Unbeaten Ricardo Narine reclaims national Junior Chess title

Nineteen-year-old Ricardo Narine has reclaimed his National Junior Chess Championship title after competing in the nine-round, round-robin competition against the top 10 junior qualifiers.

The MOO MILK-sponsored tournament wrapped up on August 1 after intense competition from talented young chess players. Narine gained 8.5 points with eight victories and one draw.

He was followed closely by 14-year-old Kyle Couchman, who earned eight points with seven wins and two draws. Sachin Pitamber came third with six points, Matthew Singh came fourth with 5.5, and Alexander Zhang fifth with five points.

Narine, who won the championship title in 2022, won his games against Alexander Zhang and Kishan Puran in the first two rounds, giving him the lead, which he maintained throughout the tournament, only missing a perfect score after his game with Couchman ended in a draw.

Narine commented that he gained a solid start in the competition after winning his earlier games.

However, the final two rounds presented the most difficult challenges as he faced the top two seeds. As such, he was not entirely sure of securing the title until the final move in the final game.

When asked about his future in chess, he replied that as a chess teacher, he finds it rewarding to spread chess and see young players develop their skills and learn the game.

Narine said he intends to defend his title next year and challenge and grow with the senior players.

Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) President Anand Raghunauth expressed his enthusiasm for the exceptional talent displayed by the junior competitors.

He attributed the players’ success to the federation’s commitment to providing consistent training and competition opportunities.

Raghunauth highlighted the remarkable achievement of two juniors ranking among the nation’s active top 10 players, as well as the progress of three female qualifiers who secured top-10 positions in the Junior Nationals.

This, he emphasised, underscores the GCF’s dedication to fostering a level playing field for both male and female chess players. The tournament was supervised by FIDE Arbiter John Lee and assistant Jessica Callender at the David Rose Special School.

The games were live streamed on DGT livechess cloud and lichess.com, enabling viewers to watch the games from the comfort of their homes.

The GCF wishes to thank its sponsor DeSinco Trading and its MOO MILK brand for supporting the junior chess competitions.

Awards and prizes will be presented to the winners at the annual prize-giving ceremony hosted by the GCF later in the year. The GCF also wishes to thank the David Rose Special School for providing the venue for the tournament.