Team Guyana off to 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest

Two teams featuring the country’s top chess players are off to Budapest, Hungary, to represent Guyana at the 45^th Chess Olympiad from September 10-23 with record participation expected by approximately 190 countries.

The teams of male and female players were formally introduced to the media on Saturday (September 7) at Cara Lodge, Georgetown, during a simple prize-giving ceremony for the 2024 Women, Open and Junior Championships.

The members of the male team are Taffin Khan, Anthony Drayton, Keron Sandiford, Loris Nathoo and the lone junior player Sachin Pitamber.

Their counterparts on the female team are Jessica Callender, Sasha Shariff, and junior players Ciel Clement, Aditi Joshi and Treskolé Archibald.

The women’s team is captained by Grandmaster Georg Mohr of Slovenia and the male team is captained by Guyanese player Ronuel Greenidge.

Anand Raghunauth, President of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), congratulated all the prize winners and reiterated the great efforts made by the Federation’s leadership to provide enough competitive games for the preparation of the team to be ready for the Olympiad.

Raghunauth also thanked the business community, government and the players for having the belief in making chess development a priority. The GCF President also emphasised the transparency in its financial systems and selection policies.

“The network and partnerships formed is growing and the future of chess is in the right direction,” Raghunauth observed.

“Chess is at a better place today than in any recent period in terms of providing opportunities for beginners and continuing players,” the President declared.

Receiving prizes at the ceremony were both National Champions in the Open and Women’s categories.

Women’s Champion Jessica Callender and Men’s Champion Taffin Khan successfully defended their titles, after each incumbent faced nine opponents in rigorously contested events.

Khan emerged unbeaten, while Callender lost one match. Two-time Junior Champion Ricardo Narine also received accolades for his performance, and players who qualified for the championships received prizes.