“The difference between genius and stupidity: genius has its limits.” – Albert Einstein
The National Chess Champion-ship begins next Sunday, April 7, 2019. The Junior Chess Champion-ship was completed recently, and, therefore, it is time for the mature players to engage each other and determine the decisive chess champion for 2019.
Wendell Meusa is the current national chess champion of Guyana.
The format for the national championship is livelier than what previously obtained.
First: A qualifier is being held. Some 9 to 12 persons would be identified to compete in a candidates’ tournament. I would prefer 12 instead of 9, since the larger number gives three additional persons an opportunity to play in the candidates, especially if tiebreaks are to be administered. The tiebreaks would mean that the competitors are basically on par with each other, and each should be given an opportunity to proceed onward, as much as it is possible to do so.
Second: The tournament should employ a double round-robin format as is done internationally. Such an intensive formal approach would give a competitor the glorious opportunity of playing both the black and white pieces alternatively. Some players prefer the white pieces to the black, because white has the first move and determines the nature of the game. In a double round-robin, competitors play both colours. The winner of the candidates would play the national champion. In 2006, the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) organised a double round-robin tournament for the nationals, and it worked well. Kriskal Persaud from Rose Hall won the nationals that year.
Third: A six-game match will be arranged between the current national champion and the winner of the candidates, who would be the challenger. If the match ends in a draw, the previous champion maintains his crown. At the conclusion of such a three-phase exercise, the question of a credible Guyana chess champion would never be in doubt. The winner of the championship would be the crème de la crème. While the process for the championship is almost infallible, there is still room for some improvement. For example, it is my belief that the current national champion should play in the Candidates Tournament. The champ should be made to earn his place in the final. Some of our players are evenly balanced owing to the prevalence of computer preparations. Universal computerisation has become the accelerator in the development of the new chess generation. In my view, therefore, the quest for the National Championship should begin with the Candidates Tournament, inclusive of the national champion. One may contend the FIDE cycle for the World Championship does not include the world champion competing in the Candidates Tournament. But the world champion is busy throughout the year participating in regular tournaments, many of which he wins. And certainly, the Guyana Championship is not the World Championship. Perhaps the GCF may wish to give a thought toward having the 2018 national champion included in the Candidates Tournament.
