Pitamber, Joshi stay perfect in National Junior Chess Qualifiers

Candidate Master (CM) Sachin Pitamber and Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi remained unbeaten after three rounds of the National Junior Championships Qualifiers 2026, strengthening their positions in Group A at Olympic House, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.
Both players moved to three points from three games on Monday, with Pitamber defeating Nicholas Zhang and Joshi beating Alek Ubaldo-Singh in key third-round clashes. Matthew Singh also stayed perfect after defeating Kataleya Sam, leaving three players on maximum points at the top of the standings.
Joshi heads the Group A standings on tie-breaks after three rounds, followed by Singh and Pitamber. Alexander Zhang and Abel Fernandez Ciria are close behind on 2.5 points.

The tournament, which is part of the national junior championship cycle where Kyle Couchman is the defending national junior champion, is being played as a seven-round Swiss-System event. The competition runs up to July 8, with John Lee serving as Chief Arbiter.
Pitamber, the highest-rated player in Group A, continued his strong run by taking the full point against Nicholas Zhang, who had also entered the round with two wins from two games. Joshi also made the most of her third-round test, defeating Ubaldo-Singh to remain among the leaders.
Singh kept pace with the two titled players by defeating Sam, while Fernandez Ciria and Aquilani Swaminadha shared the point. Alexander Zhang moved to 2.5 points with a win over Javier Davenand, while Arysh Raghunauth and Jaden Todd played to a draw.

Other third-round winners included Darrel Abrams, Aiden Tinnie, Parnita Kishun, Vir Narine, Dominic David Sam, Kaija Clement, Jeremy Cole, Ciel Clement, Arush Ramnarine, Jacob McDonald and Ethen Pompey. Amaya Sharma and Varsha Pooran drew their encounter.
After three rounds, Swaminadha, Ubaldo-Singh, Nicholas Zhang, Sam, Abrams, Cole, Clement, Tinnie, Narine, Raghunauth, Kishun and Dominic Sam are all on two points, keeping them within reach of the leading group heading into the remaining rounds.
The qualifiers will continue at Olympic House, Liliendaal, with the race for the top places still open.