1) Debutants at the Olympiad
This is the first time the US Virgin Islands Women's Team is participating in the Chess Olympiad. The team has received immense support from FIDE, including free training from Grandmasters and International Masters, as well as free travel, accommodations, and meals. Though unrated, they are competing against strong players. This is a big step towards promoting chess in the US Virgin Islands. This experience offers the team invaluable exposure and the chance to grow by playing against some of the world’s best.
2) Chess 'fan'demic
A potential future World Champion made the first move for the current World Champion! Faustino Oro is an Argentine prodigy and became the youngest International Master in June 2024. He broke Abhimanyu Mishra’s record by earning the title at the age of 10 years, 8 months, and 16 days. He got into chess during the pandemic and look what he has achieved in four years! With this speed, we might see him playing at board no. 1 in the next Olympiad!
3) Pro-prodigy
This South African prodigy, Caleb Levitan is a FIDE master. He is currently ranked 12 in his country. He is playing on the board 3 and has scored 3 points so far. Caleb’s achievements:
1) Winner of the South African Junior Closed Chess Championship in 2018, 2019, and 2022
2) Winner of U-8 African Youth Chess Championship
3) First South African to become CM by crossing 2000 Elo
4) Winner of U-10 South African Junior Closed Chess Championship in 2019
With such a track record, Caleb’s future in chess looks exceptionally bright!
4) The mad concentration
I have never had such intense concentration! Was he trying to decode some secret message from the chessboard? Everyone’s eyes are on Arjun as he is showing splendid performance every day. The question is - With this amazing form, will he cross 2800 at the Olympiad?
5) Dreams beyond limits
Bhutan’s team is a blend of students and professionals. The three players are engineers who are fulfilling their chess dreams. The team’s goal for the tournament is to improve their international ranking. The country has limited facilities for chess, lacks professional trainers, less financial support, and limited exposure to international competitions. Still, they are trying very hard to tackle the obstacles. Hats off to their determination!
6) Youthful Moves, Veteran Tactics
Guyana’s Men’s team is a balanced mixture of young and experienced players. Taffin and Anthony are the current top two players of Guyana respectively. Taffin won the National Championship in 2008 becoming the youngest National Champion. Anthony is the only FIDE master in Guyana and has been teaching chess for years. He won the Caribbean Blitz Chess Tournament this year. Nathoo Loris is a veteran player in the team whereas Sachin Dhilan Pitamber is the youngest male player in the team. Their team composition proves that in chess, age is just a number, it’s strategy that matters!
7) Divided by nations, united by expressions
A captain’s expression is directly proportional to the evaluation bar! Check out these pictures that perfectly capture their expressions during the games.
8) Not all heroes wear capes!
Have a look at this picture which shows the broadcasting team’s screen in action. They make sure that we won’t miss any moment. They meticulously cover everything to keep us all in the loop. Shoutout to these behind-the-scenes heroes!
Last but not least... here is one cheerful picture from Day 6.
With this, the Olympiad hit its halfway mark and players needed a much-needed break. They had to recharge their mental batteries and gear up for the remaining battles. And what better way to relax than the legendary Bermuda party? Stay tuned for the moments from Day 7. We will see how the Bermuda party impacted the player's game.
