Banks DIH I-CEE Soft Drinks to power 2025 National Rapid Chess Championships

I-CEE Soft Drinks, a product of Banks DIH, were on Thursday announced as the proud sponsor of the 2025 National Rapid Chess Championships.
After a multi-year absence, the highly-anticipated, nine-round chess competition returns tomorrow, Saturday, March 15, 2025, at the Pegasus Hotel and Suites’ Exhibition Centre, promising fierce competition among enthusiastic players of all ages.
Favoured by chess players for its fast-paced nature, the Swiss format tournament will feature a 15-minute time control with five-second increments added to the clock after each move. This popular rapid chess format promises an exciting and dynamic tournament experience for the players.

Strong competition is expected from Candidate Master (CM) Taffin Khan, FIDE Master Anthony Drayton, CM Sachin Pitamber, Junior Champion Ricardo Narine, Kyle Couchman, and Keron Sandiford for the 2025 National Rapid Chess Championship Title.
Cash prizes amounting to $185,000 are up for grabs in the top five positions. Considering the historic results of rapid chess, it’s anyone’s guess who will emerge as the rapid champion for 2025.

Additionally, the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) is offering one-month free membership to the Pegasus Chess Club for the sixth to eighth-place finishers in the tournament.
The top twelve boards will be live-streamed on livechesscloud.com under the supervision of FIDE Arbiter John Lee, enabling viewers to follow the games online.
The GCF noted that it was thrilled to have I-CEE Soft Drinks on board as a sponsor and expressed its heartfelt thanks to the company for the sponsorship. “The GCF looks forward to a fruitful and successful partnership in the future. Deepest gratitude to the Guyana Pegasus Hotel for providing the space for the tournament,” the Federation wrote.

With a series of tournaments launched in the new year, the GCF has offered competitive play in both the open and female categories, keeping up the tempo of competitive play and the development of chess among junior players. The National Blitz Championship will follow closely on Sunday, March 16, 2025.