The 2019 final of the National Chess Championship is expected to begin on Saturday June 1, although an official announcement is yet to be made. Apparently, the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) is not ready to announce the start of this championship.
Seven persons have made it into the final playoff from the National Qualifier. The previous national champion enters the championship without the qualification process, simply because he is the national champion. When the numbers are tallied, there would be a rounded eight and the winner of the round robin event will be crowned national chess champion for 2019.
The determining process seems to be a smooth and elementary one. However, two weeks ago, national champion Wendell Meusa notified the GCF in writing that: 1. He will not participate in the 2019 National Chess Championship because a two-day notice is insufficient time for him to prepare adequately. 2. He will not participate in any further GCF tournaments for 2019 until an Annual General Meeting is held.
Apparently the GCF had notified Meusa and others that there was a fixture for the National Championship, and he was not pleased with the dates. But now that the date has been switched for the commencement of the National Championship to June 1, there is no excuse for Meusa to refuse to defend his title. He has to play or lose his title.
In the other instance of not participating in further tournaments of the GCF for 2019, that is his prerogative. But it has nothing to do with the defence of his national chess title. Meusa should reconsider the opportunities he received from being the national chess champion. For one, he represented Guyana at two Chess Olympiads. He must have felt pride in being a part of the team. Meusa should defend his title. It is not too late.
