By Iva Wharton
Avid chess player and Coach Roy Sharma may have discovered the next set of chess champions in Orealla.
“Absolutely nobody in Orealla knew what a chess piece looked like. Now there are 50 people in Orealla playing chess, most of them children,” said Sharma in an exclusive interview with Stabroek Sport yesterday.
Sharma says he spent ten 10 weeks in the riverain community where he was provided with food and accommodation by the people of Orealla as he commenced his 10-week prgoramme teaching the eager members of the community the sport.
“The programme was a mighty success because of the number of persons that have learnt to play chess. It was fascinating explaining to them the chess pieces,” said Sharma, a former blitz champion.
He claims that the children in Orealla caught on faster than the children in Georgetown.
“Within a week I had about 20-25 persons knowing the moves and attempting to play the game.”
Sharma said he was able to discover one of Guyana’s youngest chess player, six-year-old Daniel Alexander.
“He was one of the first persons to approach me when I got there. Five minutes after I arrived in Orealla he was sitting in my living room telling me that ‘I want to see what chess is like’”.
Sharma said incredibly during the 10 weeks, the young Alexander has developed into a talented player with lots of potential.
Unlike Georgetown, there is no problem attracting female players to the sport, says Sharma.
Senika Dow, Marlena Herman, Nellisha Johnson, Waveney Johnson, Shamika Peneux, and Niggie Lewis are just some of the talented female players in Orealla.
“Should they be given similar opportunities like the females in Georgetown I am positive they will make an impact especially where the IGG (Inter-Guiana Games) is concerned,” he opined.
An eight round Swiss system tournament is currently in progress and some of the participants are Andrew Henry, Kelvin Dick, Steward Benelux, Herman and Dow.
He said he plans to be busy promoting chess across the country.
Sharma leaves today for South Rupununi.
“I am heading to the South Rupununi to start another chess programme with the South Rupununi Miners Association in the Achiwib and Aishalton areas.”
He also plans to head to Corriverton to conduct another programme.
Sharma says he has been blown away by the interest shown by the people.
“There was a shortage of chess and scrabble sets but it was heart rending to see every afternoon 20-30 kids line up just waiting for somebody to lose so that they could come in to play.”
Asked how he planned to sustain the programmes, Sharma said that three adults have undertaken the responsibility of ensuring that the programme does not fall apart.
He says the aim is to set up chess and scrabble clubs in the community and have them affiliated to the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) and the Guyana Association of Scrabble Players (GASP).
“We are planning a workshop for the people of Berbice in Corriverton and the residents of Orealla and Siparuta would be invited to attend.”
Sharma said that efforts are being made to have the children of Orealla participate in the Berbice Schools championships which should be held in late September or early October.
He said himself and Krishnandan Ragunandan, a committee member of the GFC have taken on the responsibility of taking both chess and scrabble to the outlying regions.
