San Ignacio Quality Tournament 2025

Chess Tournament at Quality Chicken Express – April 5th, 2025

On Saturday, April 5th, a chess tournament was held at Quality Chicken Express in San Ignacio Town. A total of 21 players from Stann Creek and Cayo Districts came out to compete in this exciting event.

Special Thanks to Dr. Jossely Awe for being our tournament director.

The top players in the Upper Section were National Master Alfred Awe and Belize’s Rank 10, Roger Canto. In the Lower Section, the youngest player, Curtis Andrade, was seen as a strong favorite.

Lower Section Highlights

Round 1

Curtis Andrade vs Julian Thiessen – Both players had a strong game, but in the end, Curtis turned the tables and won a nice endgame, even though he was down an exchange.

Round 2

Carlos Ruiz, playing in his first tournament, surprised everyone by defeating Curtis in a big upset.

Round 3

Christopher Penner beat Yann Monnier and took the lead in the tournament. Rejino Melgar also had a strong round, beating Carlos Ruiz.

Round 4

Christopher Penner drew with Curtis Andrade. Meanwhile, Carlos Ruiz beat Yann Monnier, getting closer to the leader.

Round 5

Carlos Ruiz faced Christopher Penner in a must-win match. Carlos managed to win and secure 1st place.

Curtis Andrade played Rejino Melgar. A win would have given Curtis at least 3rd place, but the game ended in a draw, giving Rejino the edge.

Tie Breaks

Christopher Penner and Rejino Melgar played a match to decide 2nd place. Penner won and took 2nd, with Rejino finishing 3rd.

Upper Section Highlights

Round 1

NM Alfred Awe and Marick Elijio faced off again. Their last game ended in a draw, but this time Alfred won smoothly.

Oliver Andrade, coming off a win at the Belmopan Library tournament, beat Joseph Koop in a strong game.

Round 2

Roger Canto played Gregory McGibney. Despite having some chances, McGibney lost in a close game.

Round 3

Joseph Koop and Marick Elijio: A rematch of rivals, in their last matchup Elijio secured the win against Koop. Both players had a terrible start to their event not scoring a single point and after this game one would leave 0-3. Despite Marick's last victory, today Joseph would take revenge.

In a game between brothers, Joseph Davis beat Joshua Davis.

Round 4

The big match: Roger Canto vs NM Alfred Awe. Both played well, but Alfred came out on top, taking the lead in the tournament.

Round 5

Oliver Andrade lost to Roger Canto, who bounced back with a strong win. With this win Canto moves to 7th in the National Rankings.

Joshua Davis took on his older brother Josiah Davis. Josiah showed why he is the older brother and won the game finishing with a good 3/5 performance and tied for 3rd.

Tie Breaks

Three players tied for 3rd place: Joseph Koop, Oliver Andrade, and Josiah Davis. In the tie-break matches, Oliver beat both opponents to claim 3rd place.