St. Stanislaus ‘A’ win National Schools Chess Championship

Dec 16, 2009 Sports

Georgetown International Academy take Individual Title

St. Stanislaus College ‘A’ Team defied the odds and played undefeated to capture the National Schools Chess Championship team category title when that tournament concluded over the past weekend.

The winners entered the tournament as the underdogs to favorites Mackenzie High School but played skillful chess to overcome their foes including two other strong adversaries, West Demerara Secondary and Queen’s College. St. Stanislaus also defeated JC Chandisingh Secondary, Mae’s School and Marian Academy 3 ½-½, 4-0 and 3 ½-½ respectively.

They faced their toughest challenge in round four against West Demerara Secondary and had to settle for a draw. In the team competition, they held Mackenzie High School ‘A’ team to a draw. Having disposed of the two strongest teams, St. Stanislaus ‘A’ team went on to defeat St. Stanislaus ‘B’ 2 ½ – 1 ½ in round six, while they brushed aside Mackenzie High ‘B’ team 4-0.

In one of the eagerly anticipated matches involving Mackenzie High ‘A’ team and West Demerara Secondary, both schools securing two wins apiece to end in a draw. St. Stanislaus ‘A’ finished on top with six points while West Demerara Secondary and Mackenzie ‘A’ both finished on five points apiece.

However, West Demerara Secondary took the second position by dint of the tiebreaker system. Mackenzie ‘A’ finished in third place. Queen’s ‘B’ team played with one player down after round three to finish fourth, while Mackenzie ‘B’ claimed the fifth spot to seal off the top positions. Motilall, Ashnant Satamand, Aslam Hussain and Kevin Williams spearheaded the winning team.

Stanley Ming Jr. then led Georgetown International Academy to victory in the individual category, with five victories and two draws to finish on six points. His two draws came against Saeed Ali and Sham Khan, two seasoned junior players. Saeed Ali of Richard Ishmael Secondary and Sham Khan of Tutorial High School both ended on five and a half points apiece but Ali took the second position after the tiebreaker system was employed. Khan had to settle for third place. Raan Motilall of West Demerara Secondary took the fourth position, while Faraad Baksh also of West Demerara Secondary took the fifth position.

The Honorable Minister Dr. Frank Anthony in closing remarks congratulated the winners while challenging the participants to broaden the scope of participation. He also urged them to utilize the internet and chess books to enhance their games. The tournament attracted twenty-five schools from across the country and was organized by the Guyana Chess Federation and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sports.