USVI Chess
MAKE THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR QUALIFYING FOR THE 2026 USVI WORLD CHESS OLYMPIAD TEAM FAIR TO ALL VI CHESS PLAYERS!
Anne Kershaw played two females in the only USVI Olympiad qualifying tournament on April 11-12, 2026 and she lost to both females. Manipulation of the rules gave Anne Kershaw an advantage to obtain a position on the USVI FEMALE World Chess Olympiad Team. Females must play against females only to give an accurate pecking order! Nine female VI residents played in this tournament. therefore there enough to warrent a female only section. Why was this too difficult to have two sections, the female section and the male section? For the previous 2024 VI Olympiad team in all four qualifying torunaments the females and males played in separate sections. Why not for 2026?
52nd Annual Agricultural & Food Fair
2024
St. Croix Open Chess Tournament February 24-25, 2024
1st place Mighty Fantunilla, 2nd place Mosiah Keels, and Third place Justin Hair
Female section: 1st place Jessica Cana 2nd place Marisa Allen
USVI April 2024 FIDE rated Tournaments.
Saturday Chess March 12, 2022. St. Croix Chess Club at Education Connections VI.
Say Hello to our newest scholastic chess Club, WELCOME STX Montessori!
Rapid Tournament
1st Place - Darryl Allen
2nd Place - Michael Smith
3rd Place - Colin Heim
Blitz Tournament
1st Place - Colin Heim
2nd Place - Darryl Allen
3rd Place Leah William
First US Virgin Islands Chess Federation FIDE Rated Tournament of 2025
Rapid Tournament
1st Place Abram Williams
2nd Place Colin Heim
3rd Place Darryl Allen
Blitz Tournament:
1st: Abram Williams
2nd Justin Hair
3rd Leah Williams
2024 Virgin Islands Scholastic Chess Champions
Again, rules and regulations are changed for qualifying for the 2026 USVI Olympiad Team
- USVI Chess Federation Constitution statutes regarding the selection of the team have been violated once again
- The December 2025 tournament was not announced as a qualifying tournament until months after the tournament
- The upcoming April 2026 tournament is allowing non-residents of the Virgin Islands to participate in a national qualifying tournament, thereby skewing the results.
- The so call “Olympiad Team Selection Committee” will have bias as members of this committee have a vested interest in making the team.
- The "Olympiad Team Selection Committee" was formed after the December tournament. Thereby making the rules and regulations after the results of the December tournament
- The "Olympiad Team Selection Committee", minutes of January 3, 2026, stated that the litigation between the parties of the chess community have been concluded. This is false. The litigation is an open case in the VI Superior and VI Supreme courts.
- The "Olympic Team Selection Committee"stated that there was a lack of tournaments due to the litigation. This is false. There were 29 tournaments held in the last three years. 19 of which were FIDE Rated. Many VI players that participated in these tournaments earned a FIDE rating. FIDE ratings have been a determinig factor in qualifying for the USVICF Olympaid team for many years.
The legal 2026 USVICF Constitution as of March 2025 stated:
that there would be 4 qualifying tournaments held from November 2025 – February 2026 to determine the USVI Olympiad Team. These statutes were ignored.
The Selection Criteria just announced:
The first 2 spots on each team will be granted to the 2 highest rated active players on the May rating list. Being selected requires you to have played in BOTH qualifying tournaments. This is being announced After the December tournament was played.
None of the currently rated women played in the St. Croix qualifier. None of the rated women were informed that the December 2025 was a qualifying tournament and that it would be required that they play in both tournaments. This was announced after the tournament was held.
OPEN RAPID AND BLITZ ST. CROIX AND ST.THOMAS CHESS TOURNAMENT
June 28, 2025
DEMAND FAIRNESS IN THE SELECTION PROCESS FOR THE 2026 USVI WORLD CHESS OLYMPIAD TEAM!
DON'T ALLOW THE RULES TO QUALIFY TO BE CHANGED AFTER THE TOURNAMENT HAS BEEN PLAYED!
2024 USVI Chess Federation Ratings Development Tournament
March 16 - 17. 2024 at the Palms Resort in St. Croix
Tell Anne Kershaw to resign!
- Anne Kershaw Illegally conducted an election for new officers of the USVICF in December of 2023, declaring herself the new Secretary of the USVI Chess Federation. This election was noted as invalid in the VI Superior Court by Judge Brady on May 22, 2025.
- In May of 2025 Judge Brady ordered Anne Kershaw not to hold herself out as the Secretary of the USVICF.
- In February of 2024 Anne Kershaw fraudulently informed the VI Olympic Committee and the International Chess Federation (FIDE) that she was the Secretary of the USVI Chess Federation.
- Anne Kershaw Illegally presented fraudulent documents to the Bank of St. Croix and took ownership of the USVICF Bank account in February of 2024.
- Now in 2026, Anne Kershaw is noted as a 65 + year old senior citizen who scored 1 point out of a possible 5 in a USVI National Olympiad Qualifying Tournament and was offered a position on the USVI World Chess Olympiad Team, finishing in 30th place in a field of 33.
