By Neto Baptiste
It has, so far, been a tough road for two national draughts players competing at the Open Challenge World Cup in Draughts being contested in Curacao.
Reigning national champions, Bernard “Premier” Willock and Anthony Gomes are currently flying the country’s flag at the international event, marking the first time that Antigua and Barbuda is competing in a world draughts championship.
However, President of the Antigua and Barbuda Draughts Association (ABDA), Trevor Cranston, explained that it has been a hot and cold competition for team Antigua and Barbuda.
“I don’t think he [Bernard Willock] has an opportunity to win but he may have an opportunity to finish in the top five because there are other world champions and so on who have not lost any games as yet, and so the manager told me last event that they are clearly ahead of Willock,” he said.
Cranston explained also that one of the country’s representatives struggled with one aspect of the tournament that is not enforced during tournaments here.
“Mr Gomes, he is having some problems in terms of the recording because he is very inexperienced so he is having some difficulties. As a matter of a fact yesterday [Thursday], he had a chance of winning the game and was doing well according to what the manager told me, but because he is not so familiar with the recoding, the clock ran out and, as a result, he lost that game,” he said.
“Recording is basically that when you make a move you have to record the movement you make because you have to put it down on paper and in this world tournament they would give you one minute to make that written move that you make,” the president added.
Julian Roberts also travelled to Curacao as team manager. The tournament will conclude on November 17th.