Latest update January 17th, 2025 6:30 AM
Ethan Lee tops National Junior Chess Qualifiers
– National Championship commences this weekend
Prize winners pose with Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle (far right) and GCF President Frankie Farley (left).
Kaieteur News – Ethan Lee has emerged triumphant after tense rivalry over the last four days in the Guyana Chess Federation’s (GCF) National Junior Chess Qualifiers.
The 19-year old Lee, former student of Marian Academy, racked up 6 points after playing undefeated for five rounds and drawing his final two matches against top player Ricardo Narine and his brother Ronan Lee.
Ethan Lee played undefeated in the tournament.
Narine, former Queen’s College and current University of Guyana student, placed second with Keron Sandiford from Saints Stanislaus College, earning third place. The top three players all finished on 6 points each.
These players have earned their spot at the Junior Nationals alongside Ronan Lee – Marian Academy (5.5 points), Rajiv Lee – School of the Nations (5.5 points), Sasha Shariff – University of Guyana (5.5 points), Jessica Callender – MTV employee (5 points), Matthew Singh – Queen’s College (5 points), Kyle Couchman – Queen’s College (5 points) and Mayas Khan – Marian Academy (5 points), who all finished 4th to 10th, respectively.
Tie-break systems Direct Encounter, Buchholz and Sonneborn-Berger were used to determine the positions of the players. Marian Academy student Micaiah Enoe, who also finished on 5 points, was awarded a trophy for the best Under-16 player. Pooja Lam from the Saraswati Vidya Niketan School finished on 4.5 points and received the trophy for best U-14 player.
Nicholas Zhang, from School of the Nations was adjudged the best U-12 player with 4.5 points. Mae’s students, Julian Mohabir (4 points) and his brother Landon Mohabir (3 points) were best U-10 and U-8 players, respectively. Prizes were also distributed outside of the top ten players.
Regional prizes were awarded to Anasie Fredericks from Region 2, Tapakuma – student of Anna Regina Secondary who finished with 4 points. Oluwadare Oyeyipo from the University of Guyana was the top player from Region 3 with 4 points.
Queen’s College students, Ceil Clement from Region 6, and Jasmine Simpson from Region 10, finished on 3 points and 2 points respectively, and took home medals.
Kataleya Sam presents a token of appreciation to the Director of Sport, Steve Ninvalle.
Children from Queen’s College, with the largest contingent, Bishops’ High School, Saints Stanislaus College, Marian Academy, Mae’s and School of the Nations were the main schools participating among others.
Present at the award ceremony was Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle. The Honourable Charles Ramson Jr. Minister of Culture Youth and Sport was unable to attend because of prior commitments.
Ninvalle praised the progress the Federation has made in developing the sport across Guyana and attributed the success to strong leadership by GCF President Frankie Farley and his executive committee. He was also very impressed with the Federation’s expansive Nursery Programme after noting that this tournament saw nearly 70 junior players competing at a high level.
He has pledged the National Sports Commission’s support in advancing the game even further in the future. Frankie Farley, President of the GCF also remarked on the progress of the federation over the past years and attributed its success to the executive committee who has been working diligently to ensure that chess in Guyana will continue to grow and provide opportunities to players of all ages.
Anand Raghunauth, Vice President, in his address, emphasized the need for funding for various aspects in order for the federation to carry out its mandate. The GCF wishes to express its gratitude to its main sponsor of the event, DeSinco Ltd., who provided Beep products in the form of sanitizers and disinfectant sprays for the tournament, as well as medals, trophies and gifts for the prize winners.
The GCF looks for
ward to continued partnership with DeSinco Ltd. Thanks also to the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport for granting use of the National Stadium for the holding of the event, GEA for providing water for the players and Sunshine Snacks for the snacks provided.
Meanwhile, the National Championship will be played in a 9-round round-robin format. Games begin on Saturday April 16 and conclude on April 20, where a winner will emerge as the 2022 National Junior Champion.
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