Kitty Square Mall fuels National U12 Chess Championship

– First Rapid Chess for 2024

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), aiming to expand its competitive pool of junior chess players, hosted its annual National Under-12 Championships on Saturday, January 20, 2024.
The two tourneys, sponsored by the Kitty Square Mall, come on the heels of the just-concluded Grand Prix One chess tournament, where more than 30 senior and junior ranking players participated to earn points for selection to major upcoming tournaments.

The National Chess Championships, National U-12 Open, and National U-12 Girls Chess Championship promise to be exciting and competitive for our young chess players. Winners in first, second, and third ranks in each tournament will receive trophies at the end of the seven rounds. The games will be played under the Swiss System: each player is granted 20 minutes with 5-second increments after each move. The competition starts at 09:00h sharp at the School of the Nations auditorium in Georgetown.
A total of 41 students under the age of 12 are set to play in the one-day match-up representing schools in and around Georgetown: School of The Nations, Marian Academy, New Guyana School, Mae’s, Covent Garden Primary, Comenius Primary School, Apex Education, Valmiki Vidyalaya Primary and the Georgetown International Academy.
A record number of 19 girls will be participating in this particular competition, some making their debut in the competitive arena. Reigning U-12 Girls champion Kataleya Sam, Chelsea Harrison, and Saura Ruplall are some of the notable names contending for the National U-12 Girls Chess Championship title.
A total of 22 boys are competing for the National U-12 Open Chess Championship title. Notable names are reigning National U-12 Open Chess champion Aquilani Swaminadha, who will be fighting to hold on to his title for another year. The Mohabir siblings, Julian and Landon; Arush Ramnarine, and Javier Davenand are some of the contenders for the top prizes.

Prizes will be awarded to the top U-10 and U-8 players in each competition. The tournament will be conducted according to the FIDE laws of chess and overseen by FIDE Arbiter John Lee, assisted by National Arbiters Odit Rodrigues and Kim Shing Chong.
Winners of both categories will automatically enjoy free entry into the National Under-14 Chess Championships scheduled for next Saturday, January 27, 2024, at Queen’s College.
The Chess Federation said it looked forward to future events and was committed to promoting chess and nurturing the talents of our young players. The GCF wishes to thank the School of the Nations for providing the venue for the tournament. The School of the Nations supports junior chess in Guyana continuously by providing a space for the GCF’s chess club on Saturdays for students. The GCF also wished to thank the Kitty Square Mall for sponsoring this event.