Guyana overpowers Macau in fourth-round Olympiad clash

Guyana secured a commanding 3½–½ victory over Macau, China, in the Open section of the 46th Chess Olympiad on Saturday, while the country’s women’s team suffered a 4–0 defeat against Hong Kong, China, in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Kyle Couchman, Candidate Master Taffin Khan and Keron Sandiford delivered victories in the fourth-round encounter, with national champion Candidate Master (CM) Sachin Pitamber adding a draw to complete an unbeaten round for the Open team.
National Junior Champion Couchman registered his first win of the tournament on Board Two. Playing with the white pieces, the 2003-rated Guyanese defeated CM Seak Hin Ieong, rated 1914, in a performance the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) described as dominant.
Khan also collected a full point on Board Three, where he played with Black against Joao Car Bartilotti. The experienced Guyanese CM, rated 2005, overcame his 1545-rated opponent to strengthen the team’s winning effort.
Sandiford completed the three victories by defeating David Sun on Board Four. According to the federation, his strong opening play with white forced Sun into early positional weaknesses, which he converted into a clean win. Sandiford entered the game rated 1874, compared with Sun’s 1591.

On the top board, Pitamber maintained his unbeaten run by drawing with CM Tong Kuan Mak. Playing with Black, the 1991-rated Guyanese shared the point with his 1915-rated opponent.
Guyana’s women’s team faced a more difficult assignment, with Hong Kong fielding higher-rated players on all four boards. Hong Kong entered the tournament seeded 110th, compared with Guyana’s 146th.
Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi lost with Black to Woman FIDE Master Sigappi Kannappan on Board One. Kataleya Sam, rated 1525, was beaten with white by Woman Candidate Master Hoi Ting Leung, rated 1636, on Board Two.
On Board Three, WCM Sasha Shariff on Black lost to Chloe Hailey Lau. WCM Jessica Callender, rated 1552, was defeated by white Wen Xi Fan, rated 1672, on Board Four.
Guyana’s Open team will face a higher-seeded Luxembourg side in Sunday’s fifth round, while the Women’s team will meet Somalia. Luxembourg are seeded 97th against Guyana’s 137th in the Open section, while Somalia are seeded 169th in the Women’s competition. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 15:00h in Samarkand.