Anthony Drayton receiving his prize from CCA Rep. Ms Sandy Razark
Guyanese FIDE Master Anthony Drayton is the Champion of the Caribbean Blitz 2024 tournament hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation on Wednesday, March 6th, at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel.
The competition was open to all members of the teams visiting for the ongoing Caricom Classic Chess tournament and to Guyanese chess players, and attracted more than forty participants. Among the players were females from both the visiting Caricom teams and from Caricom-associated members and local teams.
The fast-paced intense chess competition was played over seven rounds, with three minutes on each side plus 2 seconds’ increment after each move.
Ronuel Greenidge receiving his 5th place prize
Drayton triumphed over his opponents to gain an undefeated 6.5 points. He won against Guyanese players Rolex Alexander and Sachin Pitamber, Trinidadians Ysvett Hermoso Rodriguez, Quinn Cabralis and Joshua Johnson, and Jamaican Nathan Hinds. He drew with Surinamese Jason Yeung in the last round.
Coming in second, third, and fourth places with 5.5 points each were FM Joshua Johnson, FM Quinn Cabralis, and Jason Yeung respectively.
Guyanese Candidate Master Ronuel Greenidge placed 5th with 5 points. Rodriguez, Jhustice-Demonte McDonald (Jamaica), Phillip Corbin (Barbados), and Ryan Blackwood (Cayman Islands) also gained 5 points, with the 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th positions. Barbados Emar Edwards took the 10th position with 4.5 points.
A look at the Caribbean Blitz tournament in action
Cash prizes totalling US$1,250, sponsored by the Guyana Chess Federation, were presented to the top ten winners, and the U14 prize went to 13-year-old Guyanese Sachin Pitamber.
The chess tournament was supervised by FIDE Arbiter John Lee and International FIDE Arbiter Kelvin Daniel from Barbados.
Several Guyanese players who are known for playing the speed chess format also participated. They included Davion Mars and the Motilall brothers. The speed chess format forces players to overwhelm opponents in a few minutes.
The GCF congratulates Anthony Drayton on his achievement, and thanks all the players who participated in the Blitz.
