National Junior Chess Championship qualifiers set for July 6-9

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) announced the upcoming National Junior Chess Championship Qualifiers, sponsored by MOO MILK, starting this Saturday, July 6th, and running through July 9th, 2024.

The seven-round competition, held at the National Stadium, aims to select the top ten junior players who will vie for the National Junior Chess Champion title at the upcoming Nationals.

The 2023 champion, Keron Sandiford, is no longer eligible due to age restrictions.

This year’s qualifiers are expected to showcase the strongest field of young talent ever seen in Guyana.

Promising competitors include reigning champions Kyle Couchman (U14 & U16), Sachin Pitamber (former Junior Champion), Ricardo Narine, the Zhang brothers (Alexander & Nicholas), Aditi Joshi (U14 Girls), Maliha Rajkumar (U16 Girls), Italy Ton-Chung, Ciel Clement, and Treskolé Archibald.

Even younger talents like U12 champions Kataleya Sam (Girls) and Jeremy Cole (Open) are poised to make a mark.

Registration numbers have soared, with nearly fifty players already signed up. This year also sees a commendable rise in school participation, with institutions like Queen’s College, Marian Academy, St. Joseph’s High, Mae’s School, Saint Stanislaus College, and others fielding representatives.

The Swiss-format tournament will feature a 90-minute time control with 30-second increments per move. Players under 20 years old (as of January 1st, 2024) are eligible to participate.

Notably, this will be the first year that ten or more FIDE-rated junior players will compete for a spot at the Nationals.

GCF President Anand Raghunauth, who also leads the Chess in Schools program, credits extensive training and coaching for the rising quality of play among younger players.

Coaches like Anthony Drayton, Roberto Neto, and Davion Mars have been instrumental in developing talent, while International Master Atanu Lahiri continues to mentor top performers like Couchman, Pitamber, and Joshi.

The GCF extends its gratitude to DeSinco and its MOO MILK brand for their continued sponsorship of junior chess in Guyana.

The top eleven boards will be streamed live on livechesscloud.com.

Tournament results, pairings, and additional information can be found on chessresults.com and the GCF website (guyanachess.gy).

Follow the GCF on Facebook and Instagram for further updates.