In about a week’s time, the Bank of Guyana’s chess team will oppose their counterparts from the Caribbean in a regional chess competition at the 8th Intra-Regional Central Bank Games. Guyana will be hosting this event over the Easter weekend for the first time since the introduction of these games about twenty years ago.
The chess team representing our central bank, and by extension the country, is as follows: Jason Allicock (captain), Joseph Lall, Hilton Johnson and Amrita Singh. Their competition is coming from the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the Eastern Caribbean central bank countries (Antigua, Grenada, St Kitts/Nevis and St Lucia), Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) has been assisting the Bank of Guyana with its preparation for their international encounter. Last Saturday, the team participated in a tournament which was organised by the GCF almost exclusively for the bank. We used the same fifteen-minute time control that will be used for the games, thereby giving our representatives the kind of practice they require before the actual event.
What we witnessed was a medley of talent from the bank. I lost to Jason Allicock, who drew his game with Taffin Khan. Amrita Singh and Joseph Lall also managed the pieces well. Fifteen minutes per player is practically no time for someone competing seriously in a chess game. But this is the time which has been designated for the bank games. And this timing arrangement is in keeping with FIDE’s regulations. Players will not be required to score during their games.
It all comes down to speed of thought during the game. We have to play quickly, and accurately. Games are going to be won and lost on speed. When I lost to Allicock, I was a Queen and a few passed pawns up. But I lost the game by three seconds. It makes no sense to be material up with only a few seconds remaining on the clock. You will lose the game.
I am of the view the bank will do well, if their representatives compete with the time always in mind.
In the meantime, a junior chess team is currently representing Guyana at the Inter-Guiana Games in Cayenne. One of our strongest players, Taffin Khan, is there because he is still a junior although he has been playing among the seniors since last year. We are eagerly awaiting the results of his encounters against the Suriname and French Guiana junior champions.