- Anne Kershaw has a US Chess Rating of 102 (the floor for ratings is 100). Anne does not have a FIDE rating.
- Meanwhile qualified youth and adult players with International FIDE Ratings of 1483 and 1552 were not offered a position on the team.
We have talented Olympiad players in the Virgin Islands, and they must be treated fairly and with respect.
Why was Anne Kershaw offered a position on the USVI Chess Olympiad Team? Tell her to resign immediately.
RECENT USVI CHESS TOURNAMENTS ARE UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND UNFAIR TOTHE VIRGIN ISLANDS CHESS PLAYERS!
Females must have fair qualifying tournaments for the 2026 World Chess Olympiad Team. In the recent Qualifying tournament females were forced to play against males. The results were as follows for 5 rounds: Dejw played 2 females, Asia played 1 female. Leah played 1 female, Kalima played 1 female and Lois and Jessica ONLY PLAYED MALES! This must be corrected. Give these females a section of their own! It is impossible to compare the performances of the female Virgin Islands Chess Players in this tournament to determine which 5 female players will be offered a position on the USVI World Chess Olympiad Team.
Tell the orgainzers, Sinclair Wilkinson and Gail Widmer, to abide by the legal USVI Chess Federation Constitution regarding the selection process of the 2026 USVI World Chess Olympiad Teams.
These tournaments are in violation of the USVI Chess Federation Constitution.
Please copy and paste the link below to read the USVI Chess Constitution amended in March of 2025
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BTc92Of3WaYiEAhf-rJ1i5wD_qG88EQZ/edit
St. Thomas Open Chess Tournament February 3-4, 2024
Female section: 1st Place- Leah Williams, 2nd Place Nyeema Henderson, and 3rd Place Lois Williams
Open section: 1st Place Darryl Allen, 2nd Place Anthony Mongiello and 3rd Place Naitik Jhanwar
2025 St. Croix Montessori School Chess Championship
USVI Chess Federation
Spring Friendship Chess Festival
April 29 - May 1, 2022
Thank you to our Puerto Rican chess players and arbiter for making this a successful tournament. Everyone had and enjoyable weekend. A special thank you to the FIDE Planning and Development Commission for the generous financial support.
The US Virgin Islands Chess Federation REFUSED DUES from a National Chess Club
The St.Croix Chess Club, a US Virgin Islands Chess Federation National Club, sent their 2026 dues to
Sinclair Wilkinson at: PO Box 10195, St. Thomas, USVI on December 22, 2025. On December 31, 2025 these dues were refused and sent back to sender from the above address. The St. Croix Chess Club was not allowed to pay their 2026 dues.
Saturday Chess 2023, Anthony teaching class and Reece Creswell visiting from the states!
The 2023 St. Croix District Chess Championship was held on December 2-3.
St. Croix District Open Champion is Mighty Funtanilla, 2nd place is Kimani Knight, and 3rd place is Justin Hair.
St. Croix District Women's Champion is Aaliah Heart-Saret, second place is Vibah Bansal and 3rd place is Jessica Cana.
Special Recognition Awards
Most Improved Students in the
2024-2025 School Year
Female - Leah Williams
Male - Rodney Harvey
Thanksgiving Weekend Tournaments 2024
St. Croix Chess Club Tournament; December 18, 2021
We've been championing chess since 1993 - join us for a little trip down memory lane below:
St. Croix Open Chess Tournament
April 1-2, 2023 included three players from St. Thomas as well as players from St. Croix.
First Place- Mighty Funtanilla
Second Place- Frank Jackson
Third Place - Robert Collins
The US Virgin Islands 2024 Chess Team at the 45th World Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
Congratulations to Eve Williams for earning a FIDE Women Candidate Master Title and Michael Smith for earning a FIDE Candidate Master Title!
The 45th World Chess Olympiad occurred in Budapest, Hungary from September 10 – 23, 2024. We competed at this most prestigious world chess event with two teams: Open and Women’s. We are excited to see a resurgence of women’s interest in chess in the Virgin Islands. But more importantly the achievements and participation of young women/female chess players from the Virgin Islands on the world chess stage. It has been 18 years since we fielded a female/women’s team at the Chess Olympiad. Our women’s team consisted of 2 adults; 2 teenagers; and a 10-year-old youth. We commend these young chess players for entering the “Arena” on the world stage and winning 3 out of 10 matches. Eve Williams, Jessica Cana, and Leah Williams earned a FIDE rating due to their performance at the Olympiad. Eve Williams earned the Title of FIDE Women's Candidate Master. This is only the second time in the US Virgin Islands Chess Federation history that a Virgin Islands female chess player has earned this FIDE Title!
The Women’s Team was: Eve Williams, Jessica Cana, Leah Williams, Lois Williams, and Marisa Allen.
The Open Team was: Darryl Allen, Michael Smith, Justin Hair Abram Williams, and Colin Heim.
The Open Team won 3 matches out of 10 rounds of competition. Darryl Allen earned a FIDE rating and Michael Smith, who has a FIDE rating, has earned a FIDE title of CM, Candidate Master.
