Couchman eyeing national title after Qualifiers win

Following a riveting weekend of play from approximately 70 of the country’s youngest chess players, the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF)-Moo Milk Junior Chess Championship qualifiers have identified 10 players who will vie for the National Championship.

Foremost among them is Kyle Couchman who won with six points. Sachin Pitamber took second place while Ricardo Narine was third and Aditi Joshi was both the best female player and the fourth- place finisher.
Matthew Singh, Kishan Puran, Italy Ton-Chung, Alexander Zhang, Treskole Archibald, and Alek Ubaldo Singh are the remaining six players who have qualified for the Championships.
Guyana Times Sportcaught up with Couchman, who spoke of how the qualifying tournament went for him.
“Well, the tournament had really tough competition, a lot of rated players. I gained, I lost ratings, but that happens. Nevertheless, with enough practice and dedication, I emerged victorious,” Couchman told this publication.
Initially, the likes of Pitamber and Zhang were in the lead following the first few rounds of the qualifiers. As such, Couchman spoke of how he was able to take himself to the top spot in the final rounds.
The Queen’s College student said, “I would’ve had to study my opponents because if I study them, it’s going to help me win. My aim was just to win every game, doesn’t matter who I play, I have to win to end up at the top again.”
It goes without saying that Couchman has his eyes on the national title, since it has been vacated by 2023 winner Keron Sandiford, who has aged out of the junior category. Couchman told this publication of his preparation plans for the Championships.
“I am confident about taking the top spot,” Couchman declared.
The teenager went on to disclose, “I’ve been playing a lot of games, doing my puzzles and most importantly, analysing my games and understanding why I did this, why I did that. So, yeah.”
The Moo Milk-sponsored National Junior Chess Championships are scheduled to commence on Friday, July 26.