WMCF to host fundraising dinner for CARIFTA Championship

With the National Junior Chess Championships on the horizon this weekend, a few of the participants will be looking further than the local competition, focusing their energies on competing at the regional level.
The CARIFTA games began in 1972, giving young athletes in the Caribbean Region a platform to show case their skills and an opportunity to test them against their Caribbean counterparts. Although mainstream sports had decades in the spotlight, the CARIFTA Junior Chess championships only began in 2012, with 2019 being the eight installment of the competition.

Last year, a handful of six junior players travelled to neighboring Suriname for the competition. This time around, the team has been increased to a total of fourteen players. Competing in the Under 20, Under 16, Under 14, Under 10 and Under 8 categories, the increased amount of participants will heighten Guyana’s chances in the tournament. The 8th CARFIFTA Junior Chess Championships will be hosted in Curacao, Netherland Antilles from April 18-23.
With the increased amount of participants, the team is now looking to raise funds to facilitate their weeklong trip. Currently, the budget stands at USD $18,676, inclusive of airfare, accommodation and miscellaneous expenses and FIDE cetrtified Chess Instructor Wendell Meusa has since approached several entities.
However, with the ball park figure floating around $4M GYD, more has to be done to ensure that the Guyanese contingent meets their target. As such, the Wendell Meusa Chess Foundation is hosting a fundraising dinner, whose proceeds will go to the team’s travels.
The charity is priced at $40 USD and will be hosted at Cara Lodge, Quamina Street Georgetown, on March 16. Interested person can contact Meusa on telephone number- 664- 0124.
This will be the second time that a Guyanese contingent is participating in the CARIFTA Junior Competition.

List of this year’s Participants:

Maliha Rajkumar Maes Schools U12 Female
Milan Ramsatuarsing Marian Academy U12 Open
Chelsea Juma St. Stanislaus College U16 Female
Samirah Gobin Al Ghazali Islamic Academy U16 Open
Sasha Shariff Marian Academy U20 Female
Ghansham Allijohn St. Stanislaus College U20 Open
Jarrell Troyer St. Stanislaus College U20 Open
Jaden Taylor St. Stanislaus College U20 Open
Angel Rahim Marian Academy U16 Female
Rajiv Lee Queen’s College U16 Open
Savir Gookul St. Stanislaus College U16 Open
Joshua Khan School of the Nations U14 Open
Arysh Raghunauth Maes Schools U10 Open
Jacob McDonald School of the Nations U8 Open
Omar Shariff Maes Schools U8 Open
Mahir Rajkumar Maes Schools U8 Open