“Pawns are the soul of chess.” — Francois Andre Danican Philidor, French chess player and composer (1726-1795)
Decades ago when I learned chess, a few years after the Guyana Chess Association (GCA) was established in 1972, we were excited at the thought of exploring a new game. Here was a game that never repeated itself so it never got boring.
Chess was played exclusively at Queen’s College, St Stanislaus College and Central High School during the late 1930s prior to the birth of the GCA. As early as 1975, nevertheless, Guyana hosted the first ever Caribbean Chess Championship, which included Cuba, a veritable chess colossus in those days. Emerging from the discussions which followed the championship tournament, it became clear that the quickest way to become champions and to grasp eminence in chess was to have the dedicated involvement of others, rather than to have it contained. Such is the path which Russia, Cuba, India, Bulgaria, China and the United States of America endorsed, and they all produced world chess champions.
I have said it time and again, we cannot have betterment in chess until and unless the Guyana Chess Federation widens the game. Loris Nathoo, John and Marcia Lee and Anand Raghunauth are the vanguards for introducing new talent into the royal game. Nathoo is a vanguard due to his efforts in securing sponsors for chess, and Raghunauth and the Lees are also van-guards for their assiduous work with school children to improve their expertise in the game.
In addition to helping others, John Lee is a serious tournament direc-tor. Usually, tournament directors are disciplinarians. Lee knows the FIDE Laws of Chess meticulously, and can apply them whenever required. He is respected throughout the tournament hall whenever the games are in progress.
It is a herculean task to take a game with which many are unfamiliar and turn it into a popular national pastime. This is not insurmount-able, but to be successful takes time. Progress for the development of chess is certain. There are more people attached to chess currently than ever before.
For years we watched for the rising of chess on the horizon. Now it is happening with more children playing the ancient game than ever before. During the two-year reign of the new chess administration, perhaps, we can consider carrying chess to schools in Wakenaam and Leguan.
Children are the pawns of chess. A pawn is the least valuable piece on the chessboard but it can be promoted to become a queen, a rook, a knight or a bishop — all meaningful pieces in the game. Piece by piece we can make this game a national pastime.
Chess game
White: Carissa Shiwen Yip
Black: Tatev Abrahamyan
Event: 2021 US Championship (Women), St Louis, Missouri, October 7, 2021
Type of Game: French Defence, Advance Variation
1. e4e6 2. d4d5 3. e5c5 4. c3Nc6 5. Nf3Qb6 6. Bd3cxd4 7. O-OBd7 8. Re1Nge7 9. h4a6 10. h5h6 11. Qe2f5 12. exf6gxf6 13. cxd4Nxd4 14. Nxd4Qxd4 15. Be3Qe5 16. Nd2Rg8 17. f4Qd6 18. Qf2Rc8 19. Rad1Bc6 20. Bh7Rg7 21. Ne4Qc7 22. Bb6dxe4 23. Bxc7Rxh7 24. Bd6Rg7 25. Rc1Nf5 26. Bxf8Kxf8 27. Rxe4Rd8 28. Rxc6bxc6 29. Rxe6Ng3 30. Rxf6+Ke7 31. Qc5+Kxf6 32. Qe5+Kf7 33. Qc7+. 1-0. Black resigns.
