Robert Wheeler Chess Open

Robert Wheeler Chess Open on at JC
Saturday, May 16, 2009

The Jamaica Chess Federation will be staging the seventh annual Robert Wheeler Chess Open at the Jamaica College Auditorium this weekend.

The tournament is held each year in honour of Jamaica’s longest serving chess administrator, National Master Robert Wheeler, who has won the National Chess Championship six times – 1975, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983 and 1988. He is surpassed only by another icon of chess in Jamaica, National Master Shane Matthews, who has won seven titles. Wheeler is currently a senior member of the Jamaica Chess Federation executive committee.

Wheeler has represented Jamaica at numerous Chess Olympiads and represents Jamaica when the world governing body for chess, FIDE, holds its chess congress every two years.

One of Wheeler’s most important contributions, however, is as a keeper of the history of chess in Jamaica, both written and in memory.

With the passing of most of the JCF founding fathers, Wheeler continues to provide a vital link to the rich history of Jamaican chess, which continues to guide the organisation of the sport in Jamaica today.

The tournament, which gets underway at 9:00 am today, will have three sections – an open section for all players, an intermediate section for players with a Jamaica Chess Federation rating below 1,600 and a beginner section for players with a Jamaica Chess Federation rating below 1,200.

The defending champion is veteran National Master Shane Matthews.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com