National champion Callender off to Cuba for CAC Women’s Chess Championship

Two-time winner of the National Women’s Chess Championship, Jessica Callender, is representing Guyana at the Central America and the Caribbean (CAC) 2024 Women’s Chess Championship in Cuba.

Callender is slated to play against some of the best female players from the Caribbean and Central America in Santa Clara from May 13-22.

“The competition is dedicated to the memory of Acela de Armas, an outstanding Cuban chess player whose legacy continues to inspire females from Central America and the American Continent. The 2024 Central American and Caribbean Championship for Women is organised by the Cuban Chess Federation (FCA) and the Confederation of Chess of the Americas (CCA),” the Guyana Chess Federation said in a press release.

The nine-round event will be played using the Swiss system with a time control of 90 minutes per player with a 30-second increment starting from move one.

The Confederation of Chess for Americas (FIDE America) is a registered Affiliate Organisation of FIDE that represents 42 Caribbean and Latin Nations. Callender, with a FIDE rating of 1571, has shown she can compete against other talented players.

She won the GCF National Women’s Chess Championship in 2023 and 2024 and holds a conditional Women Candidate Master Title.

The Federation release continued: “Callender hopes to rack up victories that will propel her toward her WCM title. She was part of the Guyana team that participated in the recent CARICOM Classic Team regional tournament hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation in March last. The Guyana Chess Federation extends best wishes to Jessica as she journeys to represent Guyana.”