National Open Chess qualifiers wrap up this weekend; FIDE Master Drayton among front-runners

Press Release from Guyana Chess Federation

The 2024 Readymix National Open Championship completed four rounds of the qualifiers last weekend (May 18-19).

The seven-round tournament began on May 11, with the first two rounds played at the School of the Nations Campus.

The qualifiers have registered over 40 chess players, both juniors and seniors, males and females, hoping to edge out the top nine spots in the upcoming 2024 National Championship.

After six rounds of play, the top contenders are FIDE Master Anthony Drayton, Justino DaSilva and Candidate Master Ronuel Greenidge on five points each, with Keron Sandiford, Kyle Couchman and Roberto Neto on 4.5 points each.

Aditi Joshi, Loris Nathoo, Sachin Pitamber, Gilbert Williams, Ricardo Narine and Matthew Singh are all on four points each. Following with 3.5 points apiece are Ethan Lee, Jayden Taylor, Rolex Alexander, Shiv Nandalall, Rai Sharma and young Jeremy Cole.

The seventh and final round will be played on Saturday, May 25, to determine the top nine qualifiers who will test their wits to dethrone the defending national champion 2023, Taffin Khan.

The national championship will commence on June 1 at the National Racquet Centre.

Khan captured the title against his challenger, Loris Nathoo, last December in less than an hour during a fast-paced playoff. The games will be played according to the time control Swiss format with 90 minutes for each player with an additional 30 seconds after every move.

Games can be viewed online on boards one to eleven on www.view.livechesscloud.com.

The competition is being supervised by FIDE Arbiters John Lee and Anand Raghunauth.

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) extends its sincere gratitude to the tournament sponsor Readymix Concrete Limited for its invaluable support in promoting chess within Guyana.

The GCF also wishes to thank the management of the School of the Nations for readily facilitating the tournament venue at short notice.

Interested persons who wish to join the federation can do so on guyanachess.gy. The GCF also offers chess classes every Saturday from 10:00h to noon to school students at School of the Nations.

For additional information, please message us on Facebook or WhatsApp number 707-4529. For more information on upcoming tournaments and to keep updated with player stat details, please visit our website at www.guyanachess.gy.