CARICOM Classic Chess: Guyana Team One maintains second spot after six rounds

Team One of the Guyana Chess Federation has maintained its second position after six rounds of play in the CARICOM Classic Chess Team Tournament being held at the Ramada Georgetown Princess Hotel.

The team, comprising CM Taffin Khan, FM Anthony Drayton, Jessica Callender and Shazeeda Rahim, won against the Bahamas in round five with match points 2.5-1.5.

Khan defeated his Bahamanian counterpart Avian Pride, Drayton defeated Joseph Ferguson, while Shazeeda Rahim drew with Chika Pride. Callender was unable to secure a win against Polina Karelina.

In round six, Guyana Team One drew with the Barbados team with match points 2-2. Taffin Khan defeated Emar Edwards, while Drayton defeated veteran Barbadian Phillip Corbin.

Jessica Callender and Shazeeda Rahim were unable to secure wins against Katrina Blackman and Hannah Wilson.

In Taffin Khan’s encounter with Emar Edwards of Barbados, the Guyanese player successfully weakened his opponent after he captured Edwards’ valuable Rook.

The Barbadian’s doubled pawns also restricted his chances during the struggle, and Khan secured a passed pawn to convert into a powerful queen. Edwards gave up the fight after 47 moves.

On the Guyana Team Two side, the match points against Suriname were 0.5-3.5 in round five. The young Guyanese team comprising of Keron Sandiford, Kyle Couchman, Sasha Shariff and Aditi Joshi, fought valiantly to secure wins against the neighboring Suriname team, but only Aditi Joshi gained a half point with her draw with Maylee Tjong Tjin Joe.

In round six against the Bahamas, the team managed to gain 1.5 match points against the Bahamas’ 2.5 points.

Bahamanian Avian Pride used his Queen and Knight to execute a successful attack against Guyanese Keron Sandiford.

The well-coordinated queen and knight team gained material and exposed Sandiford’s vulnerable King to additional threats. The Guyanese player resigned after 41 moves.

Kyle Couchman was paired with Joseph Ferguson of the Bahamas. Ferguson was unable to avoid the loss of material and a weakening position. The young Guyanese player infiltrated his opponent’s camp, to further seize material, leading to the Bahamian’s defeat.

Aditi Joshi drew with her Round Six opponent, Chika Pride of the Bahamas.

Games are live-streamed on https://guyanachess.gy/caricom2024/caricom-2024-live-games/ and will conclude on Saturday, March 9.