 16...gxf6 17.Rfe1 Bd7 18.Qa3++- 17.Qxd5+- 15...Kxf7 16.Bxf6?! I didn't see that 16. Rxe7 works out better. 16.Rxe7+! Qxe7 17.Rxe7+ Kxe7 18.Qxd5 Re8 19.h3± 16...gxf6 17.Rxe7+ Qxe7 18.Rxe7+ Kxe7 19.Qxd5 What an imbalance! I wasn't at all sure that I could manage to win this. c6 20.Qe4+ Kf7 21.h3 Be6 22.Qf4 This was the right plan. I think Polina thought I would use the knight check on g5 to trade the knight for the bishop, but that wasn't the idea here. Rad8? 22...Rhg8 23.Qc7+ Ke8 24.Nd4 Bd7 25.Qxb7 Rc8+- 23.Ng5+ Ke7 24.Qb4+ This is the move I think she missed. Rd6 24...Kd7 25.Qxb7+ Kd6 26.Ne4+ Ke5 27.f3 Rhf8 28.Qc7+ Kf5 29.Qxh7++- 25.Ne4 Rhd8 26.Nxd6 Rxd6 27.Qxb7+ Rd7 28.Qxc6 Bxa2 29.Qe4+ Kd8 30.Qa8+ In such a wide-open board, I didn't notice how nice Qf3 is here. 30.Qf3 30...Ke7 31.Qh8 Bb1 32.Qg7+ Ke6 33.Qg4+ Bf5 34.Qc4+ Kd6 35.g4 Be6 36.Qb4+ Kd5 37.f4 Rc7 38.f5 Bc8 39.Qa5+ Kd6 40.Kf2 Bd7 41.Ke3 Bc6 42.Kd4 Bg2 43.h4 43.g5‼ fxg5 44.Qa2 43...Bf1 44.Qd5+ Ke7 45.Qe6+ Kd8 46.Qxf6+ Kc8 47.Qe6+ Kb7 48.f6 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Cross,T1998Karelina,P16781–02019C54Old Fort Bay Invitational4

Four-time (and current) Bahamas National Champion Kendrick Knowles was my nemesis during my three years here. In the eight times we faced each other, I went +3 -4 =1. He was the only player to defeat me in this event in 2019.

Bahamas National Champion Kendrick Knowles | Photo: Gurt Smith

 
New ...
Open...
Share...
Layout...
Flip Board
Settings
MoveNResultEloPlayers
Replay and check the LiveBook here
1.Nf3 f5 I hadn't played the Dutch against Kendrick before and I wanted to test out his knowledge. I had four and a half out of five at this point in the tournament and didn't want to spoil things with a loss. 2.d4 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.0-0 0-0 6.c4 d6 7.Nc3 c6 8.b3 a5 9.Bb2 Na6 10.e3 Qc7 11.Qe2 I knew this couldn't be correct. The queen belongs on c2. The trick is to figure out how to punish it. e5 12.dxe5 dxe5 13.Rfd1 Nc5 13...e4 14.Nd4 Nc5 15.Ba3 b6= 14.Ba3 Suddenly I was unhappy with my position. I figured my Nc5 move must have been wrong. Nfd7 14...b6 15.Na4 Nfd7= 15.Na4 I was relieved to see this move, as I felt it gave me a tactical means to get back to equality. Nxa4 16.Bxf8 Nc3 17.Qc2? Kendrick almost always plays too fast. My problem is that when he plays too fast, I tend to mimick him. Bad idea! Playing his queen to c2 simply drops the e3 pawn. 17.Qe1 Nxd1 18.Bxg7 Nxf2 19.Bxe5 Nh3+ 20.Bxh3 Nxe5= 17...Kxf8?? I played this howler after just a couple of seconds, playing fast like Kendrick was doing. If I had given the position just a few more seconds of analysis I would have easily seen what was wrong with my move. I had seen that taking the rook with the knight led to an advantage--the problem was that I thought I saw a quicker way to win and I simply played it without taking the time to really figure it out. 17...Nxd1 18.Bxg7 Nxe3 19.Qc3 Kxg7 20.Qxe3 e4 18.Qxc3 e4 19.Nd4 My superficial tactical vision of a couple moves ago had shown me playing c5 here to win the knight. Naturally I now saw that this fails to a rather obvious royal fork. Ne5 20.c5 Qe7 21.Rac1 Nd3 22.Rc2 Nb4 23.Rcd2 Nd3 24.Qc4 Qxc5 25.Qxc5+ Nxc5 26.Bf1 Bf6 27.Rc2 Na6?! 27...Nd7 28.Nxc6? Kendrick played too quickly again, seeing a tactic and going for it. 28.Bxa6 Rxa6 29.Nb5± 28...bxc6 29.Rxc6 Be7 30.a3? 30.Rdc1 Bb7 31.Rb6 Bc8 32.Rxc8+ Rxc8 33.Rxa6 Rc2 34.Rxa5 Bb4± 30...Bb7 31.Rb6 Ra7 I didn't like how tangled up my pieces got here, but I thought I'd be able to untangle them soon and perhaps even dream of being better. 32.b4 axb4 33.axb4 Nc7 34.Rd7 Bd5?? I missed 36. Rc8. 34...Bc8 35.Rd1 35.Rb8 Ra8 36.Rxa8 Nxa8 37.Ra7 Nb6= 35...Be6= 35.Rb8+ Kf7 36.Rc8 And suddenly it's all over. Ke6 37.Rcxc7 Rxc7 38.Rxc7 Bxb4 39.Rxh7 Be7 40.h4 Kf6 41.Rh8 Kf7 42.Rc8 Bf8 43.Bc4 Bxc4 44.Rxc4 Bh6 45.Kg2 Kf6 46.Rc6+ Kg7 47.Kh3 g5 48.h5 Kh7 49.Rf6 f4 50.Kg4 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Knowles,K1809Cross,T19981–02019A88Old Fort Bay Invitational7

In the end I did pull off my third victory in a row in the invitational (+7 -1 =2), something I will always be proud of as I think back on these splendid three years in The Bahamas. The players and organizers are all so kind. They decided I should keep the large invitational trophy as I depart for Italy this summer. In an article for the local newspaper, the president of The Bahamas Chess Federation Elton Joseph called me "a friend of The Bahamas", which may be the nicest compliment I've ever received. I hope to visit future Olympiads when I can, and the first thing I will do is head over to shake the hands of these wonderful Bahamian players. The organizers are considering widening the invitational to regional players, so keep The Bahamas in mind for your future chess endeavors!

Links


Ted is a diplomat and author of science-fiction and fantasy novels. His passion for chess has led him to live all over the world, including the U.S., Russia, China, Iceland, Azerbaijan, Hungary, and The Bahamas. He is looking forward to moving to Italy this summer for more chess adventures.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register

We use cookies and comparable technologies to provide certain functions, to improve the user experience and to offer interest-oriented content. Depending on their intended use, analysis cookies and marketing cookies may be used in addition to technically required cookies. Here you can make detailed settings or revoke your consent (if necessary partially) with effect for the future. Further information can be found in our data protection declaration.