In September 2024, Belize marked a significant milestone in its chess history by participating for the first time in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary. The national team, comprising Nathaniel Reyes, Alfred Awe, Luis Mendez Jr., and Kenneth Perez, proudly represented the nation on this prestigious international stage.
The Olympiad, which ran from September 10th to 23rd, featured teams from over 190 countries, making it one of the most competitive chess events globally. Belize's team was ranked 194th of 197th in the tournament.
Despite being newcomers, the Belizean team demonstrated great chess and after a challenging start, we secured victories in three consecutive matches, including a victory against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (VIN) on our independence day!
Belize's historic debut at the Chess Olympiad signifies a promising future for chess in the country.
The Belize National Team
The members of our national team were selected based on their ranking and a qualifying tournament held in July.
Players:
Alfred Awe (National Champion and Rank 1)
Luis Mendez Jr. (Rank 3)
Kenneth Perez (Rank 4)
Charlton Roches (Rank 5)
Nathaniel Reyes (Rank 9 and Belize City Qualifier Winner)
Note: To qualify for the national team all members must be Belizean with having played at least 1 tournament in the year.
Challenges with Belize Defense Force
Being one of the top players in Belize, Charlton Roches, a proud member of the Belize Defense Force, was selected to be a member of the national team to represent Belize in Hungary.
During the process to obtain a Schengen Visas in Guatemala, the Belize Defense Force had DENIED his request to leave the country to obtain the visa. This is despite a previous request being accepted by his supervisor weeks earlier. This was a huge blow to the team and a disappointing situation for Belize Chess.
Training Camp at Caves Branch Jungle Lodge
The National Team held a 2 day Training Camp and Ian Anderson's Cave Branch Jungle Lodge. The Belize Chess Federation extends its heartfelt gratitude to Caves Branch for their generous sponsorship of the training camp.
The goal of the training camp was to prepare players for the longer Classical time control as well as determine the board positions of the players going into the Olympiad.
Following the conclusion of the training Camp, the final ranking for the players were determined as follows:
Board Position:
Board 1 - Alfred Awe (Team Captain)
Board 2 - Luis Mendez Jr.
Board 3 - Kenneth Perez
Board 4 - Nathaniel Reyes
Results
From an initial ranking of 194th, the Belizean team finished 173rd overall, an increase of 21 places. Some key games involved a victory from Luis Mendez Jr. against a Candidate Master as well as a draw by Alfred Awe against FIDE master. Nathaniel Reyes scored a crucial win in round 10 against St. Vincent to secure the team a win.
Belize's participation in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, saw us competing against various nations across the 11 rounds. Here's a detailed breakdown of their opponents in each round:
All games played by the Belize National Team can be found here: https://www.belizechess.com/gamelibrary
Round-by-round
Round 1: Belize vs Thailand (0 – 4 loss)
Round 2: Belize vs Oman (0 – 4 loss)
Round 3: Belize vs Lesotho (0 – 4 loss)
Round 4: Belize vs Macau, Chine (1½ – 2½ loss)
Luis Mendez Jr. won a great game against CM Tong Kuan Mak!
Round 5: Bye.
Round 6: Belize vs Niger (½ – 3½ loss)
Round 7: Belize vs Syria (0 – 4 loss)
Round 8: Belize vs Comoros Islands (3 - 1 Win)
Round 9: Belize vs British Virgin Islands (3 - 1 Win)
Round 10: Belize vs Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2½ – 1½ Win)
A critical draw by Alfred Awe against FM Chinedu Enemchukwu.
Round 11: Belize vs Togo (½ – 3½ loss)
The Belize National Team 2025/2026
Following our successful debut at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad, the BCF is beginning the process of selecting members for our 2025/2026 National Team
For more information on how you could be a part of the national team please follow the below link.
