BCF History
Back in the 1960s a few men with interest in
Chess playing founded the Bahamas Chess Association as a vehicle
to promote the game of Chess in the Bahamas.
These Pioneers were the late
Dr. Oswald Symonette, Kenneth Adderley, Chris
Burrows and Lincoln Davis. Meetings, I
am told were sometimes held in members houses when public
buildings like schools were not available to players. To this
day we still are without a place were can call home, though C.C. Sweeting has been the
unofficial headquarters for Chess since 1974.
Following the Fischer-Spassby match in
Iceland in 1972, Grandmaster Luthar Schmid the arbiter in
that match, visited the Bahamas. He played a simultaneous
exhibition at one of the Cable Beach Hotels. He must have been
impressed with our play because he supported the Bahamas
application for membership to the World Chess Body Federatione
Internationale des Echess (FIDE) and the Bahamas become a member
in 1974. We have remained a member since, except for a period
in the 80s when we were suspended until our arrears in
membership dues was paid off. The Bahamas has sent teams to the
Olympiad on three occasions (1974 in Nice France), (1986 in Novi
Sad, Yugoslavia) and (1998 Athens, Greece).
The Federation has always sought to promote
the development of its youth. The junior programme got off to a
good start in 1974 with the first Bahamas Junior Chess
Championship sponsored by FINCO. The High School Team Championship followed a year later and has
continued for the next 25 year, and remains the most prestigious
event on the junior calendar.
It came then as a little surprise that the
youth representation of the country in regional and
international events was of a high standard.
In 1993,
Antoinette Seymour won the championship for women in the
English-speaking Caribbean: Juliet Storr won the same title two
years later in 1985, a team of four players Antoinette Seymour,
Juliet Storr, Percy Rolle and Andrew Moss did the Bahamas proud
in Chicago in the world Youth Championship.
The Star Insurance Scholastic Championship is
the Federations latest effort at promoting the youth in the
school system from primary to tertiary level.
At present there are hundreds of players in the
country, players who have come out of the school system, but
players who became inactive once high school was over. AT
present our active membership is less than fifty but our
prospects for the future remains high, if the pupils who are now
starting at younger ages, continue beyond high school. A
suitable home base will be a definite plus for our image.
Warren H. Seymour
BCF Vice-President, Tournament Director &
Records Officer
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