The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Chess Federation hosted its 1st Biennial General Meeting on March 29th, 2025. The meeting took place in Kingstown upstairs the Music Centre Limited and saw the biggest showing at such a chess gathering in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines since its formation.
At its 2023 AGM the Federation took the position that their AGM’s will take place in month of March, that members under the age of 10 years will not be required to pay an annual subscription whilst those 10 to 17 will pay an annual fee of 50 EC dollars and members 18 years and over will pay 100 EC dollars.
As such this meeting was in fact the first BGM. A total of 42 voting members attended the meeting with nine (9) of those members attending via proxy.
The March 29th meeting took the vote on the interpretation of Section 13 (b) of the SVGCF constitution and the majority formed the view that proxy voting ought to be allowed at this meeting and charged the incoming executive to review this section so as to make it clearer. In addition to the Nine proxy voters there were thirty-three (33) in person voters.
The meeting saw the presentation of minutes of the 2023 AGM and the Executive Report for the period 2023 -2025 being tabled and presented by the Secretary-Treasurer Miss Kazene Pierre. Following the presentation of the Executive Report there was a great degree of debate on a number of issues ranging from merit base selection of players to represent the organisation abroad, financial health of the organisation, Chess in Schools programme amongst others.
The elections saw Israel R Bruce returned as President having Maxine Glasgow-Cottle coming up against him. Bruce secured 28 of the 42 (66.6%) votes cast while Glasgow-Cottle got 14 (33.3%). His Vice President Ronia Durham-Balcombe was elected unopposed. There was a contest also for the role of Secretary/Treasurer as incumbent Kazene Pierre came up against Rebecca Enemchukwu with Pierre securing 25 votes to Enemchukwu’s 14 with 1 ballot determined spoiled by the Supervisor of Elections at the meeting Mr Vanburn Harry. Orisia Robinson was elected unopposed and returns as Public Relations Officer whilst Oris Robinson was elected Committee Member without a contest.
Bruce told the meeting of chess lovers that he is committed to ensuring that Chess is the ultimate winner. He cautioned members that the elections are over and that they must all be ready to serve the organisation in whatsoever capacity they are called upon to serve.
The period ahead will see a continuation in the push for Chess In Schools (CIS) with a view of hosting national championships amongst students. Equally, Women in Chess continues to be a key focus, as we strive to create a more inclusive and supportive space for female players to thrive. Some 13 women and girls have been registered to participate in an international online training for women and girls beginners in chess dubbed “the Queens Gambit” the training commences march 30th 2025 and would last for seven (7) weeks.
Additionally, now that the Chess in Prisons initiative has been introduce into His Majesty’s Prison the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Chess Federation plans to work along with the Prison and keep the momentum going.
Furthermore, our tournament calendar is shaping up to be an exciting one, offering opportunities for players to compete, grow, and showcase their talent.
The immediate chess calendar will see the introduction of the first ever Blitz Championship on April 21st, 2025, locally and later the A Sub zonal Championship to be held in Trinidad later in the month of April followed by the Caricom Ches Championship to take place in Guyana for the second year around.
We recognize that financial stability is critical to the Federation’s success, and securing sponsorships and partnerships remains a top priority. These efforts will allow us to better support our players and expand chess development across the nation.
As we embark on this new term, our team is dedicated to expanding our initiatives, strengthening the Federation, and taking chess in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to greater heights. We are grateful for the continued trust and support of our members, partners, and the wider chess community.
We look forward to working together to make chess a driving force for growth and opportunity in our country.
