There was much for the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) to celebrate this week, with three chess players being awarded prizes for their outstanding achievements in the sport for 2023.
The three players received their awards at the National Sports Commission’s (NSC’s) Awards Ceremony held on Thursday, November 28, on the lawns of the Castellani House and Art Gallery.
In a formal event organized by the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport in collaboration with the National Sports Commission (NSC), Guyana’s top athletic performers, coaches, and officials in all disciplines were recognized for outstanding performances in local, regional, and international competitions.
Jessica Callender receiving her prize from Honorable Charles Ramson
Members of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) were on hand to represent the chess community and celebrate with the 2023 chess athletes who were recognized for their stellar performance and sportsmanship.
Copping the Runner-up award for Senior Sportswoman of the Year was WCM Jessica Callender, currently the reigning National Women’s Chess Champion and holder of the 2023 National Women’s Chess Championship Title.
Callender started playing chess when she was 11 years old, and now, over a decade later, she has represented her country numerous times, most notably at the recent Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.
Callender earned her Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title at the 2022 Olympiad in India, and is also a National Arbiter who has completed the FIDE Arbiter training. As a FIDE-certified School Instructor, she uses her free time to train younger chess players and volunteers at the GCF chess club. She is now a chess coach employed by the Ministry of Education.
For Junior Sportswoman of the Year, the Runner-up award went to eleven-year-old Kataleya Sam, who copped the 2023 Under-12 Girls Chess Championship title and is the current reigning Under-12 Girls Chess Champion.
Sam has been actively playing chess for the last four years, and has represented the country at prestigious events. She made her mark in the junior chess world when she earned her Conditional Women’s Chess title (WCM) for outstanding performance in the Under-10 female division at the XIV CAC Youth Chess Festival held in Trinidad and Tobago in August 2023.
Kataleya Sam receiving her prize from Kashif Mohammed
Sam was also part of the contingent of juniors who represented Guyana at the recent Pan American Youth Championships XXXIV in Orlando, Florida. She attends Queen’s College, and assists young and upcoming players in her school’s chess club.
Winner of the Sportswoman Person with Disability (PWD) award is the exceptional Anaya Lall, who holds the 2023 Under-14 and Under-16 Female Chess Championship titles.
Anaya’s amazing career as Guyana’s first national deaf chess player began at a bottom house school for deaf children in Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, a village in Region 3. Born on 5th February 2010, she was then 8 years old. Anaya never faltered in her love for the game, and over the next decade, she proved herself to be a real champion, gentle and shy, but having a core of steel.
Her consistently excellent performances as a deaf chess player at the national and international levels have made her an icon for inclusivity and a shining example for all youths living with a disability.
Among the high points of her career was her participation at the 44th Chess Olympiad in India in 2022 as the only deaf player to ever represent Guyana internationally; and, at 12 years of age, the youngest player on the team. Anaya has been the spark that ignited the Special Needs School chess program, now being implemented by the Guyana Chess Federation across Guyana with annual inter- school competitions and ongoing teacher training. This has already led to two other young deaf players competing nationally.
Sportswoman of the Year 2023 (PWD), Anya Lall
The GCF has extended warm congratulations to the ladies on their well-earned awards, and wishes them well in their future Chess journey.
Other players and officials nominated by the GCF were CM Taffin Khan: for Senior Sportsman of the Year; Keron Sandiford: for Junior Sportsman of the Year; FM Anthony Drayton: for Male Coach; and FIDE Arbiter John Lee: for Male Sports Official.
Corporate sponsors who were nominated by the GCF for 2023 were Gaico Construction (large), De Sinco Trading (medium), and Jade’s Wok (small). Avinash Ramzan was nominated for Sports Journalist of the Year.
The Honorable Minister of Culture, Youth, and Sport, Charles Ramson Jr, in his address, highlighted the Government’s investment in sport, and firm belief that by intelligently building a collaborative environment, a lot can be achieved for Guyanese athletes.
The GCF has congratulated all winners and nominees of the 2023 National Awards, and has said it recognizes the importance of acknowledging outstanding individuals in sport. The GCF has also commended the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the NSC for maintaining and enhancing this 70-year tradition, and wishes
to acknowledge the inclusion of the private sector and the media in these awards, and their vital part in the growth of chess in Guyana.
Gratitude is likewise extended to the National Sports Commission and the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport for their hard work and dedication to sport in Guyana.
