An agreement has been reached among four Caribbean countries to establish a regional body for chess.

According to a press release from the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF),  Guyana, Jamaica, the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname signed the agreement on August 10 in Curacao paving the way for the various Caribbean chess federations to come together under one umbrella with the aim being to establish  a Caribbean Chess Union (CCU).

At last week’s meeting it was decided that the CCU  will make decisions for the upliftment of chess in the region.

President of the GCF Errol Tiwari, who represented Guyana at the meeting said the CCU when established “would be empowered to negotiate with international bodies and speak with a united voice for the Caribbean.”

President of the Jamaican Chess Federation Ian Wilkinson, Netherland Antilles by the President of its Chess Federation Ludwig Abad and Suriname by the President of the Suriname Chess Federation Dr. Carlos Dos Ramos.
Guyana has been tasked with informing all chess federations within the region of this development and inviting them to a meeting to explore the ramifications of establishing the CCU.

Jamaica has been requested to begin the legal framework necessary to establish a CCU.

The meeting in Curacao followed a larger meeting with Caribbean representatives of chess and former world chess champion, Russia’s Anatoly Karpov.

Karpov is challenging the incumbent, President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, for the post of President of the World Chess Organization ( FIDE ).