Pitamber unbeaten, Callender leads women’s division at I-CEE Grand Prix III

Candidate Master (CM) Sachin Pitamber and Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Jessica Callender and are both leading the Open and Female categories, respectively, after four rounds ended in the I-CEE Grand Prix III Chess tournament on Sunday, January 25, 2026, at the David Rose Special School.
The winners will emerge this weekend as the tournament leaders battle over the board with opponents in four more intense rounds.

Dominating the field, Pitamber finished last weekend undefeated, securing the lead with a perfect four points. Close on his heels is FM Anthony Drayton with 3.5 points, followed by Alexander Zhang in third with three.
The tournament’s competitive depth was on full display as Alek Ubaldo Singh fought his way to three points, while Keron Sandiford, Tejas Kandavel, and Gilbert Williams remain in striking distance with 2.5 points each. Rounding out the top half of the table, Kyle Couchman, Kishan Puran, and Saeed Ali ended the fourth round with two points apiece.
Callender leads the charge in the women’s division, remaining unbeaten with 3.5 points. Her impressive run included victories over Emma John, WCM Sasha Shariff, and Treskolé Archibald. Her only draw came against a formidable Ciel Clement, who is currently on 3.5 points.
The competition remains fierce, with Shariff and John holding steady at three points each, followed by Olivia Rajmangal on 2.5. Rounding out the top spots are Archibald, Amaya Sharma, Kataleya Sam, and Sana Sreebalakumar, all tied at two points.
With a $100,000 prize fund on the line, this FIDE-rated tournament reaches its thrilling conclusion this weekend. The final four rounds, held on January 31 and February 1, carry immense weight; players are not only battling for Elo rating points but also for crucial Grand Prix points.
These points are vital to the qualification process, determining who will ultimately represent Guyana at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The top eight boards of the open category and the top four of the female categories are livestreamed on lichess.org by John Lee, FIDE Arbiter and Technical Director of the GCF.
The Guyana Chess Federation expresses its gratitude to its dedicated sponsor, I-CEE, for its continued support of chess development in Guyana, and to the David Rose Special School for providing the venue. The tournament is the third in a series of hard-fought competitions for Guyanese chess players to qualify for the 2026 Chess Olympiad.