Julian Mohabir is Pegasus’ Young Knights Challenge champion

Julian Mohabir is the Pegasus’ Young Knights Challenge Champion, after playing spectacularly in the inaugural chess competition hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) at the Pegasus Chess Club on September 21, 2025.

The 12-year-old secured the title over young Vir Narine by scoring the same number of points, but winning the championship prize based on tie-break criteria, which considered factors such as opponents’ strength and head-to-head results in the seven-round rapid competition.

Both Mohabir and Narine finished the event with six points, but the tie-break favoured Mohabir and secured him victory.

The young competitors agreed to a draw in their sixth round against each other. Mohabir, who has an ELO rating of 1457, secured his wins against newcomer Mekhel Murphy, Dunamis Singh, Lester Thomas, Javier Davenand and former Under-12 Chess Champion, Jeremy Cole.

His two half points resulted from the games with Aiden Tinnie and Narine. Ten-year-old Narine, who has been steadily improving his performance and recently gained an ELO rating of 1426, won against Sanjay Suman, Arian Tinnie and newcomers Ace Patel and Mark DeFreitas.

His win against the Girls’ Under-12 Chess Champion, Kataleya Sam (1503), was his most accomplished one yet after he forced a win through a positional game. His two draws were against Aiden Tinnie and Mohabir.

Placing third was 11-year-old Abel Fernández Ciria with 5.5 points.

Fernández Ciria, who holds the Under-12 Open Championship title and an ELO rating of 1477, won against Avery Munroe, Raiden Ruplal, Lester Thomas, Rebha Lachhman and Amaya Sharma.

He suffered a loss in his fourth round against young Aiden Tinnie after drawing with Cole in the third round.

Copping the fourth-place prize was Javier Davenand, rated 1437, who ended the competition with five points.

The 11-year-old had victories over Vrinda Narine, Amaya Sharma, Chelsea Harrison, and Sam.

His sixth and seventh rounds resulted in draws against Cole and Arush Ramnarine, while his one loss came from round five against the tournament champion, Mohabir.

Fifth place went to Aiden Tinnie with five points.

Tinnie, who recently gained his ELO rating of 1525, drew his games with Mohabir and Narine and suffered a loss against Sam. His wins were against Vasu Meghan, Joshua Patterson, Francis Thomas, and Sanjay Suman. The Best Female prize went to Sam, who placed sixth in the competition with five points.

The current Under-12 Girls’ Champion holds a conditional Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title. She will earn the WCM title when she reaches the required rating points. The inaugural Pegasus Young Knights Challenge for Under-12 players was played at the venue of the Pegasus Chess Club, Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre, Kingston.

Forty-four players competed in the seven-round rapid tournament with a time control of 15 minutes and five-second increments added to the clock after each move. FIDE Arbiter and Technical Manager of the GCF John Lee overlooked the games with the assistance of the Pegasus Chess Club attendants.

The GCF has reached a new milestone, fielding FIDE-rated players in an Under-12 competition for the first time in the federation’s history.

This achievement is a testament to the GCF’s efforts over the last five years, according to President Anand Raghunauth. “We’ve seen a dramatic increase in our number of junior chess players and their performance,” he said.

With this growing pool of rated talent, the GCF is poised to make its mark on the international stage, with its sights set on improving junior performance. The Federation is also aggressively positioning the club as a meeting place for players of all ages.

“Chess is for everyone from six to 60 years old. Pegasus Chess Club offers free coaching to anyone who becomes a member and it is open on Sundays from 11:00h to 18:00h,” GCF Public Relations Director Shiv Nandalall pointed out.

The GCF expresses heartfelt thanks to the participants and their parents for their support and to the Pegasus Suites for the venue and to Sunshine Snacks for providing snacks to the participants.

The tournament is one of many that the federation will host at the Pegasus Chess Club. The venue is the ideal place for players to relax, play, and learn in a comfortable environment. Persons who wish to join the chess club can visit guyanachess.gy.