After four rounds of battle over the chessboard, Woman Candidate Master Sasha Shariff leads the Diamond Insurance-sponsored National Women’s Chess Qualifiers, which commenced at the David Rose Special School on Saturday, March 1st, 2025 with twenty registrants.
Sasha Shariff in action
Following the classical time control of 90 minutes plus 5-second increments added to the clock after each move for each player, Shariff easily defeated her opponents: Rebha Lachhman, Amaya Sharma, Aniyah Couchman and Emma John, to claim victory in the four rounds played so far.
In the fourth round, Shariff and Emma John were matched in a struggle that ended in less than 50 moves – when Shariff, with the black pieces, used her two menacing Rooks on open files to undermine the defences of her opponent’s King. Although the resourceful John fought valiantly to protect her monarch from checkmate, Shariff successfully breached her opponent’s defences after winning a piece, and executed a checkmate with her Queen and Rook on move 47.
The points standings are as follows: Aniyah Couchman, WCM Aditi Joshi, Ciel Clement, Nellisha Johnson and Italy Ton-Chung are all on three points; John is on two and a half points; Rebha Lachhman, Treskole Archibald, Angelina Yhap, Kaija Clement, Abigail Jairam, Kataleya Sam, and Lusianna Farlot are all on two points.
Competition in the FIDE-rated qualifiers remains fierce for Shariff, particularly from WCM Aditi Joshi, a recognized force on the chessboard. These top female contenders, veterans of countless battles, have proven their mettle time and again, and a thrilling outcome is thus promised in the contest.
Abigail Jairam is a 14-year -old deaf player from the New Amsterdam Special Needs School who is making her debut at the National Women’s Qualifiers. Her enthusiasm and resilience are a valuable addition to the competition.
The remaining rounds continue today and tomorrow: Saturday March 8, and Sunday, March 9th, after which the top nine young ladies would emerge to challenge National Women’s Champion WCM Jessica Callender for the 2025 National Women’s Title. Games are being live-streamed on livechesscloud.com under the watchful eyes of FIDE Arbiter John Lee.
The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) has actively cultivated a stronger female presence in chess, and remains committed to widening its female base. Female-focused competitions, chess camps and training sessions have effectively broadened the base of female participants.
The GCF wishes to thank Diamond Fire and General Insurance for sponsoring the tournament and for unwaveringly supporting the Women’s National Chess Championships.
