GCF delivers introductory chess workshop in Leguan

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) enjoyed a proud milestone on Saturday last as students and teachers on Leguan Island participated in an introductory, one-day chess training exercise at the Leguan Secondary School.
Located in the Essequibo River and originally settled in by the Dutch, the 12 square mile agricultural community is home to roughly 3000 residents and is celebrated for its rich vegetation and rural charm. Nearly 60 participants, including students from Grade Three and up, along with eight teachers from across the island, took part in the intensive six-hour introductory workshop.
Attendees, including 35 females, learned the fundamentals of the game, including piece movement, capturing of pieces, and executing basic checkmates. The children showed immense eagerness, patience, and resilience throughout the session. By the end of the day, they had successfully grasped the core concepts, laying a solid foundation to become strong players with continued practice. The teachers, mostly young adults, were grateful for the opportunity to learn the ancient game of chess. They successfully completed the training and were confidently playing by the end of the session.
Each participant was provided with an introductory chess manual to reinforce the lessons. Furthermore, the five participating schools – Maryville Primary, Success Primary, Richmond Hill Primary, Eastern Leguan Primary, and Leguan Secondary – were tasked with launching internal chess clubs as an extracurricular activity. Each school was gifted five chess sets to kickstart their programmes, with the GCF promising additional equipment as the clubs grow and develop.
Ms Juliet Augustus, Headmistress of Maryville Primary, expressed her gratitude to the federation for bringing the training programme to the island. She highlighted how meaningful it is to introduce chess to local schools, recognising the immense value the game brings to both students and teachers.
GCF President Anand Raghunauth expressed great satisfaction with the high turnout, emphasising that introducing chess to the school curriculum is crucial for youth development on the island. He assured educators that the federation remains fully committed to providing ongoing technical assistance and resources to sustain the newly formed clubs.
The programme was part of the GCF’s continuing expansion of chess in Region Three and was led by FIDE School Instructors Mrs Marcia Lee, Anand Raghunauth, Kim Shing-Chong, Nellisha Johnson, and Ethan Lee. Other chess players and members of the Federation, namely John Lee, Gilbert Williams, Ethen Pompey, Ronan Lee, Arysh Raghunauth, Angelina Yhap, and Chelsea Harrison, assisted with the training programme, lending their expertise to the young students.
According to the GCF, future regional tournaments and expanded outreach campaigns are already in the works to ensure the continuous growth of chess across Region Three.
The GCF expressed thanks to the Head teachers of the schools for their support in organising their students for the programme, especially Ms Augustus from Maryville Primary. Thanks were also extended to the Leguan Secondary School for providing the venue.
In addition, this successful venture would not have been possible without the support of the Unit of Allied Arts and the Ministry of Education’s regional body.
The GCF also extended special gratitude to Mrs Ieda Harrison of the Federation’s events committee, whose hard work and support on the trip were invaluable.
Interested persons can join the Federation by registering on guyanachess.gy and follow the GCF on Facebook and Instagram.