Eight-year-old chess maestro has high hopes for CAC Games

WITH ONLY three years of practice under her belt, Emilia-Rose Leake will be the youngest Jamaican athlete at the July 2023 CAC games.

The 24th Central American and Caribbean (CAC) games will see the eight-year-old compete in El Salvador along with other Jamaicans for regional rankings across 54 disciplines.

Leake is the national under-eight champion and is the female national rapid chess champion 2022.

In El Salvador, she will face a pool of competitors from 15 other territories that will be represented at the games. With an International Chess Federation (FIDE) ranking of 1105, Leake is ranked as a Candidate Master Elect at only eight years old.

But Leake isn’t just great on the chess board, having topped under-10s at the recent All-Jamaica Junior Tournament in December 2022.

With her exceptional performances to date, Leake has caught the eye of Jamaica Olympic Association President Christopher Samuda, who says he expects her to improve her FIDE ranking at the competition based on her “knowledge of the game, very creditable performance and unmistakable drive to do well”.

Samuda went on to say Leake’s future prospects are “very encouraging as she continues to display a love for chess that has deepened her commitment and made the sport all the more enjoyable for her”.

Leake was introduced to chess in grade one at Creative Kids Learning Academy when it was introduced into the curriculum. She is now trained by Fide Master Warren Elliott, who has high praises for his young charge.

Leake hopes to be Jamaica’s first Chess Grandmaster and is looking forward to increasing her FIDE score at the tournament.