Since the balanced Grand Prix chess series began, Demerara Distillers Limited with its Topco brand and Gaico Construction have been two of the game’s principal sponsors. The Grand Prix is meant, fundamentally, to provide the more brilliant minds of chess to represent Guyana at the 2020 Chess Olympiad in Russia.
I used the word “balanced” above because no one can get to represent our nation by going through the back door. One accumulates points by participating in these tournaments.
The winners get the highest number of points, and in juxtaposition to that thought, the losers obtain the least. Its a fair system, and a democratic one. If you do not play, you cannot secure points and in essence you will not qualify to represent Guyana internationally. Guyana won the prestigious Albert Einstein gold medal for robotics and chess wants to emulate such a feat as far as it is possible to do so. Of course, the areas of chess and robotics are not identical, but the intention is the same. Capturing the gold medal has motivated our local chess players.
The creator of the local Grand Prix points system Loris Nathoo has hinted of other systems which he would suggest to the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) and which can be considered. Nathoo is a committee member of the GCF. But for the moment, the 2020 Olympiad is the priority.
Three names seem certain to enter the competitive arena of the 2020 Olympiad in Russia. They are Wendell Meusa, Anthony Drayton and Taffin Khan. They have excelled in separate Grand Prix tournaments. Five participants from Guyana are permitted to attend the Olympiad as players. The officials are separate. Each nation contests four boards, and each nation is allowed one spare player in the event of sickness of one of its regular contenders. We do not know as yet who the other contenders will be. We have to wait and see.
For the women, Maria Varona-Thomas is a certain pick since she is the 2019 national chess champion. The remaining four persons will have to fight for their places.
If Guyana does well at the rigid Chess Olympiad, its sphere of influence is set to improve within the Caribbean and in South America.
