CM Khan retains National Open Chess title in convincing fashion

Candidate Master (CM) Taffin Khan has successfully defended his title at the 2025 Guyana Chess Federation National Open Chess Championships, playing undefeated and finishing ahead of his challengers with an impressive 8 out of 9 points including two draws.

The prestigious Round-Robin Classic style tournament took place from May 24th to June 1st at the David Rose Special Needs School on Thomas Lands and the School of the Nations. The event featured 10 participants: the top 9 qualifiers from the National Open Championship Qualifiers and the defending champion, CM Taffin Khan.
Khan showcased excellent form throughout the event, navigating a competitive field of seasoned players and rising stars. Finishing closely behind him in second place was fifteen-year-old Kyle Couchman, who earned 7.5 points. In the crucial Round 8 confrontation while Khan faced Couchman, the defending champion scored a brilliant victory over his challenger. In a carefully executed attack, Khan sacrificed his Bishop followed by his Queen in a stunning raid that began on move 23 to breach his opponent King’s defences. Khan’s well-coordinated pieces continued the aggression and Couchman was forced to concede the loss on move 46, ending the hopes of all other challengers in the Championship.

Fourteen-year-old Candidate Master Sachin Pitamber secured third place with 6.5 points, reflecting a strong showing. Pitamber successfully drew his game with Khan in round six.
Alexander Zhang and Keron Sandiford ended with 5 points each, with Zhang taking the higher position due to the tiebreak. Sandiford drew his game with Khan in round nine. Veteran player Candidate Master Ronuel Greenidge placed sixth, followed closely by the tournament’s only female participant, Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi.
Rounding out the top ten standings were Rolex Alexander and Joshua Gopaul, who brought competitive spirit and resilience to the event. Reigning Junior Chess Champion Ricardo Narine opted out of the tournament in the early phase of the competition.
The Federation wished to extend its heartfelt gratitude to the Tournament Director, FIDE Arbiter Mr. John Lee, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that all games were conducted in accordance with the rules and regulations and that the games were streamed live on Lichess.org.
The GCF also thanked the David Rose Special School and the School of the Nations for providing the venue for the tournament over the last weeks.