It is my fervent hope as President of the Guyana Chess Association and as the Head of a Government committed to national excellence in sports, that Ajedrez will make a contribution in further popularizing chess, to illuminate the darkness and dispel the mysteries which in some cases still surround and engulf this great game, and be a source of instruction to the inexperienced, and of pleasure to the initiate. -Forbes Burnham, April 1975, at the launch of Ajedrez, the first and only local chess magazine.
Chess has an intellectual pedigree. It is fitting, therefore, that we compliment the memory of Forbes Burnham with a sparkling chess competition in which the finest chess minds of Guyana compete for honours. The Forbes Burnham Memorial Chess Tournament, a seven round swiss, began yesterday, and continues today at the Carifesta Sports Complex on Carifesta Avenue.
Each competitor gets an hour-and-a-half on his clock to complete the game. The popular swiss system type of tournament pits stronger and weaker players as opponents. Winners play winners of the previous round, and losers oppose losers. That way, as you win, it becomes difficult for you to continue winning, as you wrestle with players who boast higher ratings than yourself.
In 2007, chess made a glorious reappearance following a dormant period of more than a decade. A group of dedicated chess players banded themselves into a core group to establish a renewed chess association. 2015 represents the first time the new establishment has held the Burnham Memorial Chess Tournament. The tournament is sponsored by the PNCR and promises some substantial prizes. Prime favourites for the senior’s tournament are our four representatives who played at the 2014 Tromso Olympiad, namely, Anthony Drayton , Ronuel Greenidge, Maria Varona Thomas and Hai-Feng Su. In addition to those four, Wendell Meusa, Loris Nathoo and Taffin Khan are going to play stifling chess, assuredly squeezing their opponents in vice-like grips.
Sometimes art imitates life. Some games, like chess, do so as well. With chess, the parallels with power politics are many; sometimes revealing and uncanny, and persisting over the centuries. In my estimation, Burnham understood the parallels between power politics and the royal game, and embraced the connection. Perhaps that is why he was equal in stature to world leaders from across the world, and surpassed many in political acumen. Burnham established the Guyana Chess Association just about the time when Bobby Fischer broke the Soviet hegemony in world championship chess as he overwhelmed the Soviet Union’s most notable player, Boris Spassky. The passing of the chess baton from the East to the West signalled a significant shift in super-power influence according to some eminent foreign policy thinkers. Before Fischer, the chess prodigy Paul Morphy, had signalled the rise of the United States as a chess and world power during the late 1850s. In those days, there were no official world championships for chess. In 1843, a match between Howard Staunton of the Britain and France’s Pierre St Amant, was regarded as the first credible world championship. Staunton won 11-6 and Britons perceived in that victory, an affirmation of their world leadership.
Morphy challenged Staunton for the title, but the Englishman never acceded. Morphy was much stronger, a Fischer-like talent. The winning of the world chess championship has, therefore, from the time of the 1840s, been regarded as a source of considerable prestige. Burnham was aware of this, and capitalized on it by creating Guyana’s first and only Chess Association. It mattered to him. He knew of chess’ importance, and he desired that his people should play the ancient Indian game which was designed for royalty.
Finally, the prizes for the Burnham Memorial should be announced before or during the tournament. The participants would likely be energized once they are aware of the prizes. Please consider the thought, Mr Tournament Director!
Chess games
The city of Szeged in Hungary , and the Hungarian Chess Federation organized a six-game chess match between grandmasters Peter Leko and Li Chao from Hungary and China respectively, from August 14-20. Here are three of the games. The other game is taken from the French Women’s Championship, in St Quentin, France, which was contested 
from August 9-20.
White: Li Chao
Black: Peter Leko
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 g6 7. d4 Bg7 8. O-O Nxc3 9. bxc3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 Nxd4 11. cxd4 Qxd4 12. Rb1 O-O 13. Bf4 Be6 14. Rxb7 Bxa2 15. Rd7 Qxd1 16. Rfxd1 Rae8 17. Rxa7 Bc4 18. Rc1 Bxe2 19. Bc6 Rd8 20. Rxe7 Bg4 21. Kg2 Bf6 1/2-1/2.
