Taffin Khan and Suhai Feng are representing Guyana at the second annual Umada Cup Chess Tournament which started last Tuesday and concludes this Sunday in Bridgetown, Barbados.
According to a press release, Khan, the reigning senior national champion, and Feng, the current junior champion, were selected by the Guyana Chess Federation since they are the leading local players in their respective categories.
Both Khan and Feng are rated under the 2,100 Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) or World Chess Federation ratings so both contestants will compete in the Challengers’ category of the competition. Khan is rated at 1,804 while Feng is not yet rated.
The Guyanese will face stiff competition from Romario Sanchez of Suriname who is the defending champion in the Challengers’ category.
At the inaugural tournament in 2010, Khan was Guyana’s lone representative, finishing with a number of players for fourth position, the release noted.
Tournament Director of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), Irshad Mohamed, stated that he expects good returns from the two players as they have improved significantly over the past year.
“Based on Taffin’s previous performance (in 2010), we expect him to do well. Suhai has improved tremendously as well, and we’re confident he will give a good account,” Mohamed projected.
Guyana’s participation at the event has been made possible through the support of FIDE, Red Cherry, Computer High Tech, ECI Engineering, Buddy’s Pool Hall, and Sasha Cells.
