BVI chess players earn historic Candidate Master titles at Samarkand Olympiad

The British Virgin Islands has marked a significant milestone in its chess development, with two players earning Candidate Master titles at the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Shamoy Joseph, 18, and Kiara Phillip, 14, became the Territory's first players to reach the Candidate Master level, according to the British Virgin Islands Chess Federation. The Federation also confirmed that Jhon Samuel is now eligible for a conditional Candidate Master title based on a performance he achieved at the 2022 Olympiad in Chennai, India.

Joseph competed with the Open team and scored five points from 10 games, with a tournament performance rating of 1,869. He defeated players from Comoros, Jersey, Seychelles, the Solomon Islands, the Marshall Islands, and Fiji. In Round 4, he helped the Open team secure its first match victory of the Olympiad, defeating Comoros 2½, 1½.

Phillip made her Olympiad debut with the Women's team, scoring four points from six games. She defeated players from Bermuda and Vanuatu, with her victory over Bermuda's Francesca Cressall-Haycock in Round 3 marking the Territory's first individual win of the 2026 Olympiad. The Women's team also defeated Bermuda 3, 1 that round, with Chane-Ann Chin and Makalia Fergus also recording victories.

The 46th Olympiad brought together more than 200 national teams competing over 11 rounds and was described as one of the largest editions in the event's history.

The Open team was captained by Art K. Christopher and included Maurice Lettsome, Jhon Samuel, Shamoy Joseph, Anferny Raheem Hodge and Dimitri Fungfook. The Women's team was led by Angela Franco and featured Tiandra Scatliffe, Makalia Fergus, Alexis Ganigan, Chane-Ann Chin, and Kiara Phillip. Jenefer McSheene served as team manager, and Sachkia Barnes represented the Territory as delegate to the FIDE Congress.

The Federation began preparations for the Olympiad in June, with younger players gaining experience through preparatory tournaments in Peru and Aruba. The three Candidate Master achievements reflect the benefits of sustained international competition and the Territory's chess development since resuming Olympiad participation in 2022.