Drayton’s Chess Club & Scholastic Centre officially launched

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 has been opened and has been doing well in its first week.
Classes are being held at the Presidential Suite of the National Stadium at Providence on Thursdays from 16:30 hrs to 18:30 hrs, and on Saturdays from 10:00 hrs to 12:00 hrs (noon). Students are being taught the basics in chess, chess theory, chess strategy, the analytical process, and end games.
The classes, geared to cause advancement in players’ abilities, feature monthly packages as follows: Beginners $12,000; Intermediates $15,000 and Advanced $20,000. Persons can, however, opt to pay $3000 per session.
Drayton told this publication: “One step at a time…if it’s very successful, I plan to make it a countrywide project that will cover all 10 regions. I want to see it produce top players to complete internationally and finally produce medals for Guyana in chess. The club will undoubtedly force me to get even stronger, (in order) to produce even stronger players.”
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 the title of FIDE Master at the 43rd World Chess Olympiad in 2018.
This FIDE Master, national instructor, national champion and national coach will also be hosting free classes at the club for at least once a week.
“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,” he has said.
Interested individuals desiring further information are invited to check out the club’s Facebook page- Drayton’s Chess Club and Scholastic Centre; their email- [email protected], or call 613-2083 or Davion Mars at [email protected] or 658-4032.