Chess returns to the board with Independence competition
The winner’s row at the most recent GCF competition. From left are Irshad Mohamad (winner); Keron Sandiford (1st place Junior); Marlon Williams (sponsor) and Ricardo Narine (2nd place junior)
The country’s top-flight chess players will converge on the National Stadium at Providence for another six rounds of chessboard action this weekend.
This time around, the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) is looking to commemorate Guyana’s 55th Independence Anniversary with an International Chess Federation (FIDE) rated Independence Tournament.
The six-round tournament will be open to both junior and senior players competing in those respective categories in a Swiss System game format.
The first day of competition will be this Saturday, May 22nd, with Rounds One and Two being contested. The following day, Sunday May 23rd, will see competition in Rounds Three and Four. Then on Independence Day itself, Wednesday May 26th, the players will return to put the black and white pieces to work for Rounds Five and Six.
Each round will begin at 10am and 2pm respectively on each day.
GCF Director of Tournaments, Rashad Hussain, explained that a longing for in-person competition (as opposed to online games) by players fuelled the idea for the Independence Tournament.
“We’ve played the last few tournaments online, and persons have been requesting the over-the-board tournaments. Since the pandemic began, we have played about 5 tournaments and have not encountered any issues, so I foresee this tournament being another successful one,” Hussain shared.
Looking at the coming months, Hussain is optimistic about the plans that the GCF is yet to roll out. He commented, “I am hoping that we can have a vibrant summer for chess, both with tournaments and the hinterland outreach programme that the federation is currently working on.”
Registration fees for the senior category of the Independence Tournament is set at Gy$500, with the junior participants being allowed to compete at no cost. Additionally, prizes for the top three finishers in both categories would be awarded.
For further information and registration purposes, the Competitions’ Director Rashad Hussain can be contacted via call or WhatsApp on 658-3004.
