The inaugural CARICOM Classic Chess tournament kicked off at the Ramada Princess Hotel, presenting Guyana with a challenging start to their campaign.
Guyana, fielding both junior and senior teams as the host nation, encountered losses against formidable opponents from Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica on Monday.
In the opening round, Guyana’s senior team, led by Taffin Khan, secured a decisive 4-0 victory over their junior counterparts.
Candidate master Taffin Khan, FIDE master Anthony Drayton, and women candidate masters Jessica Callender and Shazeeda Rahim demonstrated their expertise, overcoming the challenge posed by their junior counterparts Keron Sandiford, Kyle Coachman, Sasha Shariff, and Aditi Joshi.
In the second round, the Guyana senior team faced Jamaica, with Khan leading the charge by securing a win against Nathan Hinds.
However, the team faced setbacks, with Jessica Callendar suffering a loss to Adani Clarke.
Meanwhile, in another second-round match-up, Trinidad emerged victorious over Guyana’s junior team with a score of 3-1.
Notably, Keron Sandiford managed to secure a draw in his contest against Joshua Johnson, showcasing resilience amidst tough competition.
The tournament, consisting of nine rounds, promises intense battles as teams vie for supremacy on the chessboard.
Sponsored by the CARICOM Secretariat, ExxonMobil, E-net Guyana, Texila American University, DDL’s Topco, Republic Bank Guyana Limited, with support from the Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports, Caribbean Chess Association, and FIDE, the tournament concludes on Saturday.
As Guyana continues to compete in the CARICOM Classic Chess tournament, enthusiasts await the unfolding of strategic maneuvers and tactical brilliance on the chessboard.
By Travis Seymour