Guyanese teams rebound strongly at CAC Youth Chess Festival

…Kataleya Sam earns medal

Twelve-year-old Kataleya Sam was the standout performer for the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) at last week’s Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Youth Chess Festival in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Despite the Guyana contingent being disadvantaged by a flight cancellation that caused players to miss the first round, Sam exceeded all expectations. She secured a top-five finish in the U-12 girls’ category with five points, building on the momentum of the bronze medal and Conditional Woman Candidate Master title she earned in the U-10 girls’ category two years ago.
Sam (1512) delivered a standout performance in Round 8, when she faced the Dominican Republic’s top seed, Amelia Maia Perrone Bueno. The encounter began as a balanced strategic contest, with both players manoeuvring carefully.
When Perrone Bueno ceded the initiative, Sam responded decisively, exploiting emerging weaknesses and winning a pawn. From that point forward, the national U-12 girls’ chess champion demonstrated excellent positional control, systematically neutralising her opponent’s counterplay and converting her advantage into a dominant win.

While Sam led the charge, her teammates showed equal grit. Refusing to be sidelined by their late start, the remaining youths rallied in the later rounds. They delivered a series of clinical performances, proving they could compete with the best in the region despite the odds stacked against them.
In Round Two, Kyle Couchman (2004) competed in the U-18 Absolute section against the highest-rated player in the field, FIDE Master (FM) Santiago Ruiz. Ruiz, fresh off an international flight, faced a determined Couchman who showed no hesitation in taking the fight to his experienced opponent. Couchman launched an aggressive kingside attack early in the game, forcing Ruiz into a prolonged defensive struggle. Despite losing an exchange during the middle game, Couchman maintained relentless pressure. His persistence paid off when Ruiz committed a critical blunder under sustained attack, allowing Couchman to secure a well-earned victory. The national junior chess champion finished with four points in 16th position.
In Round 8, Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi (1749) delivered a commanding performance in the U-16 girls’ section against the tournament leader, WCM Liana Pieter of Curaçao. The game opened quietly in the Colle System, Rubinstein Variation, but soon escalated as Joshi secured the bishop pair and dismantled the defensive structure around her opponent’s king. Exploiting light-square weaknesses, Joshi mounted a precise attack that forced Pieter into increasingly difficult positions. In a desperate attempt to stay in the game, Pieter sacrificed material, but with the loss of multiple pieces, she was forced to resign.
The result meant Joshi handed her opponent her first and only loss of the tournament. Joshi, the current women’s chess champion, ended the competition on five points in sixth place.
Candidate Master (CM) Sachin Pitamber (1950) delivered a remarkable performance despite missing the opening round and being sidelined from Round 8 due to illness in the U-16 Absolute category. He remained undefeated across his seven matches, finishing with an impressive five points from three wins and four draws.
Vir Narine, competing in the U-10 Absolute category, placed 13th with five points. Narine showcased his talent, securing four victories despite missing the first two rounds of the competition. His highlight performances were his victories over two of his higher-rated opponents. Narine, whose current ELO rating is 1426, delivered a stellar performance when he defeated Caleb Harry from Trinidad and Tobago (1504) in Round 5 and Mario Alejandro Icaza (1429) from Panama in Round 7, earning him some valuable rating points.
In the U-12 Absolute category, Abel Fernandez (1484) faced a steep challenge. After nine rounds, Fernandez ended the competition with a hard-fought 4.5 points, consisting of four victories and a draw. The National U-12 Open Chess Champion represented Guyana for the first time.
In the U-14 category, Nicholas Zhang (1517) demonstrated his resilience and skill by securing three wins and three draws for a total of 4.5 points in the Absolute section. His notable performances were his win against Dereon Bramble (1580) from Trinidad and Tobago in Round 8 and his draws with Nisarg Katri (1634) from Curaçao, Aaron Jaikaran (1714) from Barbados, and Dez Graham (1661) from the Cayman Islands. Meanwhile, Emma John, making her first international tournament debut as an unrated player, earned two wins and three draws, amassing 3.5 points in the girls’ section. Emma’s highlight performances were against Karen Salazar (1539) from Guatemala, and her draws against Suriname’s Avantika Poetoe (1449) and Jamaica’s Victoria Aung (1451).
In the U18 girls’ category, Ciel Clement (1446), no stranger to the international stage, finished with 2.5 points after facing some heavy competition. Clement’s highlight performance came from her victory against a higher-rated Kiara Otero (1510) from Puerto Rico and her draw against Aradhana Singh (1610) from Trinidad and Tobago.
The participants returned home on Sunday, December 21, 2025. The GCF commended the young athletes who demonstrated exceptional skill and character on the international stage. The Federation expressed gratitude to Mrs Tanya Warren-Clement, Head of Delegation, for her steadfast commitment to the team’s welfare and the parents whose support was instrumental throughout the tournament. Special thanks to the coaches FM Anthony Drayton and CM Taffin Khan who prepared the athletes for the competition.