CM Davy joins elite group after three-peat

Claire Clarke, Contributor

Volume 2. No. 19

In winning the 2013 National Chess Championship on his third-straight attempt, Candidate Master (CM) Damion Davy has done something that has only been achieved by two others.

"It feels great, all the hard work seems to be paying off," said an understandingly proud CM Davy, while speaking to ChessMate.

Only NM Harold Chan (1971-1973) and NM Robert Wheeler (1979-1981) have done this before.

NM Chan, though, might still hold the supreme edge in this small list of champion elite, as he is still the only one not to have shared any of his three titles during his reign.

NM Wheeler twinned the win with NM Chan in 1979 and CM Davy held the title with NM Andrew Mellace last year.

Dating back to 1969, many have held the title for two consecutive years, but in the 44 years since these battles have been waged, the three-peat so far remains a rare pearl of an achievement in local chess circles.

CM Davy's accomplishment might be considered more unique though, as it is first time that it is happening in 30 years.

The event itself passed with little fanfare or publicity except within chess circles, yet CM Davy - a recent University of the West Indies actuarial graduate - stamped his victory with non-debatable authority, rising to the top of the field of 10, one round before the tournament ended.

For CM Davy, this was the extra incentive.

"It feels even nicer when you win with a round to spare, just like when I won in 2011," he noted.

This achievement is not the end for Davy's sights, however, as he noted: "My immediate goal is to truly learn chess and devote three hours a day to learn the game and better myself as a player and my immediate comrades and my students of course."

NEW GOALS

His ambitions in chess once had no limitations as he wanted to be a grand master, world champion and be rated as the world's number-one player. Today, he has rewritten his script.

"Now I just want to be a grand master - and a strong one, too. It is not so easy to make that transition without the proper backing and put in that magical 10,000 hours of work and training needed to get there."

The field for the nationals this year did not include some of the top-rated players in Jamaica. But CM Davy brushes this fact aside with the frank reality: "I cannot force a player to show up and play tournaments. However, let's get one thing straight. Both Warren (FM Elliot), Jomo (IM Pitterson) Shane (FM Matthews) Duane (CM Rowe) and a bunch of other strong players were in the nationals last year and I still won. A few players not playing the nationals can never downplay my victory. When they decide not to play, I win, and when they decide to, I still win."

However, CM Davy is not suggesting that the 2013 tournament was a total walk-over.

"I must say, there were a few tough games. The first-round game versus CM Russel Porter was tough because I was feeling a little rusty. There were also times I had to play my teammates Daren Wisdom and Peter Thomas. But overall, the games weren't that hard (and) the players did not set me enough problems.

NO WORRIES

With his run of victories over the years and strong play in the Olympiad last year, CM Davy has contained fears when he sits at the board.

"I am never worried these days; I guess I am more experienced. I don't even get worried when I play a GM or an IM. I am not afraid to lose. If I am playing bad chess and my opponent is playing good chess, then he has a chance to beat me. I don't think about results anymore - only playing good chess or good enough chess. With good and consistent chess, the results will come," Davy noted.

Winning before that final round, fortunately, was not managed by CM Davy's nocturnal visions or the outcome would have been different.

"I was a little tense the night before the penultimate game because I knew it was in my hand and I could do it a round early. But when the game started against Mr Wilkinson (JCF president), I was tense no longer. Funny enough, I had a dream that I would get an early advantage versus Wilkinson and that I would lose. So in the game when I got the early advantage, I made sure that last part of my dream did not come true."

Upcoming tournaments

Robert Wheeler Open: May 25-26 (venues to be announced).

St Jago Open: July 6-7

Claire Clarke is a former Women's National Champion, three-time Jamaica Women's team Chess Olympiad representative, trained journalist and editor. Email feedback, send in your games or upcoming tournaments to yourchessmate@yahoo.com and join the Facebook page Chessmate.