National U-14 Rapid Chess tournament set for this weekend

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) will this weekend host its second tournament of the year- the ReadyMix Concrete-sponsored National Under-14 Rapid Chess Championship.

The competition will be on Sunday (January 26) at the School of the Nations, New Market Street, Georgetown.

The annual competition attracts students from various schools eagerly competing for the coveted U-14 Championship Chess Title.

The seven-round competition will be played in two categories- the Open and Girls section- with an expected participation of 60-plus children.

The tournament will be played in the Swiss format with a time control of 20 minutes plus five-second increments after the first move.

Last Sunday, the National U-12 competition had the largest turnout ever, and it is expected that with the recent surge in chess activities within the schools, this competition will be even bigger.

Several strong contenders will make their move for the title in both categories.

In the Open competition, Nicholas Zhang, Alek Ubaldo-Singh, reigning U-12 Champion Abel Fernandez, and Yan Wen Chen are some of whom will be vying for the National U-14 Championship title, while reigning U-12 Girls Champion Kataleya Sam, Chelsea Harrison, Rebha Lachman, Emma John, and Anya DeGroot are all vying for the U-14 Girl’s crown.

2024 U-14 champions, Sachin Pitamber and Aditi Joshi, will not be competing at they have both aged out of this particular tournament.

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) extends its heartfelt thanks to ReadyMix Concrete for its kind support of youth chess in Guyana and wishes all the participants best wishes for a successful tournament.

The GCF extends its sincere gratitude to the Management of the School of the Nations for their generous provision of the school’s facilities for GCF activities.

This ongoing support from the School of the Nations is deeply appreciated. Interested persons can join the federation on guyanachess.gy.

Information on the tournament is also available on the website. Follow us on Facebook, and Instagram, and visit our website to keep updated with chess activities.