Online training is paramount for Candidate Master Wendell Meusa

Postponement of World Chess Olympiad 2020…

Like many other international sporting events, the eagerly anticipated World Chess Olympiad was put on hold in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic, in an effort to allow these dire times to pass.

The World Chess Olympiad is a biennial event, the 43rd staging of which was held in Batumi, Georgia during the period September-October 2018, when nine Guyanese who are among the finest players in the country participated.

One person who did not make that trip to Batumi

in 2018 was Candidate Master and second-ranked national instructor Wendell Meusa. His intention, however, was to participate in the 2020 Olympiad which was scheduled for staging in Moscow, Russia during the period August 5th to August 17th, and he was avidly preparing for his grand return to international competition when his plans were put on hold by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic that has taken the world by storm.
Hoping for timely resolution, the World Chess Federation made the decision last month to postpone the Olympiad by one year to the summer of 2021 in the same host country. The only factor that may change is the time of the competition, which might need to be tweaked.
Having an additional year to prepare at his leisure, Meusa had mixed emotions about the postponement, and expressed his reasons therefor to Guyana Times Sport.
“I’m not relieved, but rather disappointed. I’m still awaiting my opportunity to officially play for Guyana. I was really looking forward to playing for Guyana at the (2020) Olympiad,” Meusa stated.
However, being an optimist, Meusa shared that the 365 days of extra time would allow the eventual members of the Guyanese team to work on their game play.
Asked how the extra time would benefit him and his colleagues, Meusa replied: “Well, the extra time means more training for us, and the Guyana Chess Federation will be able to better organize the Olympiad team. Personally, I am always training, especially now that we are stuck indoors.”
Probed about the specific aspects of his game that he would be looking to strengthen, Meusa noted that focus on his all-round performance would be paramount.
“I’ll be working on every area: opening, middle game, and my endgame. I routinely work on that; however, lately I’ve being working on my in-depth calculation and analyzing,” he shared.
Asked whether extra preparation time would allow him to do better at the Olympiad, Meusa remained humble in his answer, noting that the possibility exists that it would better his chances at excelling.
“Extra time means more training, but that does not mean I WILL win; it means I am improving my chances to win. However, (playing) actual over-the-board games is totally different from training,” he explained.
Given that ‘it takes two to tango’ on the chess board, the Candidate Master was questioned about any difficulty he has had with training/practice during this time, with COVID-19 restrictions calling for social distancing, lockdowns and curfews.
“It’s hard not doing your regular group training,” he explained, “but it’s brought us to the point where we’re doing more online training, especially against some of the world’s best on AI Chess Engines.”
The World Chess Federation (FIDE) is yet to announce the new dates for the Olympiad being held in Russia, but when the time comes, Meusa and his Guyanese colleagues would hopefully be adequately prepared to make their mark in the international world of chess.