Chess with Errol

Independence tournament underway at National Stadium

Abhimanyu Mishra, 12, displaying his FIDE International Master certification. In chess, an International Master precedes the illustrious grandmaster title. Mishra is on his way to becoming the youngest grandmaster in the history of the game. (Photo: Justin Lane/US Chess)
Abhimanyu Mishra, 12, displaying his FIDE International Master certification. In chess, an International Master precedes the illustrious grandmaster title. Mishra is on his way to becoming the youngest grandmaster in the history of the game. (Photo: Justin Lane/US Chess)
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The Guyana Chess Federation’s (GCF) annual independence six-round classical tournament continues today from 10 am at the National Stadium, Providence. Two rounds were played yesterday and the remaining two will be contested on Wednesday, Independence Day, starting from 10 am also.

Last year’s tournament was cancelled owing to COVID-19 restrictions. However, it has resumed in the usual face-to-face manner for 2021, with social distancing being observed as a standard precautionary measure.

Guyana is numbered 153 on FIDE’s list of 184 member federations. There are six FIDE-titled players in Guyana: Taffin Khan, Wendell Meusa, Anthony Drayton, Ronuel Greenidge, Maria Varona-Thomas and Sheriffa Ali.

In the FIDE May 2021 rating list, the world champion Norway’s Magnus Carlsen (2847) is still the number one chess player worldwide. The other players making up the top five are:

2. Fabiano Caruana, 2820, USA

3. Ding Liren, 2799, China 

4. Ian Nepomniachtchi, 2792, Russia

5. Levon Aronian, 2781, Armenia 

 Meanwhile, the chess world is awaiting news of American chess prodigy Abhimanyu Mishra who recently competed in a grandmaster chess tourna-ment. Mishra, who is 12 years old, has less than four months to complete one more norm, which, if he does, would make him the world’s youngest qualified grandmaster.      

Chess game

Here is a game by Abhimanyu Mishra, who is now close to achieving his third and final grandmaster norm.  

White: Andrey Baryshpolets 

Black: Abhimanyu Mishra 

Tournament: 48th Continental Open 2018, Sturbridge, MA, USA  

Type of Game: Queen’s Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Main Line 

1. Nf3d5 2. d4Nf6 3. C4e6 4. Nc3Be7 5. Bf4O-O 6. E3c5 7. dxc5Bxc5 8. Qc2Nc6 9. Rd1Re8 10. A3e5 11. Bg5d4 12. Nd5Be7 13. Bxf6Bxf6 14. Bd3g6 15. h3Bg7 16. e4Be6 17. O-Oh6 18. Rfe1Qd7 19. b4Rec8 20. Qe2Qd8 21. Rb1a5 22. b5Nb8 23. b6Nd7 24. Nc7Rxc7 25. bxc7Qxc7 26. Rb5Nc5 27. Reb1Ra6 28. Bc2Rd6 29. Bd1d3 30. Qd2Nxe4 31. Qe1Nc5 32. Qxa5Qxa5 33. Rxa5b6 34. Rab5e4 35. Nd2Bd4 36. Kf1e3 37. fxe3Bxe3 38. Ke1Bf5 39. Bf3Na4 40. g4Be6 41. R5b4Bd7 42. R4b3Be6 43. Rb4Bd7 44. Bd5Nc3 45. Ne4d2+ 46. Nxd2Bxd2+ 47.  Kxd2Nxb1+ 48. Rxb1Kg7 49. Kc3f5 50. gxf5Bxf5 51. Rh1. ½-½. Draw. 

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