–1st female national championship gets underway today
The Guyana Chess Federation will be hosting two tournaments this weekend. For the first time ever in our chess history, the Guyana Chess Federation will be hosting a Women’s National Chess Championship.
Slated to kick-off this Saturday at the Guyana National Resource Center, this prestigious event will be played as a six- round tournament with a time control of 1hr sudden death. The top 5 finishers will be eligible for inclusion in the Guyana Female National Team that will be representing Guyana from Sept 22 – October 1st at the World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia.
The female players will have their first national championship, which gets underway today at the National Resource Centre
This is the federation’s first planned step towards development of Women in chess in Guyana. The federation will be aiming to increase the total number of females who play chess in Guyana, and providing them with the countless opportunities associated with the game.
Tournament favourite will be Guyana’s first FIDE Master and highest rated female WFM, Maria Thomas, who is vastly experienced and has been romping with the top 5 players of Guyana for the last 5 years.
Also participating in this event is Guyana’s only female Candidate Master, CM Sheriffa Ali, who was part of the Female National Team at the last World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan. She will be battling FIDE Developmental Coach and local lawyer Yolanda Persaud, who was also part of the last female team in Baku.
The more experienced Shazeeda Rahim will be fighting for her place in the National Female Team. However, rising young stars such as 12-year-old Chelsea Juma of St. Stanislaus College and 14-year-old Sasha Shariff have thus far been playing chess competitively this year. They played in the National Juniors’ Qualifiers and qualified for the Guyana National Junior Chess Championships.
Both Juma and Shariff have just returned for the 7th Carifta Chess Championships, where Guyana were represented for the first time in their chess history and are determined to make their mark among the big girls.
A keen eye must be kept on the Johnson sisters, Nellisha and Waveney. Nellisha participated in the National Juniors’ Qualifiers and qualified for participation in the Guyana National Junior Chess Championships and the 7th Carifta Chess Championships. She plays promising chess.
Other players to watch are Cassandra Khan and Sharara Gill. Hopefully, there will be the return of the Clementson sisters, Jessica & Julia.
GCF will be hosting the Georgetown Chess Classics concurrently with the women’s clash. This event will be organized for various regions across Guyana, but begins in Georgetown. Top male players Anthony Dratyon, Taffin Khan, Loris Nathoo and Ronuel Greenidge are expected to participate as they prepare for the World Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia.
The Georgetown Chess Classics is set to bring some live action on the chessboards, since other players such as Davion Mars, Glenford Corlette, Chino Chung, Roberto Neto, Saeed Ali and Veteran Errol Tiwari will be looking to defeat the players of the elected national team.
Visitors and viewers are welcome. Registration fee is G$1000, and interested persons can contact Tournament Director Irshad Mohammed at 664-1650 or Tournament Assistant Anthony Drayton at 613-2083.
Rounds will begin at 10:00h on both days, and all games will be played in accordance with FIDE (World Chess Federation) rules and regulations.
