Guyana Women overpower Somalia; Open team fall to Luxembourg

Guyana’s women’s team secured a commanding 3.5-0.5 victory over Somalia, while the Open team suffered a 3-1 defeat against Luxembourg in the fifth round of the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on Sunday.
Women Candidate Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi, Ciel Clement, and WCM Jessica Callender recorded victories to lead Guyana past Somalia. WCM Sasha Shariff completed the result with a draw.
Playing with the white pieces on Board One, Joshi defeated Sabarin Mohamed Ali, while Clement overcame Samiro Mohamed Ali with the black pieces on Board Two.

Shariff shared the point with Mariya Ali Jimale on Board Three before Callender defeated Ramla Mohamed Ali on the final board.
The victory was Guyana’s second in the women’s competition and lifted the team to four match points after five rounds. Guyana had previously defeated St Vincent and the Grenadines 3.5-0.5 in the third round.
Joshi has led Guyana’s individual performances with three points from four games. Clement has collected two points from four appearances, while Shariff has 1.5 points. Callender moved to one point following her victory against Somalia.
In the open section, Guyana earned draws on the middle boards but were beaten by higher-rated Luxembourg.
Kyle Couchman held FIDE Master (FM) Philippe Linster to a draw on Board Two, while FM Anthony Drayton split the point with Christian Jeitz on Board Three.
Candidate Master (CM) Sachin Pitamber was defeated by FM Nicolas Bourg on the top board, and Keron Sandiford lost to Marc Mertens on Board Four.
The result left Guyana’s open team with four match points. The national side had earlier defeated New Caledonia 3-1 and Macau 3.5-0.5.
After five rounds, Pitamber and Sandiford have each accumulated two individual points. Couchman and Drayton have scored 1.5 points apiece, while CM Taffin Khan has one point from three games.
Guyana will return for the sixth round today, with the women’s team facing Japan and the open team taking on Wales. The 11-round Olympiad continues until September 27.