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Pitamber and Callender leading I-CEE Grand Prix III Chess
Kaieteur Sports – CM Sachin Pitamber and WCM Jessica Callender are both leading the Open and Female categories, respectively, after four rounds ended in the I-CEE Grand Prix III Chess tournament on Sunday, January 25th, 2026, at the David Rose Special School. The winners were set to emerge this past weekend as the tournament leaders battle over the board with opponents in four more intense Rounds.
CM Sachin Pitamber
Dominating the field, Pitamber finished last weekend undefeated, securing the lead with a perfect 4 points. Close on his heels is FM Anthony Drayton with 3.5 points, followed by Alexander Zhang in third with 3. The tournament’s competitive depth was on full display as Alek Ubaldo Singh fought his way to 3 points, while Keron Sandiford, Tejas Kandavel, and Gilbert Williams remain in striking distance with 2.5 points each. Rounding out the top half of the table, Kyle Couchman, Kishan Puran, and Saeed Ali ended the fourth round with 2 points apiece.
Callender leads the charge in the women’s division, remaining unbeaten with 3.5 points. Her impressive run included victories over Emma John, WCM Sasha Shariff, and Treskolé Archibald. Her only draw came against a formidable Ciel Clement, who is currently on 3.5 points. The competition remains fierce, with Shariff and John holding steady at 3 points each, followed by Olivia Rajmangal on 2.5. Rounding out the top spots are Archibald, Amaya Sharma, Kataleya Sam, and Sana Sreebalakumar, all tied at 2 points.
WCM Jessica Callendar
With a $100,000 prize fund on the line, this FIDE-rated tournament was set to reach its thrilling conclusion this weekend. The final four rounds, held on January 31st and February 1st, carry immense weight; players are not only battling for ELO rating points but also for crucial Grand Prix points. These points are crucial to the qualification process, determining who will ultimately represent Guyana at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The top eight boards of the open category and top four of the female category are live-streamed on lichess.org by John Lee, FIDE Arbiter and Technical Director of the GCF. Full results and pairings can be viewed on Chess-results.com.
Scenes from Grand Prix 3
The Guyana Chess Federation expresses its gratitude to its dedicated sponsor, I-CEE, for its continued support of chess development in Guyana, and to David Rose Special School for providing the venue. The tournament is the third in a series of hard-fought competitions for Guyanese chess players to qualify for the 2026 Chess Olympiad.
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