Latest update October 20th, 2026 11:34 AM
Sasha Cells National Junior Chess Championship 2016…
Saeed Ali assumes lead in hotly contested duels
Saeed Ali scored 2 ½ points, just ½ point 
difference from Roberto Neto (2), to assume a slim lead when the second and third rounds of the Sasha Cells National Junior Chess Championship 2016 concluded at the Ocean Spray Hotel, Stanley Place and Rupert Craig Highway on Sunday evening. One day earlier, Ali had engaged Neto in a thrilling encounter that eventually ended in a draw.
This was a truly brain testing encounter and Ali played with the Black pieces. Neto once more turned to his queens’ gambit and Saeed defended with the semi Slav variation. Neto was first to blunder, pushing for space advantage with C5 only to lose a pawn at the end of the variation. His shrewdness came to the fore when he managed a hold on to a draw.
In round 3, Saeed showcased his experience and knowledge playing the queens gambit, this time with the white pieces, against Nellisha Johnson. Johnson counteracted with the tactical chigorin defence but Ali resorted to shrewd tactics and eventually outplayed her.
Woman Candidate Master (WCM), Sheriff’s Ali has also demonstrated a competitive spirit when she finished Sunday’s session on 2 points.
One day earlier she had played former QC student Aravinda Singh and the two battled to a draw after a wonderful display of wits.
Neto attempted to rebound from the drawn game against Ali but experienced a similar setback against Sherifa Ali. The latter player also registered another draw this time against Aravinda Singh. Joshua Gopaul lost to Jaden Taylor after surrendering his queens to a simple knight fork before immediately resigning. Gopaul also conceded a draw to Aravinda Singh. Other games saw Nellisha Johnson winning a possible drawn game on time against Ghansham Allijohn in a game that lasted for 70 plus moves. Allijohn then made amends with a victory over his club mate, Jaden Taylor in round 3.
The other point standings are Joshua Gopaul (1 ½), Aravinda Singh (1), Ghansham Alijohn (1), Jaden Taylor and Nellisha Johnson (1 each). The players convene for rounds four and five next Saturday at the same venue.
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