Dear Editor,
This letter is a follow-up to an article published in SN on June 15, with the headline ‘Sharma Raghunandan should be commended for going to Orealla to teach children chess. On Sunday, August 12, there was a day of interaction in many sporting disciplines at the Port Mourant Community Centre, involving football, dominoes, volleyball, table tennis, draughts and chess. It seems all the NDCs of Region Six turned out to support this event, and I hope that the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport will extend his ministry’s full support to such activities across all the other regions.
I have commented on chess and the lack of support for it in rural areas, but after last Sunday, I have to give credit to the ministry and the Director of Sport for their input and the success of the events that were played. I was stunned into silence when I checked up on the chess scene to see a seven-year-old girl (Shania Peneux) sitting across the table from former Junior and National Chess Champion Kiskal Persaud playing a game during the tournament. More surprise awaited me as it was pointed out to me by one of the media operatives present that there was also a six-year-old boy (Daniel Alexander) and an eight-year-old girl (Waveney Johnson) taking part in the chess tournament. There were thirty-four participants, and I was informed that fifteen of them travelled all the way from Orealla on the Corentyne River to take part in chess. This is great news for the Ancient County because in Georgetown, there are tournaments with fifteen to twenty players.
In one fell swoop, Berbice has suddenly arrived in the chess circle, and I call on all corporate bodies in our county to support all events where chess is played. I was late for the opening and march-past, but was tasked with distributing the prizes to the winners of the Orealla chess tournament. In his remarks, the Minister mentioned the good work and dedication of Mr Rai Sharma in teaching and promoting the game of chess among our children and I now call on the Minister and the Director of Sport to look at the overall results of Messrs Sharma and Raghunandan’s efforts and engage them to continue the project that they started in a more sustained and tangible way, so that the successes of Orealla can be shared throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.
It is indeed a pleasure to have witnessed all those youngsters camped over the chessboard, and to boot, there were six females playing. I have not read or heard of six females ever playing in any event of the Guyana Chess Federation except the National School Champion – ship. The limited resources and time that Mr Rai Sharma had at his disposal and the numbers that he produced speak volumes of his talent to teach chess. It is not easy to get people involved in chess, for the first reaction is that the game is hard and takes too long. Mr Sharma has shown that that barrier can be easily broken down with the right approach and the correct technique to get children interested in the game. The ball is in the Minister’s court to continue the momentum and give the necessary support to their projects which can change the thinking of our youngsters and help to build a nation of thinkers and not followers. Oftentimes I have read about his desire to see chess played across the length and breadth of Guyana, so I am looking forward to seeing a lot more of his ministry’s involvement in the future. Since Mr Sharma’s successes have all been achieved as a consequence of his voluntary work, just think how much more could be achieved with a sustained programme.
Last but not least, I want to congratulate Kelvin Dick for winning the male category of the Orealla Chess Tournament; Andre Henry came second and Stewart Peneux third. On the distaff side, ten-year-old Nellisha Johnson won first prize, Cenica Daw second, and Marlena Herman third. Finally, I wish to say that my hopes are that with such talent in Berbice, we will emerge as a force to be reckoned with in the near future. I also want to congratulate fifth grade student Nellisha Johnson for winning the first ever Amerindian Affairs Ministry Chess Trophy after defeating her male counterpart Kelvin Dick in the final. It just goes to show that there is no age in chess, but only the use of the brain to achieve our goals.
Yours faithfully,
Zaman Ali