Drayton’s Chess Club and Scholastic Centre in final phase

By Timothy Jaikarran

When this publication last met with FIDE Master Anthony Drayton, he was in the early stages of planning a summer programme under the name Drayton’s Chess Club and Scholastic Centre.
With the passage of time, the idea has become reality, and Drayton has indicated that the club would officially be opening for business in the near future.
Declaring that the club would soon be offering chess classes every Saturday and Sunday within the time span of 10:00 hrs and 14:00 hrs, Drayton also noted that the club would be available to members who are desirous of going there to play chess, or to practise with friends and have a fun time.
The FIDE Master also confided that after opening of the club, classes are confirmed to start two weeks later. He said Drayton’s Chess Club and Scholastic Centre would aim to bring focus and critical thinking strategies to young and old minds, while teaching discipline and organisational skills through chess training.
Being the only Guyanese player with a ranking above 2000, Anthony Drayton’s 2007 FIDE ranking is impressive among the many chess players in Guyana. By his FIDE ratings, Drayton is Guyana’s top player, and he has the highest ELO rating of 2030.
He attained the title of Candidate Master at the Chess Olympiad of 2014 Open, and FIDE Master at the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in 2018. The FIDE master, national instructor, national champion and national coach will also be hosting free classes at Drayton’s Chess Club for at least once a week.
When asked how the club can make a difference in the chess arena in Guyana, Drayton responded, “My club will aim to train hundreds or thousands of children in Guyana to play chess, so that we can create more innovative thinkers and competitive chess players to one day before the best Caribbean country in chess again. These classes will be mostly for persons or kids who want to learn how to play chess, from moving the pieces to mastering the opening. Chess tactics, strategies, and all the other stuff will come if they want to learn more about it.”
Interested individuals desiring further information are invited to check out the clubs Facebook page- Drayton’s Chess Club and Scholastic Centre, their email- [email protected], or call 613-2083.