The 44th World Chess Olympiad will officially commence on August 1, 2020 and conclude on August 15, 2020 in the city of Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.
FIDE Master (FM) Anthony Drayton is currently making preparations to participate therein, and his intention is to move up the rankings.
Anthony Drayton
Being the only Guyanese player to have a rank above 2000, Drayton’s FIDE ranking of 2007 is impressive among the many chess players in Guyana. He is considered as standing at the pinnacle, making a name for himself among many of the world’s top chess players.
By his FIDE ratings, Drayton is Guyana’s top player; and although only 24 years old, he has the highest ELO rating of 2030. He attained the title of Candidate Master at the Chess Olympiad 2014 Open, and FIDE Master at the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in 2018.
He disclosed that achieving such a feat was never easy, but he has attained the talent and great analytical abilities for the game by having learnt from masters such as Bobby Fisher, Garry Kasparov, M. Botvinick, and current number one player Magnus Carlsen.
Speaking with Guyana Times Sport, Drayton disclosed, “I can’t say I’ve started, I’m just hoping I have some tournaments that I can play in, so I can raise my ratings faster, especially international. But most of these tournaments are being played in the United States of America and the United Kingdom. However, in case I’m not able to attend these games, I will put my best foot forward and do lots of tactics and try to take in as much new information as possible. At the end of it all, if you don’t get to practise what you learn, then the information would be worthless.”
Drayton also related that among his main focus is his desire to improve on his ratings. while he has an impressive 2007 rating, he is currently looking to take it to 2200, which would enable him to achieve the title of International Master (IM).
To achieve such a rating, Drayton must play chess in FIDE-sanctioned tournaments, and defeat opponents who are most likely to be chess masters. As the imminent date of the Olympiad draws closer, Drayton would be training with the hope of make his dream a reality.
