Pitamber places 2nd to lead Guyana at CARIFTA rapid chess

Candidate Master (CM) Sachin Pitamber produced Guyana’s best finish at the hybrid 2026 Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Rapid Chess Championships, placing second in the Under-16 division after nine rounds of competition over the weekend.
The competition played virtually on July 11 and 12 saw over 30 Guyanese chess players from various age categories in action at the Olympic House, Liliendaal.
Pitamber ended level with Suriname’s Thie-yen Fung on 7.5 points but was placed second on the tiebreak. The Guyanese recorded seven victories, one draw and one defeat, with his only loss coming against Fung in the seventh round.
Woman Candidate Master Aditi Joshi was Guyana’s next-best finisher in the division, placing 11th with six points. Nicholas Zhang collected 5.5 points for 17th, while Alexander Zhang was 24th with five points. Parnita Kishun placed 37th with four points and Emma John finished 47th with 3.5 points.

The championships were played using a rapid time control of 15 minutes with a 10-second increment after each move. Each division consisted of nine rounds under the Swiss system.
Kyle Couchman led Guyana in the Under-18 competition, placing fifth with six points. He was among five players who finished with that score but was separated by the tiebreak calculations. Couchman won five games, drew two and lost two.
Ciel Clement placed 20th with four points after recording four victories, while Micaiah Enoe finished 28th with three points. Jamaica’s Corbin Harvey won the division with 7.5 points, ahead of Suriname’s Ky-mani Wijnhard and Barbados’ Hannah Wilson.
Abel Fernandez Ciria and Alek Ubaldo-Singh were Guyana’s leading Under-14 performers. Fernandez Ciria placed seventh with six points after winning his first five games and six overall. Ubaldo-Singh also scored six points and finished 13th.
Aquilani Swaminadha and Kataleya Sam both ended with five points, placing 21st and 27th, respectively. Sana Sreebalakumar was 53rd with 3.5 points, while Rebha Lachhman placed 57th with three. Trinidad and Tobago’s Jacek Lau topped the division with eight points.

In the Women’s competition, Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Jessica Callender was Guyana’s leading player in 15th position with five points. She won five of her first six games before losing her final three encounters.
WCM Sasha Shariff finished 28th with four points after recording three victories and two draws. Suriname’s Elise Wu won the women’s event with eight points from nine rounds.
CM Taffin Khan led the Guyanese in the Open competition, placing 17th with six points. Khan recorded four wins, four draws and one loss.
FIDE Master Anthony Drayton finished 31st with five points, while Keron Sandiford placed 47th with 4.5 points. Trinidad and Tobago’s Joshua Johnson won the Open division on a tiebreak after he and compatriot Kevin Cupid finished with 7.5 points.