By Neto Baptiste
Draughts players in Antigua will get their first official taste of legit competition since the Covid-19 pandemic when the Antigua and Barbuda Draughts Association (ABDA) hosts its Easter Classic Invitational Extravaganza slated to start April 3.
According to the president of the ABDA, Trevor Cranston, the tournament which is sponsored by the Swizzle Stick Bar, will see some of the country’s top players compete for ultimate glory in two categories.
“We’re having two divisions in the masters’ division and we have some top players who will be playing in the masters’ division. We have Mr Bernard ‘Premier’ Willock and as a matter of a fact he represented Antigua and Barbuda and the draughts association in the just concluded Pan American Draughts Tournament held in the Dominican Republic,” he said.
“We also have Mr Amakusa Jerimiah and he also represented Antigua and Barbuda in the Dominican Republic and he will be participating in the seniors’ division, so we have some of the best draughts players in Antigua that will be participating in this extravaganza draughts tournament,” he added.
The tournament will be hosted at the Swizzle Stick Bar located north-east of the Perry Bay Supermarket and participants, Cranston said, could make a case for future national selection.
“This may be one of the tournaments that may cause you to be selected to represent Antigua and Barbuda but I am glad you mentioned that because this tournament is called an invitational draughts tournament so that non-members can participate but only members can represent Antigua and Barbuda in tournaments overseas,” Cranston said.
Registration is open to the public and carries a fee of $20 for members and $25 for non-members. Interested players are asked to call 764-2089, 723-4857 or 782-8331 for registration details.
The tournament will be played in round-robin format with matches starting at 6 nightly.