EIGHTEEN-year-old Anthony Drayton dethroned Haifeng Su to be crowned the new National Junior Chess Champion at the conclusion of the Sasha Cells Junior Chess Championship which was hosted at Ocean Spray Hotel and Kei-Shar’s Sports Club.

Drayton established a small yet significant lead over the defending champion Su, and that was enough to earn him the title.

Su’s chances of retaining the title began to slip after a fifth-round draw with Saeed Ali and a sixth-round defeat to Davion Mars, former student of St Stanislaus College. Meanwhile, Drayton scored successive wins over his opponents, including Mars. His only loss was to the now former champion early in the championship.
Individual fortunes changed in the sixth and seventh rounds last Sunday and were crucial encounters for the leading players.
The single round robin championship consisted of seven rounds and the junior champion faced seven challengers vying for the title. Su scored five wins, one draw and suffered one loss while Drayton, the new champion, scored six wins and recorded one loss.
The points standing at the end of the championship read: Anthony Drayton six, Haifeng Su five and a half (5½), Davion Mars five, Ron Motilall four, Saeed Ali three and a half (3½), Carlos Petterson two, Trenton Bennett and Dravion Drickpaul one each.
The presentation of prizes to the junior participants would be made after the conclusion of the 2012 Senior Championship which is scheduled to begin in November.