Making chess friendships stronger

On Sunday, some unlikely chess players from grassroots Berbice began a cultural intercourse with the Guyana Chess Federation. They hosted an open one-day blitz tournament in Port Mourant, which generat-ed much interest and some excitement for the game among kids, teenagers and others in the surrounding communities of Rose Hall and Albion.

It was the Persaud brothers, Kriskal and Shiv, clothes vendor and mini-bus driver respectively, who organized the support of corporate Berbice for the financing of the tournament. The New Building Society, Sukhram General Store, Geddes Grant Limited, Belvedere Inn 2, and Crown Spot Lemonade, in addition to a few individuals, contributed handsomely towards the provision of prizes and prize money for the top finishers in the competition. In the distribution of prizes, emphasis was placed on the newcomers to the game, and they were recognised and nicely rewarded for their efforts.

The energetic response of Berbice towards the upliftment of the ancient board game, has transformed what for years had become an apathetic and uninteresting pastime. The masses never bothered with chess. It was too dull. And the players, perhaps, too bland. But with Sunday’s tournament, the first ever in Berbice, we regained a sparkle for chess and renewed hope that the game would be played at all strata of society.