jamaica chess federation player profiles
THOMAS FIGUEROA, NATIONAL MASTER
THOMAS FIGUEROA
National Master
In 1975, while a student at U.W.I, Thomas Figueroa turned in a brilliant performance in the third Caribbean Chess Championships held in Georgetown, Guyana. Scoring six points from seven games, Figueroa won himself the top honours on board two and helped Jamaica to second place in the championship, behind the highly experienced Cuban team. The final standing were: Cuba 27.5 points; Jamaica 22, Trinidad 16, Guyana 16, Aruba 11 St. Lucia 7, Barbados 7, Antigua 5.
The individual scores of the Jamaican team members were: R. Wheeler- 5/7, Figueroa 6/7, J. Powell 5/7, P. Mundell 3/4 and Neil Fairclough 3/3. Figueroa's score consisted of two draws, one against International Master EldisCobo, and five wins. It was a scintillating performance from start to finish and one that made the long-haired Jamaican a favourite with the crowds flocked to the Guyana Pegasus Hotel to watch the series. Never losing his cool determination, Figueroa often was able to turn the tables In hopelessly lost positions.
His performance gave him a rating of over 2300, which made him a sure candidate for the Jamaica National Master title and the highest rated player in Jamaica. (He was awarded the title posthumously.)
In 1969 he was runner-up in the Jamaica Schoolboy's Chess Championship and was voted Most Promising Player. In that year, at the age of 15, he gave an indication of his ability when he defeated the then reigning Jamaica chess champion, Alfred Thompson, in a chess marathon event. In 1971 he won the Schoolboy Championship and by 1973 he was strong enough to represent Jamaica in the CACAC series in Caracas, Venezuela.
By 1974 when he played on board 2 for Jamaica in El Salvador, Figueroa was a regular member of the Jamaican chess delegation, placing third in the National Chess Championship. His progress continued into 1975 when he won the Jamaica Open Championship and tied for first place in the National Championship with Robert Wheeler.
Figueroa died in a car crash on November 15, 1975. He was 21 years old, in his final year of a B.Sc. Special degree in Chemistry. His death was not only a major loss to his family and chess, but the University of the West Indies lost a straight A student.
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