Guyana’s young chess team set to defend Inter-Guiana Games title

Guyana’s Under-18 chess team will seek to retain the country’s Inter-Guiana Games title when an eight-player squad competes against Suriname and French Guiana in Suriname from October 23–25.

The team, scheduled to depart on Thursday, October 22, follows Guyana’s gold-medal performance at last year’s competition at the National Racquet Centre on home soil.
Nicholas Zhang, Darrel Abrams, Jeremy Cole, and Abel Fernandez Ciria will represent Guyana in the boys’ division, while Ciel Clement, Sana Sreebalakumar, Parnita Kishun, and Emma John form the girls’ team.
The largely new squad earned selection through performances in national classical chess tournaments. Some members will be representing Guyana internationally for the first time, giving them an opportunity to test their domestic form against regional opposition.
Team Manager Tanya Warren-Clement, Coach Joshua Gopaul and National Arbiter Kim Shing Chong will accompany the players. Their focus will be on helping the young competitors apply their preparation throughout the tournament.
The competition will use a double round-robin format, with separate male and female divisions and up to four boards per team in each round. Guyana will face both Suriname and French Guiana twice.
Matches will be played under a classical time control, with each player receiving 60 minutes and an additional 30 seconds after every move. The format will provide a familiar challenge for the Guyanese players, whose selection followed strong performances in that form of the game.
The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) thanked the National Sports Commission for leading the organisation of the Guyanese contingent. The federation highlighted the Games as an opportunity for young athletes to develop their abilities, build resilience and represent their country regionally, while wishing the team a safe journey and success.
First held in Suriname in 1967, the Inter-Guiana Games were established to strengthen ties and promote youth development among Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana.
The multi-sport event returns to Suriname after Guyana hosted last year’s edition. Eight disciplines will be contested: athletics, basketball, boxing, chess, futsal, judo, swimming and volleyball.