GCF selects 22 players for Junior Chess World Cup

Jul 18, 2021 Sports

Kaieteur News – The World Chess Federation (FIDE) has invited players from Guyana to compete in the FIDE Cadet & Youth Online Rapid World Cup tournament which will take place from the 1st to 31st of August, 2021. This World Cup tournament is an official FIDE competition and will attract the best players under the age of eighteen from all affiliate nations around the world.

A large 22 player contingent will represent Guyana at the Junior Chess World Cup, featuring some of the players pictured.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, events like this were held in person at venues around the world, requiring teams to incur the cost of travel and accommodation for the duration of the tournament, which resulted in small contingents from federations like ours. However, this online event now offers the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) a unique opportunity for its young players to participate with their peers from other countries at a fraction of the cost.
This year, the Federation has selected a team of 22 players to prepare for this World Cup event. The youth players who qualified to play in this tournament are up against the best in the world and will gain valuable experience from this competition. The GCF has been able to field a larger team this year, expanding from 14 players last year to 22 this year. But will still miss the contributions of some strong players as a result of the irregular examination schedules for National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), CSEC and CAPE.
The GCF’s ‘Chess in Schools’ programme is now seeing some of its efforts bear fruit with a wider base of competitors from which to select its best players. The implementation of ongoing training and investment in our very young brings two eight-year-olds from the School of Nations in Julian Mohabir and Aquilani Swaminadha, along with nine-year-old Nicholas Zhang from Mae’s School playing in the under-10 category. The players have been under the guidance of a trained world-class chess coach and set the stage for a great future.
The NGSA examination schedule has had a major impact on the under-12 division, with many of the players preparing for this important exam. This open category still carries a formidable team with Omar Sharif from Mae’s School who has demonstrated remarkable prowess for the last year and easily deserved to be the number one contender to represent his country at this event. Joining him in the under 12 open will be his schoolmates Alexander Zhang and Mahir Rajkumar along with Micaiah Enoe from Marian Academy.
In the girl’s section, hearing impaired chess player Anaya Lall will be playing in the female under-12 after playing in the under-10 last year. Despite her challenges, she is a dedicated player and has shown determination.
In the under-14 division, Guyana will be represented by School of Nations’ student Emmanuel Primus, a consistent and dedicated competitor. For the girls’ section of the under-14, Queen’s College student Maliha Rajkumar, who played in this category last year will use this experience to improve her prowess and chess acumen along with newcomers to the team, Saint Stanislaus College’s Italy Ton-Chung, Queen’s College’s Nailia Rahaman and Pooja Lam from the Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN) School.
The under-16 open event will see a seasoned Queen’s College trio lead by Kishan Puran, the tournament champion of the qualifying tournament, who has shown remarkable progress over the past year. He is joined by fellow schoolmates Raveon Adonis and Mathew Singh. The girl’s under 16 event will feature Queen’s College’s Aniyah Couchman and Marian Academy’s Adia Alphonso who have both been in constant training but will face quality players in that highly competitive category.
In the under-18 open, Marian Academy’s Upper Six student, Oluwadare Oyeyipo, Saint Stanislaus College’s senior, Keron Sandiford, and Akili Theophil from the University of Guyana, will take to the board to prove that they are the best juniors in the country. They will be playing at the highest level, for which they have been preparing over the last eighteen months. They have all been competing against the best senior players in Guyana and will have to apply themselves well to advance in this category.
The GCF have extended their thanks to the School of Nations, Saint Stanislaus Alumni Association, the Queens College Old Students Association and Marian Academy for their sponsorship of their respective students in this World Cup event. The Federation noted that they are grateful for the interest and support from these organisations and for their acknowledgement of the importance of chess in the development of the minds of Guyana’s youth.