Caricom Caribbean Chess Classic 2024: Guyana’s Team One maintains second position after 6 rounds
Guyana Chess Federation’s Team One has maintained its position in second after six rounds of play in the Caricom Classic Chess Team Tournament being held at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel in Guyana.
Comprising CM Taffin Khan, FM Anthony Drayton, Jessica Callender and Shaz Rahim, Team One has won against the Bahamas in round five with match points of 2.5 against 1.5. Khan defeated Avian Pride, Drayton defeated Joseph Ferguson, and Shaz Rahim drew with Chika Pride. Callender was unable to secure a win against Polina Karelina.
In round six, Team One drew with Barbados 2-2. Taffin Khan defeated Emar Edwards, while Drayton defeated the veteran Phillip Corbin. Jessica Callender and Shazeeda Rahim were both unable to secure a win against either Katrina Blackman or Hannah Wilson.
Guyana’s Team One in action against Barbados
Taffin Khan’s encounter with Emar Edwards saw the Guyanese successfully weaken his opponent after capturing Edwards’s valuable Rook. The Barbadian’s double pawns also restricted his chances during the struggle, and Khan secured a passed pawn to convert into a powerful Queen. Edwards gave up the fight after 47 moves.
Guyana Team Two’s match points against Suriname were 0.5-3.5 in round five. This young Guyanese team, comprising Keron Sandiford, Kyle Couchman, Sasha Shariff and Aditi Joshi, fought valiantly to secure wins against the Surinamese team, but only Aditi Joshi was able to gain a half-point with her draw with Maylee Tjong Tjin Joe.
In round six, against the Bahamas, Team Two managed to gain 1.5 match points against the Bahamas’ 2.5 points. Avian Pride used his Queen and Knight to execute a successful attack against Guyanese Keron Sandiford. The well-coordinated Queen and Knight team gained material and exposed Sandiford’s vulnerable King to additional threats. The Guyanese player resigned after 41 moves.
Kyle Couchman was paired with Joseph Ferguson of the Bahamas. Ferguson was unable to avoid the loss of material and his position being progressively weakened. The young Guyanese player infiltrated his opponent’s camp to further seize material, leading to the Bahamian’s defeat.
And Aditi Joshi drew with her Round Six opponent, Chika Pride of the Bahamas.
