National Master (NM) Equitable Brown secured his second straight hold on the National Chess Champion title on Sunday, after securing a final-round draw against Ryan Blackwood at the Norman Manley Law School. Brown ended the championship on eight points, a full point ahead of his nearest rival.

The final top-of-the-table clash proved anticlimactic, as Brown, knowing he only needed a half point to secure the title, decided to take an early draw against his less fancied opponent, Blackwood, instead of going after the full point and risking a loss. Being the underdog in the match, and with no hope of catching Brown, Blackwood was more than happy to end the game early.

Shift in focus

The focus, therefore, shifted to second place as three players, NM Andrew Mellace, NM Peter Myers and Damion Davy, were each vying for runner-up accolades. Mellace and Davy, who were up against each other in their final match, like Brown, decided not to risk ending up down the field and agreed to an early draw. This left each player tied in second on seven points. Myers eked out a victory against NM Brandon Wilson in his last game to end on seven points and secure a share of the second-place prize.

The final points standings were: 1. Equitable Brown - 8 points; 2-4: NM Andrew Mellace, NM Peter Myers and Damion Davy - 7 points each; 5. Zachary Ramsay - 6 points; 6-7: Daren Wisdom and NM Russel Porter - 5.5 points each; 8-9: Brandon Wilson and Ian Wilkinson - 4.5 points each; 10-11: Stuart James and Ryan Blackwood - 3.5 points each, and 12th Mark Holness - 3 points.