When Guyana defeated the Bahamas 6-0 at last month’s 2020 International Chess Federation Online Olympiad, it signalled a boost in chess for our nation although we failed to proceed to a further qualifying round.
The two featured games saw Ethan Lee taking down Mart Aidan and Maria Varona-Thomas scoring a massive victory over Nelissa Thomas in eight moves! Lee fought by the book, taking his moves in sequence, whilst Varona-Thomas was devastating in her handling of a faulty Ruy Lopez opening. Neither Bahamian stood a chance. Both games should be replayed especially by our young exponents of the ancient game.
At the wider 2020 Online Olympiad, which ended Sunday last, India tied with Russia for first place. India fielded a strong team, especially its Under-20 youths. On the other hand, Russia led the way with seasoned and budding grandmasters.