Good performances for Guyana at Pan Am Youth Chess Championship

The eight-member team of junior chess players are expected to return home soon after representing Guyana well at the recently-concluded Pan-Am Youth Championship.
The team performed exceptionally well overall, accumulating a total of 25.5 points.
The event, organised by the US Chess Federation, the Confederation of Chess for Americas, and Rosen Shingle Creek, was hosted in Orlando, Florida, from July 15 to July 20, 2024. Three hundred and sixty-eight junior chess players from 28 chess federations participated in the nine-round tournament in the Open and Girls categories.
The Guyana team participated in both divisions and at the Under-16, Under-14, Under-12, and Under-10 levels over the six-day event. The Guyana delegation consisted of Kyle Couchman, Maliha Rajkumar, Sachin Pitamber, Aditi Joshi, Jeremy Cole, Kataleya Sam, Vir Narine, and Saura Ruplal.
The accumulative points were gained by Joshi with 4.5, Couchman and Sam with 4, Pitamber with 3.5, and Rajkumar, Cole, and Ruplal, 2.5 points each. Nine-year-old Narine ended on 2 points.
Early in the first round, Couchman defeated his 2200-rated opponent American Nathan Yan in the U-16 category after Yan missed a critical move. Couchman also won against Jamaican Zuberi Edwards in round four and drew four of his games with rated players. The 14-year-old is well on his way to gaining rating points which will make him the youngest Guyanese player to reach the 1800 ELO rating. When asked for a comment, the young Couchman says the tournament was a valuable experience and he aimed to perform better in future tournaments.
Fourteen-year-old Joshi, playing in the U-14 Girls category, scored three wins and three draws; one of her draws being against Mexican Andrea Sanchez, the third ranked player in the category.
Joshi’s best performances were also defeating USA’s Tanya Prabhu and drawing with Brazilian Mariana Yassuda. Joshi says her experience at the Pan American Youth Chess Championship was insightful and exposed her to a higher level of competition, more seasoned opponents, and a wide learning experience.
With 36 medals for the taking, Team USA took first place, capturing 25 medals, including 11 golds, eight silvers, and six bronzes, while Team Costa Rica won one gold and Team Ecuador won two silver medals.
Team Canada won one silver and two bronze medals.
The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) is pleased with the team effort shown by the players, who displayed their analytical skills, competitiveness, and strategy over the chess board. The time spent over a chess board shows the dedication and love of the game from these young players, some of whom challenged their opponents in three to four-hour-long games. The experience and knowledge gained by the players in this tournament will strengthen their confidence in future competitions, both locally and internationally. FIDE (International Chess Federation) ratings are also up for grabs for some of these players as they would have won against other FIDE-rated players.
The GCF wished to thank the parents for making the trip possible and the head of the Guyana delegation, Archana Joshi for her guidance and leadership.