By encouraging our appearance at the 2018 Chess Olympiad, President of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) James Bond has cast the nation’s involvement in international chess in concrete. The Olympiads are, arguably, one of the three most important tournaments in chess. There are the world championship competitions, the Olympiads, and a continuous stream of additional tournaments. Pick any which one to complete the triangle of illustriousness.
Former GCF president Irshad Mohammed was the one who initiated the resurgence of Olympiad chess since it ceased in 1980. He mounted a five-member team in 2014 to participate at the Olympiad in juxtaposition to the usual prophets of doom who contended that the country could not afford to make an entrance in international chess, notwithstanding the fact that teams from seven-eights of the chess world were represented at the Olympiad 2014.
The GCF continued its progressiveness in the biennial Olympiad tournaments by solidifying participation in 2016 and 2018. If Mohammed can be credited with beginning the resurgence for the Olympiad, Bond can be credited with encouraging it. For the next Olympiad in 2020, I predict it would be difficult for players to qualify easily. The quality of chess is steadily improving.
Chess gives you a delicious feeling of mental fatigue. In a word, it fills you with satisfaction. After a six-hour game, you are tired, but content, whether you won or lost. There is a satisfaction in just being able to participate.
Early in the new month, the world chess championship would be contested. The current world champion is Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and his challenger is the US’s Fabiano Caruana. Both men are sharp, and both have been winning tournaments. I believe the match will be close, and can go either way. The player who springs the most artful theoretical novelties will win the championship.
