“Only the best will represent Guyana at the Chess Olympiad in July,” says Loris Nathoo, a director of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF). Nathoo is the creator of the Guyana Grand Prix series, and the GCF is using that system to select the men and women’s teams for the Olympiad. It is similar to the FIDE Grands Prix with adjustments made to suit the local situation.
Nathoo declared: “The employment of the Grand Prix method would ensure a process that is transparent, exquisite and non-controversial. You either win or go home.” This year’s Olympiad, which was scheduled to be held in Russia, was brought forward to July instead of September, and will be held in Chennai, India. So, instead of having the established four Grands Prix, the GCF has lessened the number to three. The top scores of two tournaments would be used instead of the traditional three because time is against the GCF.
The top ten finishers of the Grand Prix Tournaments will qualify for the 2022 National Championships and the final five will represent Guyana at the 2022 Chess Olympiad. The elimination process is the same for the men and women’s teams. Each tournament promises to be a rigorous affair. Nathoo’s prediction, at a glance, rings true.
Meanwhile, the DeSinco 2022 National Junior Qualifiers Tournament began yesterday. As of Wednesday afternoon, 55 juniors had registered to participate in the classical (90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment) format. The number is the largest representation for junior chess players participating in a tournament in quite a while.
Favourites are Rajiv Lee, Ethan Lee, Oluwadare Oyeyipo and Keron Sandiford; there are others also who are bent on being recognised. For the girls, unequivocally, Sasha Shariff, whose father takes chess seriously. Gratitude is extended to DeSinco Limited for sanitising the playing halls at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, which is the venue of the Junior Qualifiers.
Chess game
White: Wesley So
Black: Hikaru Nakamura
Event: FIDE Grand Prix Third Leg, Berlin, Germany, April 4, 2022
Type of Game: Spanish Game, Berlin Defence
1. e4e5 2. Nf3Nc6 3. Bb5Nf6 4. O-ONxe4 5. Re1Nd6 6. Nxe5Be7 7. Bf1Nxe5 8. Rxe5O-O
9. d4Ne8 10. d5Bc5 11. Re1d6 12. Nc3Bf5 13. Bd3Bxd3 14. Qxd3Nf6 15. h3h6 16. Bd2Qd7
17. Qf3Bd4 18. Rad1Rae8 19. Rxe8Nxe8 20. Qd3Bb6 21. Re1Nf6 22. Ne4Qf5 23. g4Qg6
24. Bc3Nd7 25. Ng3Qxd3 26. cxd3g6 27. Kg2Ne5 28. Rd1Re8 29. Ne4Kf8 30. Nf6Re7 31. a4a5 32. h4c6 33. Bxe5dxe5 34. d6Re6 35. Nd7+Kg7 36. Nxb6Rxd6 37. Nc4Rd4 38. f3Kf6 39. b3b5 40. axb5cxb5 41. Nxa5h5 42. gxh5gxh5 43. Kg3Rd6 44. b4Kf5 45. Nb3Rg6+ 46. Kf2Ra6
47. Na5Rd6 48. Ke3Rd4 49. Nc6Rxh4 50. d4exd4+ 51. Rxd4Rh1 52. Rd5+Kg6 53. Rxb5h4
54. Ne5+Kg7 55. Kf4Rg1 56. Ng4h3 57. Rg5+Kf8 58. Rh5Kg7 59. b5Rb1 60. Rg5+Kh7
61. Nf6+Kh6 62. Ng4+Kh7 63. Kg3Rb3 64. Rf5Kg6 65. Rf6+Kg5. 1-0. Black resigns.
So won the Grand Prix with this game.
