PRESS RELEASE 6: June 18, 2005

DEL CASTILHO FINISHES 24^TH AT PAN AMERICAN UNDER 16

Martyn Del Castiho, Barbados’s and the English speaking Caribbean’s sole representative at the Pan American Youth Chess Championships registered a personal and National best performance in the Under 16 Age Category as the curtain fell for the last round in Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Del Castilho ended the competition with 5 points when his match against Peter Yeh of the USA petered out into a draw.

Top seed FIDE Master Axel Bachman of Paraguay won his final match against Alvardo Valles Escobar of Chile to end on 8 points and be crowned the new Pan American Under-16 Champion. FIDE Master Max Cornejo (2229) of Peru was 2^nd on 7 ½ point and Damian Lemos (2235) of Argentina 3^rd with 7 points. Del Castilho’s 5 points placed him 24^th on the tied break.

FIDE Master Axel Bachman of Paraguay, 2005 Pan American Under-16 Champion

In the other age categories, International Master Alexander Fier (2462) of Brazil won the Boys Under-18 with 8 points and Woman International Master Luciana Morales Mendoza (2152) of Peru the Girls Under-18 with 7 ½ .

The Girls Under-16 title went to another Peruvian Tilia Zapata who ended with 8 points as did the Boys Under 14 which was won by FIDE Master Renato Terry Lajun on 8 ½ .

Brazil’s Juliana Sayumi Terao took the Girls Under 14 Category FIDE wit 7 ½ points Sebastian Iberto of Argentina sercured the Boys Under 12 with 8 points and Venezuela’s Elizabeth Moreno carried the Girls under 12 with 7 ½ .

Girls Under-12 Pan American Champion Elizabeth Moreno, Venezuela

The Under 10 categories were won by FIDE Master Jorge Cori (2063) of Peru in the Boys section and Maria Isabel Bohorquez of Ecuador in the Girls.

The Overall Country standings saw Peru seizing the top spot with 105 points, followed by hosts Brazil with 99 and Argentina on 72.