The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) has set their sights on getting some of the most talented junior chess players to the Caribbean and Central America (CAC) and the CARIFTA games in 2017, this is according to President of the Federation, Irshad Mohamed. Mohamed stated that this is the first time that Guyana could be represented in the area of chess at these competitions and it is something the Federation wants to capitalize on. The CARIFTA Games is the first of the two events and is billed for Jamaica from April 13-18 while the CAC is expected to be hosted by Barbados in June.
Dynamic duo! National Junior Champion Saeed Ali (Left) and his sister Sheriffa are top contenders to represent Guyana at the Games
Among some of the circumstances that have contributed to the non-participation of Guyana in these Games was the issue of funding and the GCF President expressed his excitement that the competitions are so close to home and in ‘better afforded’ locations. Adding to this, Mohamed said “We have always had talented players and the juniors have really developed themselves over the last two years.” He went on to add that “should they be given the opportunity it will be for them to make good of their performances.”
Based on the performances of the Guyana team to the Chess Olympiad, there is confidence in the team to excel at these two events. Mohamed noted that corporate Guyana has always been kind to the sport as well as the National Sports Commission, who both have provided tremendous support and is hopeful that they will come on board to make this a reality.
While the Federation is expected to have their elections before March 31 and Mohamed hinting that he will not be running for the post of president again, he is committed to doing as much as possible to see this goal materialize.
Reigning 2017 National Junior Champion Saeed Ali and Top juniors such as Roberto Neto, Sherry Ali and Akili Thompson are hopeful to represent Guyana against top Caribbean Junior Chess players. Mohamed indicated that much more should be done and can be done, relating that we need to make our presence felt in the region when it comes to chess and not just the chess Olympiad, but capitalizing on opportunities like these.
With both tournaments targeting youths, the CARIFTA games will be divided into Under-12, Under-16 and Under-20 while the CAC will be divided into Under-18, Under-16, Under-14, Under-12, Under-10 and Under eight.
