Reviving Chess in Northern Belize

According to Glen Reneau, head coach of Belize’s national chess team, chess has been played in the country for well over a century. Even so, the board game has not gained substantial popularity over the years and probably won’t if there’s no plan to bring it to the spotlight.

Kofi Geban, president of the Belize Association of Chess Players (BACP), rightfully stated in a discussion at the CODICADER games in Guatemala last month that “we must work together as a team to achieve growth”. In the past, it was more of a one man show where one or two volunteers recruited and organized tournaments across the nation. Until recently, a spark of interest was ignited in high school chess clubs across the country thanks to Reneau, who has dedicated the last decade of his life to chess in Belize. While I'm not certain about its legitimacy, rumor has it that efforts are being made to revive the former Belize Chess Federation.

This afternoon, a small group will unite in a meeting to discuss the growth of chess in the Orange Walk district. The audience will consist mostly of members of the Muffles College High School chess club and a few aficionados of the game. We believe that it’s of paramount importance for us to focus on the younger generation of players since they’re expected to keep the light lit in years to follow.

So yes, this is an attempt to get a larger, club-sized body involved. We have no intentions of planning too much ahead. We’ll keep it simple, fun, and active. I must say that the resources seem reasonably favorable this time around. It is believed that there’s a bit more potential in this group than those before it. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.