Joshi takes the lead in 2024 Women’s Chess Championship

Thirteen-year-old Aditi Joshi holds the lead in the 2024 Women’s Chess Championships Qualifying Tournament after the first four rounds have been completed last weekend. The remaining three rounds would be played on April 20th and 21st at the National Racquet Centre on Woolford Avenue in Georgetown.
This qualifying tournament has attracted 20 players, each contending for one of the top nine spots in the Women’s Chess Championships set for later this month.
Joshi, the reigning national under-14 champion, has secured wins in all four rounds against some of the most accomplished opponents.

When she met former women’s champion Sasha Shariff in a round-three encounter, that game ended in 21 moves. A sudden Queen, Rook and pawn attack from Joshi ensnared Shariff’s King with a looming checkmate. Unable to overcome the threats, Shariff conceded the game soon after.
When she faced Rahim in round four, Joshi overwhelmed her veteran opponent by winning a piece and later executing a devastating x-ray manoeuvre to capture Rahim’s prized Queen. Valiantly fighting in a gravely weakened position with an exposed King, Rahim succumbed to checkmate after 44 moves.
The standings in this tournament are as follows: Shazeeda Rahim is in second place with 3 points. Young Ciel Clement and Nellisha Johnson are in third and fourth places respectively, but also have three points.
Holding strong with 2.5 points each are Sasha Shariff in fifth position, Treskole Archibald in sixth, and Angelina Yhap in seventh. Sharif and Archibald drew a game in round 4, thus splitting the point in half.

Juniors Priya Doodnauth, Saura Ruplall, Chelsea Harrison, Parnita Kishun and Kaija Clement are each on 2 points. However, due to the tie-break system, Doodnauth reserves the eighth place, while Ruplall holds ninth.
The last round, which ends on Sunday, would determine the top nine contenders to challenge current women’s chess champion Jessica Callender for the 2024 national Women’s Chess Championship title.
The 2024 Women’s Qualifiers and the Women’s Championships tournaments are generously sponsored by the Diamond Fire and General Insurance Inc. These tournaments are part of the qualifying process for the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary in September this year. Top performers would gain Grand Prix points from these tournaments and the 2024 Grand Prix tourneys, which would then be tallied and calculated to see who would make the top five for the Guyana female team.
The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) has also revealed that classes are offered to school students every Saturday from 10h to 12h at School of the Nations. Persons desiring additional information are invited to contact the GCF on Facebook or WhatsApp number 707-4529.