Trinidad and Tobago may have missed out on the top prize, but there was no shortage of pride at the Caricom Chess Classic in Guyana.
Top player Joshua Johnson says while the team didn't retain the title, finishing second by just half a point behind Jamaica he believes it was still a commendable performance.
00:00Trinidad and Tobago were not able to retain their Caricom Chess Classic title in Guyana and finished second with Jamaica being crowned champions. Joshua Johnson was part of the four-member team that represented TNT on the South American continent. Having made a solid start, the red, white and black fell short by half a point.
00:17We were handling it well at the beginning though, definitely. Actually going up until the last round, we were actually undefeated. And in the lead, one of our earlier rounds, we had even defeated the eventual winners, which is Jamaica. But a slip on the last day against Babinus actually made us drop to second place. We did tie for first, but on the second tiebreak, we came second by only half a point.
00:44So, yeah, that was definitely disappointing, but not to take away from the fantastic effort that the team gave.
00:53Representing TNT with Johnson, Kevin Cupid, Zara Lafleur and Isweth Hermoso-Rodriguez, Johnson says the tournament was of a high standard with quality players from the region.
01:03So, yeah, as I said, the competition was a bit tougher than last year. You can definitely see that the top five teams in the tournament being Trinidad, Tobago, Guyana,
01:14Jamaica, Barbados, and Suriname. Those games were really keenly contested. They could have gone either way.
01:21And they did have varying results as you saw the different match-ups.
01:27But I think that's just a testament to Caribbean chess as a whole getting better and I'm really happy to be a part of a good community.
01:35According to the 26-year-old, the chemistry on the TNT team was second to none. And all of the players had one goal, to give 100% for the Twin Island Nation.
01:45You know, from the time we get there, we have team meetings before and after the games. We eat together, lunch, dinner, breakfast. And in between, whatever anyone needs, we just look after each other, support one another. Of course, cheer each other on as the games go. So, definitely, it's a real honor to be part of such an amazing team.
02:09Next on the cards for the TNT players is the national championships in September.
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