Marics donates $100k to support Chess Olympiad team
Marics and Co. Ltd, the home of Honda in Guyana, has donated $100,000 towards Guyana’s National Chess Team’s participation in the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad, to be hosted in the birthplace of chess – Chennai, India.
Marics Representative Khemraj Jaikarran handing over the sponsorship cheque to GCF Secretary Marcia Lee
This donation will go towards hosting of the fundraising dinner for the team, which will be held on Saturday, June 25th, 2022 at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel at Providence, East Bank Demerara.
The Olympiad is the biggest chess event in the world, with over 150 countries set to participate. Guyana has been fielding players to represent the country at the Olympiad since the 1970s, and has not missed a single Olympiad since 2014.
Some of Guyana’s best chess players, selected after a series of qualifying tournaments, are CM Taffin Khan, FM Anthony Drayton, Roberto Neto, Loris Nathoo and Ethan Lee; they will all be playing in the Open category at the Olympiad. Sasha Shariff, Pooja Lam, Anaya Lall, Jessica Callender and Nellisha Johnson will be playing in the Women’s category.
Notably, this is Guyana’s first ever team to include a player with a disability through deaf chess player Anaya Lall, who beat out a number of far older and more experienced players to earn her spot. At 12 years old, she is also the youngest member of the team.
The team is expected to travel next month to Chennai, the venue for the 44th Chess Olympiad, the first-ever to be held in India. Chennai, a 382-year-old city, known for its rich culture heritage and history, also boasts modern medical and engineering amenities as well as educational institutions.
The Guyana Chess Federation is again registering its extreme thankfulness to Marics and Co. Ltd, which has been a faithful supporter of chess in Guyana. Marics has been a sponsor since 2020 towards the then planned CARIFTA Junior Championships, which were consequently postponed due to the COVID- 19 pandemic.
Marics is the authorised distributor of all Honda products in Guyana.
Marketing Manager Ms Anjanie Hackette has said, “Marics & Co Ltd is pleased to assist with sponsorship of the Guyana team to the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India. We wish the team well.”
