The inaugural Red Cherry Ladder Chess Tournament kicks off this morning at the Kei-Shar’s Sports Club, Hadfield Street.
The rapid chess tournament will see matches being played over the next several weekends. The ladder tournament is the first of its kind locally and has been organized by the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF).
The tournament challenges Chess players to score wins and remain on the top rungs of the ladder.
The tournament is the brainchild of Loris Nathoo, Chief Executive Officer of Red Cherry cafes and a top player himself.
“Chess has been instrumental in my life since I was a young boy and I believe that as a country we should make a concerted effort to have chess taught to as many persons of all ages,” said Nathoo.
He added:”Chess trains you to think ahead and gives you the opportunity to reflect on the consequences of each decision you made over the chess board. In other words chess provides you with the opportunity to practice important life skills.
“It is for this reason that The Red Cherry is partnering with KEI-SHAR’S and the Guyana Chess Federation to invest a total of $500,000 in this development drive. This is a fun novel way for players of all ages to compete in a dynamic, fast paced and highly competitive tournament to hone their skills and be crowned the 1st ever Ladder Chess Champion in Guyana,” Nathoo concluded.
The competition is open to all male and female chess players and registration commences at 9:30am at the venue.
First round action is expected to kick off one hour later.
Entrance fee will be $100 for members and $300 for non-members of the GCF.
The first six rounds will take place today and cash prizes and vouchers from Red Cherry will be distributed immediately afterwards.
The winner will receive a cash prize of $5,000, a voucher worth $5,000 and a trophy with the runner up set to receive a voucher worth $4,000 and a medal while a $3,000 voucher and a medal will go to the player placing third.
Similar prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers as the tournament progresses with more matches.
A total of 32 rounds are scheduled over the next few weekends and prizes will be distributed along the way.
During every round, players will each have 15 minutes on the clock to complete their game. Similar presentation of prizes will take place after each playing day.
The next four rounds will take place on Thursday.
The top four finishers from the 32 matches will meet in a double round robin clash on August 11.