Our Open Team’s final standing was 169 out of the 189 federations that competed, and we finished above 7 of our Caribbean neighboring chess federations.
Our Women’s Team’s final standing was 150 out of 170 federations that competed. We finished above 6 of our Caribbean neighboring chess federations.
The FIDE Congress took place during the 45th Olympiad. Our federation president, Margaret Murphy, as an elected member of the FIDE Verification Commission participated in this commission's meetings. She represented the Virgin Islands at the FIDE General Assembly as the USV Virgin Islands FIDE Delegate. Marisa Allen, USVICF Vice President, and Michael Smith, USVICF Secretary, also attended several committee meetings. Thus, promoting chess activities in the Virgin Islands among international chess federations.
We thank FIDE for providing online training to prepare our athletes for this world chess competition. We also thank FIDE for their assistance in providing airfare for our contingent.
Welcoming Tourists to the Wonderful World of Virgin Islands Chess Hospitality!
The US Virgin Islands held their District Chess Championships over the first two weekends of December .
A total of 30 chess enthusiasts participated. This is the most ever in the USVI District Chess Championships!
Please join us for Saturday Chess at the St. Croix Montessori School
from 11:00-12:30.
First FIDE-Rated Blitz Tournament in the
US Virgin Islands!
November 29, 2024
1st place - Justin Hair
2nd place - Colin Heim
3rd place - Margaret Murphy
2023 St. Croix Open
Scholastic Chess Championship
April 22, 2023
2024 USVI World Chess Olympiad Team. From left Eve Williams, Jessica Cana, Leah Williams, and Lois Williams. Game pictured is Leah's win in the fourth round. Leah has the best female winning record in the history of US Virgin Islands Female World Chess Olympiad Team. Leah has a 40% winning record tied for first along with her two sisters Eve and Lois who also have a 40% winning record. Brother of the girls is Abram Williams a member of the 2024 USVI Open World Chess Olympiad Team. The Williams family is a Virgin Islands Chess Family that we are proud of!
How to earn a FIDE Rating
FIDE Handbook Rules
B.02.7.1.4 A rating for a player new to the list shall be published when it is based on at least 5 games against rated opponents. This need not be met in one tournament. Results from other tournaments played within consecutive rating periods of not more than 26 months are pooled to obtain the initial rating. The rating must be at least 1400.
First FIDE-Rated Rapid tournament in the
US Virgin Islands!
November 30, 2024
1st place - Abram Williams
2nd place - Colin Heim
3rd place - Justin Hair
USVI CHESS FEDERATION CONSTITUTION copy the link below to view the USVIChessFederationConstituionhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1BTc92Of3WaYiEAhf-rJ1i5wD_qG88EQZ/edit?
Students from 10 VI Territory Schools competed in three divisions in this five-round chess tournament. Students from St. Croix Montessori, Ricardo Richards Elementary School, St. Croix Educational Complex, Alfredo Andrews Elementary, St. Mary’s Elementary, Charlotte Amalie High School, All Saints High School, 7th Day Adventist School, Central High School, and Home Schooled students attended the tournament. Winners were:
Under 16 Section
1st place Abram Williams Home School
2nd place Ace Poyah Educational Complex
3rd place Asia Watson Francis Charlotte Amalie
Under 14 Section
1st place Naitik Jhanwar All Saints
2nd place Leah Williams Home School
3rd place Bella Amore Smith Montessori
Under 10 Section
1st place Lois Williams Home School
2nd place Arlo Zegarelli Montessori
3rd place Imanee Carrol Ricardo Richards
Decorative trophies from Mitchell-Larsen Studio were presented to the winners. The federation thanks the VI Lottery for their generous sponsorship. We also thank all the teachers and parents for attending the event to support their students.
The FIDE Arbiter Margaret Murphy and the National Arbiter Michael Smith acted as the arbiters of the 2024 VI Scholastic Chess Championship Tournament.
The 2023 St. Thomas District Chess Championship was held on December 9-10.
St. Thomas District Open Champion is Darryl Allen, 2nd place is Abram Williams and 3rd place is Ger'Lanni Straun.
St. Thomas District Women's Champion is Eva Williams, 2nd place is Leah Williams, and 3rd place is Ruth Laplante
Some of these players have been playing chess together for over 30 years and others were new young students.
Elementary, middle school and high school competed in three divisions in this five round Chess Championship. In the Under 19 Division, the winners were Isaiah Benjamin (1st place), and Nathan Benjamin (2nd place). In the Under 14 Division the winners were Ian Ainger (1st place), William Gentilucci (2nd place), and Sara Jones (3rd place). Also, honorable mention awards went to Jadora Burke, Stacey Christopher and Taino Esannason. In the Under 10 Division, the winners were Andrew Trotman (1st place), and Joshua Henry (2nd place). Decorative trophies from the Mitchell-Larsen Studio were presented to the students.
Thanks to the VI Lottery for sponsoring this tournament. Special thanks to Ms. Timothy from Ricardo Richards school for attending this event with the students and the parents who were gracious spectators. We also wish to thank USVI Chess Federation members Akelam Romain and Shawn Williams for assisting at this tournament.