Meusa, Persaud reign supreme at Clash of Champions chess

After a weekend of stiff competition and back-and-forth chess action, the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) concluded their May Open Clash of Champions with national coach and chess champion Wendell Meusa and attorney-at-law Yolander Persaud being crowned male and female champions respectively.
In the male category, Meusa fought hard to maintain the first position, which he gained over the previous weekend. In what was deemed the game of the tournament, Meusa suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Loris Nathoo. The game became intense when both players found themselves in time trouble. However, Nathoo capitalized by securing his point with a basic king & pawn vs king endgame.

In the said competition, Roberto Neto also held Meusa to a good draw in a king’s pawn end. Neto played a great hand of defense, eventually countering Meusa’s attacks with simple exchanges, which resulted in the drawn endgame.
Meusa eventually managed to bounce back in the seventh round. Playing with the white pieces, he executed the ‘London System’ with rigid resistance from Calvin Giddings.
Having missed a winning chance in the middle of the game, Giddings made way for Meusa to convert a small advantage into a knight & rook vs bad bishop & rook endgame.

Roberto Neto returned to the chess arena with a solid performance to take second place. Neto and Meusa were tied on 5.5 points, but the Swiss Manager Chess Program declared Meusa as the winner. In his quest, Neto defeated the in-form Glenford Corlette with some strategic playing. Corlette ended the competition with 5 points to take the third place position.
Loris Nathoo, Calvin Giddings and Davion Mars took fourth, fifth and sixth positions with 4.5, 4 and 3.5 points respectively. Marcelius Cornelius, Pasqual Cornelius, Ghansham Allijohn, Jaden Taylor followed with a tie on 3 points. Saeed Anwar Ali and Savir Gookul rounded of the male category with 1 and 0 points.
With WFM Maria Thomas and CM Sherifa Ali missing, Yolander Persaud made light work of the female category, surging to an undefeated win.
Persaud’s superb performance has secured her spot in the female Guyanese team that will travel to Batumi, Georgia. Although the remainder of the girls ended with three points apiece, the Swiss Manager Chess Program awarded second place to Chelsea Juma of Saint Stanislaus College, third to Sasha Shariff of Marian Academy, and fourth to Waveney Johnson of Christ Church Secondary School.