Nigel K. Francis wins Dominica's 1st Chess title 'Candidate Master' in Budapest

Dominica: Nigel K. Francis of the Commonwealth of Dominica has earned the prestigious Candidate Master title after an impressive performance at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.

Achieving a score of 6 out of 10 (with 5 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses), Francis surpassed the requirements to secure this title, marking a historic milestone for both the Dominica Chess Federation and the country.

This is the first ever chess title for Dominica, making Francis a part of the distinguished group of titled chess players. 

The Dominica Chess Federation took to Facebook to express their pride over the achievement and said, "We congratulate Nigel K. Francis on earning the Candidate Master title (CM) at the recently concluded 45th Chess Olympiad."

The Federation also noted, "Titles are a big thing in chess and we hope that Nigel's achievement will inspire more chess players to improve and earn titles as well. We will continue to support him and our other players so that more successes will come in the future!"

Not only this, but his other achievements include two time Dominica National Chess in 2022 and 2023, defeated a Fide Master in classical time controls at Alba Games 2023, top performance rating among his team at the 44th Chess Olympiad, top performance rating among his team at the 45thChess Olympiad. 

FIDE (International Chess Federation) awards four master titles based on levels of mastery on the game which includes Grandmaster, International Master, Fide Master and Candidate Master. 

Several other citizens of Dominica also took to Facebook to extend congratulations to the winner with Johanna Isidore saying, 
"Congratulation Mr. Francis on your continued success. Your passion and respect for the game will no doubt inspire many with similar interests, and as such, we wish you many more successes in the future." Another user named Ruth said, "Congratulations Nigel Francis . Working towards that Grand master title!"