Lam, Narine, Nathoo victorious in GCF/MMG+ tournaments

The Guyana Chess Federation’s MMG+ Online Rapid Tournaments concluded last weekend with intense competition from local chess players of all ages.

The three tournaments, sponsored by Mobile Money Guyana Inc, commenced on Saturday with the ladies and girls, then concluded on Sunday with juniors (Under-20) and seniors.

Players competed in seven (7) rounds of competition, each match with a time control of fifteen minutes, with two-second increments (15 mins + 2 secs), with the exception of seniors, who played matches of ten minutes with two-second increments (10 mins + 2 secs).

The tournaments were hosted on the Tornelo.com platform, managed and supervised by FIDE arbiter John Lee.

MMG+ FEMALE RAPID

Thirteen-year-old Pooja Lam took first place after playing undefeated throughout the tournament. In second was Sherlyta Campayne, who finished on 5.5 points, losing only to the eventual winner Pooja Lam. Jessica Callender took the third place with five (5) points.

The deciding game came between Pooja Lam and Sherlyta Campayne in the form of a head-to-head brawl of tactical prowess in round 3. Lam took the first blow from Campayne, losing material in the middle game, but quickly retaliated, winning more material than she had lost. It was an incredible conversion of a certain defeat into a decisive win for Lam.

Upcoming young girls Faraa Gaskin, Kristin Xavier and eight-year-old Kataleya Sam showed much promise in their games, and would certainly provide much competition in future tournaments.

MMG+ JUNIOR RAPID

The winner was Ricardo Narine, who finished with six (6) points after drawing two of his games; one against Jerod Roberts and the other against Kyle Couchman, who went on to take third place with 5.5 points. In second was Keron Sandiford, whose only loss was against eventual winner Ricardo. He also had six (6) points.

The “direct encounter” tie brake system favoured Narine, because he defeated Sandiford. The game between the teenagers came in Round 4, when the two duelled in a mostly equal position. Narine’s endgame skill quickly took hold, and he led the game to a conclusion with a superior pawn structure to that of Sandiford’s. The 45-move game ended after a tedious but gracious victory from Narine.

The 4-hour tournament attracted quite a few young players, who played fearlessly and enthusiastically. Eight-year-old Julian Mohabir ended with an impressive 4 points, with seven-year-olds Adhiraj Kissoon and Javier Davenand gaining 3 points each, and eight-year-old Arush Ramnarine 2.5 points.

MMG+ SENIOR RAPID

Loris Nathoo won the senior tournament after defeating all of his opponents. Former National Champion FM Anthony Drayton was a close second with five (5) points, after losing to Nathoo and third place winner Roberto Neto.

Drayton faced off against Loris Nathoo in Round 6, and there was a tactical clash between the two experienced players. Drayton had the positional superiority from the beginning, but allowed Nathoo enough counter play when entering the endgame. The game had sacrifices and missed opportunities, but was decided at the very end, when Nathoo converted his tiny advantage into a win against Drayton.

Mmg+ cash prizes for the top three finishers for each tournament were as follows:

1st Prize: Gy$10,000

2nd Prize: Gy$8,000

3rd Prize: Gy$7,000

The GCF has been pleased to collaborate with MMG+ to give our local chess players the opportunity to battle it out online in a weekend of fierce competition.