Sandiford, Couchman eager to compete well in National Chess Championships
Just half of a point separated the top two finishers in the recently-concluded National Open Chess Qualifiers, but the duo shares a common goal.
The David Rose Special School was a hive of activity over the weekend as the last four rounds of the eight- round competition continued; in order to determine the top nine players that will challenge reigning champion Candidate Master (CM) Taffin Khan for his title.
Former National Junior Champion Keron Sandiford, who won the qualifiers with 6.5 points, discussed how the competition went for him, expressing a hope to better his achievement of last year.
Keron Sandiford (left) in action during the National Open Qualifiers
“For me, it’s been a better experience than last year, because last year I got like seventh. So, this year has been much better. I’ve been steadily improving, because we have stronger juniors coming out to play, so it’s been lovely,” Sandiford shared.
He added, “Last year, I qualified for the Olympiad team; I didn’t have the best tournament and I just want to improve from that and maybe qualify next year ‘cause next year, if I qualify again, I want to better that performance. Experience-wise, I got beat very badly, so I want to improve myself.”
Meanwhile, 15-year-old Kyle Couchman also detailed his outing in the qualifiers, already planning for the National Championships.
Couchman told Guyana Times Sport, “Well, the first few rounds were manageable and as the tournament went on to rounds four, five and six, the competition got really tight and I did suffer a loss, I had a draw. Nevertheless, with enough consistency, I hope to secure a place in the championships.”
Sandiford, Couchman eager to compete well in National Chess Championships
“As always, I’ll aim for first place, because that’s the only way I will perform at my best,” the teenager said about plans for next week’s National Championships.
What is common between the two players is the intention to take down the National Champion, Khan who has won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024.
Sandiford jokingly admitted, “He’s on the hit list, as we would say. I have his picture on a dart board and I stick my darts in it every morning. ‘Cause one day I want to beat him; everyone wants to beat him.”
On the other hand, Couchman disclosed, “I’m very keen to play him once again. This time I hope to perform better than I did last year.”
The National Open Chess Championships are scheduled to move off on Saturday, May 24.
