The University of Guyana (UG) Sports Department, having staged the first part of its annual King and Queen Scrabble and Chess Competitions on November 16, in the Conference Room of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, now gears itself for the conclusion of the chess segment, which commences at 17:00h today.
Three-time champion Christina Basil (in white) battles Crystal DeCambra in the final of the female Scrabble contest
Speaking with Guyana Times Sport, Sports Organiser Lavern Fraser, when asked if the competition has seen any improvement, said, “Well, especially among the males. The competition is of a much higher standard since most of the participants have been exposed to coaching by Ronuel Greenidge, the chess coach of the University. There’s also been heightened interest among students, both male and female, since there’s also the opportunity to learn how to play the game and what is even better is that the Guyana Chess Association will certainly become an affiliate in the new year as this would create opportunities for University students and have them gain experience, not only locally but regionally and internationally.”
The chess leg of the tournament is scheduled to commence with two semi-finals, for which three semi-finalists have already been identified.
The defending champion Davion Mars defeated Sidney Nelson, Kevin Craigwell defeated Xavier Perriera and Joshua Gopaul defeated Tristan Cordis on their way to the final four.
The fourth semi-finalist will be determined today as Andre Jagnandan and Rondel Palmer battle while the female competitor, Anicia Patterson, has already booked her seat in the final and will await the other finalist, who will also be determined today as Shanese Richards takes on Britney Bovell.
In last week’s female Scrabble competition, Francisca Persaud lost to Feona Jones while Ivana Foster battled it out with Aliyyah Anderson. Anderson won, but was defeated by defending champion Christina Basil. Basil was then set to play Crystal DeCambra, who defeated Jones in the semi-final round.
Having played so many games, it all came down to the final game and as expected, the two-time defending champion defeated DeCambra in a battle of wits to earn herself the title for the third consecutive time. (Timothy Jaikarran)
