FIDE Master (FM) Anthony Drayton emerged unbeaten to win the Independence Day 960 Rapid Chess tournament after securing seven wins from as many rounds at the Pegasus Exhibition Centre on Tuesday evening. The competition was staged as part of Guyana’s 60th independence anniversary celebrations and attracted a strong field of local players.
Drayton, rated 1996, sealed the title with a final-round victory over Odinnie Reece, finishing atop the standings with a perfect seven points from seven rounds.
Mitra Ramgopal and Rolex Alexander both ended on 5.5 points, but Ramgopal claimed second place on a tie-break ahead of Alexander, who placed third. Reece, Aiden Tinnie, Alek Ubaldo-Singh, Javier Davenand and Jevaughn Grant all finished on five points.
Drayton’s path to the title included victories over Christopher Harrison, Maximus Bullen, Aiden Tinnie, Rolex Alexander, Mitra Ramgopal, Alek Ubaldo-Singh and Reece.
The seven-round Swiss-system tournament featured a rapid time control of 15 minutes plus a five-second increment from move one and was officiated by Chief Arbiter John Lee. A total of 53 players participated in the event, which carried international rating calculations.
Among the notable performances was Ramgopal’s strong run through the middle rounds, including a fourth-round victory over Reece and a sixth-round win against Tinnie before drawing with Alexander in the final round.
Alexander also produced a consistent campaign, defeating Chelsea Harrison, Jadenn Critchlow, Women’s Candidate Master (WCM) Jessica Callender and Vir Narine before sharing the point with Ramgopal in the seventh round.
The tournament was sponsored by Trophy Stall along with Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre, which also provided the venue for the competition.
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