Chess champion Drayton cops second place at St. Lucia Chess Festival

Guyanese Anthony Drayton copped second place at the St. Lucia Chess Festival. Drayton scored five out of a maximum six points when he competed against six other players at the St. Lucia Chess Festival, receiving prize winnings of US$300.

A mere .5 was the difference in points between Drayton and Reginald Martyr from St. Lucia, who walked away as champion of this round.

“My experiences at the tournaments were awesome. I was able to use new strategies during the tournament, and got many new ideas that I could implement in future games. Additionally, I gained exposure whereby I coached two of my students which went very well,” Drayton said.

Although he did not place in the Caribbean Chess Games in Barbados before he headed off to St. Lucia, he was not disheartened. The chess champion expressed gratitude to his sponsors for ensuring his participation at the two tournaments.

“I want to say thanks to the sponsors that made this all possible; a special thanks to my place of work GTT and also the Barbados Chess Federation.”

In June 2019, Drayton outplayed seven chess players at the Swiss System Tournament at the National Resource Centre, Woolford Avenue, where he secured his title by the sixth round.

Drayton holds a 2007 rating (the highest in Guyana) and an International Federation, (FIDE) Master Title.  He has dominated the chess scene for the past two years and aims to improve his knowledge of chess to one day earn the title of ‘International Master.’