University of Guyana student Davion Mars won the Saturday, January 26 edition of the rapid-blitz chess tournament which was held under the auspices of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF). The event was sponsored by the legal community.
Among the juniors, National Junior Champion Joshua Gopaul placed first. According to the results, Chino Chung and Saeed Ali were listed for honorable mention. The tournament was the first for 2019.
Internationally, world champion Magnus Carlsen was declared winner of the elite Tata Steel Tournament in the Netherlands recently. Carlsen secured a draw with the foremost Dutch player Anish Giri to announce his victory. There was a three-way tie for third between Ian Nepomniachtchi, Ding Liren and Viswanathan Anand.
Meanwhile, former world chess champion, Russia’s Vladimir Kramnik announced his retirement from competitive chess at the conclusion of the Tata Steel Masters. Kramnik finished last in the Masters and said he will focus on chess projects related to scholastic education. However, he said he may return to the board for an occasional rapid, blitz or simultaneous event.