Drayton, Khan endure difficult CAC Games blitz campaign

Guyana’s Anthony Drayton and Taffin Khan recorded one victory and two draws during a challenging 15-round men’s blitz chess competition at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on Tuesday.

The Guyanese pair collected five board points and four match points after finishing with one win, two draws, and 12 defeats against the other 15 participating nations.
Guyana made a promising start by defeating Nicaragua 1½-½ in the opening round before earning consecutive 1-1 draws against the Dominican Republic and Panama.
However, the national team was unable to maintain that momentum and suffered a 2-0 defeat against Venezuela in the fourth round. Puerto Rico then defeated Guyana 1½-½ before Barbados secured a 2-0 victory in round six.
Guyana also went down 2-0 against Guatemala and Jamaica in rounds seven and eight. Drayton and Khan managed another half-point in a 1½-½ defeat to Costa Rica in round nine.
The Guyanese suffered further 2-0 losses against Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, El Salvador, Cuba and Colombia from rounds 10 to 14.
Guyana closed the competition with a 1½-½ defeat against Haiti, bringing an end to a demanding day in which all 15 rounds were played within approximately three and a half hours.