CANDIDATE Master, Anthony Drayton, defied a prolonged period of inactivity to retain his form and carted off the spoils in the inaugural Caribbean Chess Cup, staged in Bridgetown, Barbados, November 28 to December 3.

Drayton, who once held the prestigious National Junior (chess) Championship title, participated in the senior category, the Open segment, which attracted players with less than 2100 rating points.

The astute Drayton suffered a slight setback after dropping an early game to Trinidadian Frank Sears, but rebounded to win all of his other sets to amass 8 points. His nemesis, Sears, closed off the second podium spot on 7 points.

Trinidadian player WIM Gabrielle Johnson occupied the third-place spot while Barbadian Phillip Corbin sealed off the prestigious positions in fourth place.

Drayton is now ranked #4 with rating points of 1903. The tournament attracted 37 players from several Caribbean countries.