Guyanese chess players recently took part in the first edition of Master of the Guianas, an online tournament hosted by Suriname based Athena Chess.
In the online competition held January 22, Guyana’s Jessica Callender won third place in the women’s category with 4.5 points
From nine matches.
According to a release, Callender finished only one point behind the first-place finisher Woman Candidate Master Victoria Kaslan of Suriname.
“Callender has marked good performances in many local and regional events, and also competed in the last two online Olympiads,” the release stated.
The top finisher overall for Guyana was Justino DaSilva who ended on five points. He, too, was awarded a prize.
“DaSilva, who had qualified for the 2020 national championship and won last year’s independence Cup, is a very active player on the local scene, “stated the release.
Guyana’s Francis Simmons, who finished on four points, also received a prize for being the oldest competitor in the tournament.
The online chess tournament saw 46 players from Guyana and Suriname competing.
Nine exciting rounds were contested for various prizes over 5-minute Swiss system matches on the Lichess platform.
The top five players were all Surinamese, with Imaan Kalidjo crowned the first Master of the Guianas.
Athena Chess will host several tournaments, both online and over the board, and has indicated that they hope to reach out to Guyana to compete in these as well, the release stated.
