Guyana chess youths off to Colombia

Jul 23, 2026 Sports

Kaieteur Sports – A 17-member youth chess team will represent Guyana at the XXXVI Pan American Youth Chess Festival in Medellín, Colombia, from July 26 to August 2, 2026. Hosted by the Colombian Chess Federation (FECODAZ) and the Chess Confederation for the Americas (CCA), the tournament will feature national teams competing across the Open and Girls divisions in the Under-8 to Under-18 categories.

Matches will take place at the Guillermo Gaviria Correa Combat Coliseum, a premier sports venue in Medellín known for hosting international events.

Featuring nearly 900 participants from thirty countries across the Americas, the tournament will provide rigorous competition for our juniors. The field includes top-tier contenders with Elo ratings exceeding 2000, hailing primarily from chess powerhouses such as Cuba, the USA, Canada, Colombia, and Argentina, and competitors from other major Latin American nations. Regional rivals from the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Dominica, will also compete.

Guyana Youth Chess Team for Colombia.

Ultimately, this prestigious event unites the region’s best young talent to foster high-level competition, cultural integration, and sporting development.

Guyana will be represented by National Junior Chess Champion Kyle Couchman, National Women’s Champion WCM Aditi Joshi, Alexander Zhang, Emma John, Alek Ubaldo Singh, U14 Open Champion Abel Fernandez Ciria, Rebha Lachhman, U12 Open Champion Aidan Tinnie, U12 Girls Champion Divya Persaud, Arian Tinne, Vir Narine, Amaya Sharma, Jeremiah Jacobs, Jordan Jacobs, Mark Defreitas, Pranav Suman and Sanjay Suman. The competitions will feature a nine-round Swiss system with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move from move one.

The event starts with an opening ceremony on July 27, followed immediately by round one. The main event continues through August 01, 2026. A Rapid Tournament will be held on July 28 and 30, along with a Blitz Tournament on August 1, 2026, before the event concludes with the closing ceremony later that day.

The young players will be accompanied by their parents and national player Keron Sandiford, who will serve as team coach. Parents Patrick John and Gwen Tinnie will manage the delegation. The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) extends its warmest wishes to the entire team for a safe journey and a successful tournament as they continue to grow and develop their skills and represent the nation on the international stage.

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chess youths, Colombia, Guyana Youth Chess Team

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