White: Peter Leko
Black: Li Chao
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Bd7 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 h6 8. Bxf6 Qxf6 9. Ndb5 Bxb5 10. Bxb5+ Nc6 11. O-O-O a6 12. Bxc6+ bxc6 13. f4 Qd8 14. g4 Qa5 15. h4 Rb8 16. Kb1 d5 17. Qd3 Bd6 18. Ne2 O-O 19. b3 Rb4 20. e5 Bc5 21. Qf3 Rfb8 22. g5 h5 23. g6 fxg6 24. Qg2 Re4 25. Nc1 Qc7 26. Nd3 Be3 27. Rde1 c5 28. Rh3 c4 29. Rhxe3 cxd3 30. Rxe4 dxe4 31. Rxe4 Rd8 32. Qd2 Qc6 33. Re1 Qf3 34. c4 Qg3 35. c5 Qxh4 36. c6 Qe7 37. Rc1 h4 38. Rc3 Qc7 39. Rxd3 Rxd3 40. Qxd3 Qxc6 41. Qd8+ Kf7 42. Qxh4 Qe4+ 1/2-1/2.
White: Li Chao
Black: Peter Leko
1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 g6 7. Ne4 Qb6 8. O-O Bg7 9. Qc2 Bf5 10. d3 Bxe4 11. dxe4 Ndb4 12. Qa4 Qa5 13. Qd1 O-O 14. a3 Na6 15. e5 e6 16. Qc2 Rac8 17. Qe4 c4 18. Bd2 Qb5 19. a4 Qb3 20. Be3 Qb4 21. Rfc1 Na5 22. Bd2 Qb6 23. Bxa5 Qxa5 24. Rxc4 Rxc4 25. Qxc4 Qc7 26. Qxc7 Nxc7 27. Rd1 Nd5 28. e4 Nb4 29. Rd7 a5 30. Rxb7 Nc6 31. Rb5 Rb8 32. Rc5 Rb6 33. Bf1 Bf8 34. Rb5 Rxb5 35. Bxb5 Nb4 36. Nd2 Be7 37. Kf1 Bd8 38. Ke2 Kf8 39. f4 h5 40. Nc4 Ke7 41. Kd2 Bc7 42. Kc3 Bd8 43. Kd4 1-0.
White: Oriane Soubirou
Black: Anda Safranska
1. d4 d6 2. e4 Nf6 3. Bd3 e5 4. d5 Be7 5. h3 O-O 6. Be3 h6 7. c4 Nh7 8. Nc3 Bg5 9. Qd2 c5 10. Nge2 a6 11. a3 Nd7 12. b4 b6 13. Ng3 g6 14. Rb1 h5 15. Bxg5 Nxg5 16. h4 Nh7 17. Be2 Kg7 18. Nd1 Ndf6 19. Ne3 Kh8 20. Qb2 Bd7 21. Kd2 Rb8 22. Qc2 Qc7 23. b5 Ra8 24. a4 a5 25. Rb3 Rae8 26. Kc1 Qd8 27. Qd2 Ng8 28. Nef1 Qf6 29. Rf3 Qg7 30. Ra3 Ne7 31. Bd3 Nf6 32. Bc2 Ng4 33. f3 Nh6 34. Rb3 f5 35. exf5 Nexf5 36. Ne4 Qe7 37. Qg5 Kg7 38. Ra3 Nf7 39. Qxe7 Rxe7 40. Ne3 Nd4 41. Bd1 Bf5 42. Ng3 Kh6 43. Bc2 Nh8 44. Be4 Rd7 45. Nd1 Rf6 46. Nf2 Rf8 47. Kd2 Rg7 48. Rh2 Nf7 49. Rc3 Rh7 50. Ra3 Kg7 51. Rc3 Kf6 52. Ra3 Rg8 53. Rc3 Ke7 54. Ra3 Rf8 55. Rc3 Nh6 56. Ra3 Ng8 57. Rc3 Nf6 58. Re3 Rhh8 59. Rh1 Kd7 60. Rh2 Bxe4 61. Ngxe4 Nxe4+ 62. Nxe4 Rf4 63. Ng5 Nf5 64. Re4 Ng3 65. Rxf4 exf4 66. Kd3 Re8 67. Ne4 Nf5 68. Rh1 Re5 69. Nf6+ Ke7 70. Ne4 Kd7 71. Nf6+ 1/2-1/2.
