Surprise, disappointments as 7 qualify for national championship

By Errol Tiwari On In Chess with Errol |
Taffin Khan (left) and Anthony Drayton clashed last Sunday in the qualifier for the National Chess Championship. The game was drawn. Khan emerged winner of the competition and Drayton placed second. Khan and Loris Nathoo were the two persons to play unbeaten throughout the competition. At the 2018 Chess Olympiad in Georgia, Khan and Drayton played Guyana’s top chess boards. (Photo: Irshad Mohammed) 
Taffin Khan (left) and Anthony Drayton clashed last Sunday in the qualifier for the National Chess Championship. The game was drawn. Khan emerged winner of the competition and Drayton placed second. Khan and Loris Nathoo were the two persons to play unbeaten throughout the competition. At the 2018 Chess Olympiad in Georgia, Khan and Drayton played Guyana’s top chess boards. (Photo: Irshad Mohammed) 

“In chess you should be as cool as a cucumber,” Yuliya Snigir – actress/chess player

The qualifier for the National Chess Championship has ended and seven persons were identified to proceed into the final stage. The seven, regarded as among the finest chess players in Guyana, will each engage Wendell Meusa, the 2018 national champion, for the prestigious title.

The National Championship will follow the trustworthy round-robin formula, meaning, everyone plays everyone else. The player who accumulates the most points will win the Championship and will be declared national champion. 

The seven qualifiers for the 2019 National Championship are:

1. Taffin Khan

2. Anthony Drayton 

3. Saeed Ali 

4. Loris Nathoo

5. Shiv Nandalall 

6. Kriskal Persaud 

7. Roberto Neto

Saeed Ali (left), a promising youngster, opposed Loris Nathoo at the qualifiers for the National Chess Championship recently. Ali has strengthened his game expediently as he drew with Nathoo and placed third in the competition. Nathoo qualified for the National Chess Championship, a round-robin affair which will be contested next month. (Photo: Irshad Mohammed)

They will be joined by Meusa making it an eight-player event. 

The qualifier sprung a surprise on persons who follow chess. Nandalall, who was absent from chess for the past eight years, not only returned with aplomb, but qualified for the 2019 National Championship. He played elegantly to secure five wins following two losses in the first two games.

Major disappointments were the non-qualification of Glenford Corlette and Davion Mars. Corlette did not turn up for a scheduled game, and very likely, it affected his overall result. Mars won his first three games, then faltered. Better luck next time! The National Championship begins next month.