Proprietors of the Oasis Cafe, William and Nisa Walker, sponsored a grand knockout chess tournament over the past two weekends that attracted some of the strongest chess players in the country.
The two notable absentees were national champion Kriskal Persaud and Loris Nathoo who were both unavoidably absent.
The tournament featured a preliminary round from which sixteen players emerged, followed by quarter finals, semi-finals and the final encounter between the two top players. It was an interesting elimination format which I cannot recall ever being employed locally.
The junior and senior chess players all played together in one arrangement during the tournament, and this offered some new insights for our young players. Here they experienced first hand, the tested measures of the seniors and the more seasoned campaigners.
For the past two years, the Walkers have been deeply involved in the development of chess. The Oasis Cafes are used for the hosting of tournaments from time to time and a chess club has been established at the location in Carmichael St. to assist newcomers to learn the game. Anyone wishing to learn the game can visit the Oasis Cafe on Saturdays from 2 pm for instruction.
The other good news for chess is that the administrative body of St Stanislaus College, Brickdam, has approved a request from the Guyana Chess Federation for players to meet there on Saturdays and Sundays for practice sessions. Mem-bers had requested that the committee examine the possibility of acquiring the venue owing to its convenient location near the bus parks around the Stabroek Market area, and the proximity to the West Demerara by boat.
Players, from today, can use the facility to play chess from 10 am to 6 pm, and on Saturdays from 1 pm to 6 pm. Before doing so, however, players should first register with committee member of the federation, Shiv Nandalall, on telephone 225-8270. Alternatively, persons wishing to play can turn up at the college where they would meet with committee members of the federation.
