Gopaul’s grip slackens on National Junior title

Out of a pool of 29 prospective champions, 7 players advanced to the 6th round of the National Junior Championships held on Sunday last at the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.
Defending National Junior Chess Champion Joshua Gopaul set out to defend his title, but didn’t have the best of starts, losing his first two games. However, he still remains in contention to retain the title, but must be flawless in the rounds to come.
In the first round, he played the talented Ethan Lee, Marian Academy’s top chess player, to whom he lost. In the second round, Gopaul played the number one contender for the championships, Andre Jagnandan, and found himself on the losing side again.
Other highlights in round two saw a fine start by the young and ruthless lone female in the tournament, Chelsea Juma, who battled to a stalemate against Lee.
After 2 rounds, only 3 persons were left standing on two points. They were Jagnandan, Ghansham Allijohn and Rajiv Lee, who topped the qualifiers.
The competition will continue this Sunday as 5 more rounds remain.