Stagnation creeps up on us whenever we fail to compete. Chess was not that seriously affected during the Covid-19 closures. We turned our attention to playing the game online, and actually, I share the unproven view that over the past three years, the game enjoyed an increased following worldwide. Especially since the airing of the Netflix series, “The Queen’s Gambit”. However, we would only know numbers when an accredited survey is undertaken to prove or disprove what many of us suppose to be true. An estimate puts the number of people who play chess at 800 million. Whatever the figure is, chess is undeniably among the most popular sports in the world now, and perhaps in the past also.
All athletes, all chess players, thrive on competition. World champion Magnus Carlsen prepares for his opponents by participating in tournaments. Bobby Fischer did likewise. Playing matches helps maintain the competitive spirit. In Guyana, through playing chess competitions among themselves, and with the seniors, the juniors were stimulated to face many challenges and to improve their game lavishly and enviably. Recent competitions can attest to this fact.
Most of us are familiar with the phrase “stiff competition”, and that is what is required if we are to procure titles. We all work harder when we know someone is right on our heels. Immediately, the Polgar sisters from Hungary – Susan, Sofia and Judit come to mind for their collective excellence in chess. They were homeschooled by their father who supported the theory that geniuses can be created. And create them he did. The youngest, Judit, first appeared on the international scene at the age of ten, and began winning tough open international tournaments at 12. In 1991 she broke Bobby Fischer’s 30-year record to become the youngest grandmaster ever at the age of 15. The three sisters all became chess grandmasters, and twice composed the three top boards of the winning Women Chess Olympiad Hungarian team. They each won separate gold medals. On the October 2005 rating list, Judit Polgar, then 29 years old, was ranked number eight in the world.
The salient point in relation to such remarks for Guyana, is that the Polgars demonstrated they could be as capable at the chessboard as the men. Therefore, our juniors should not be intimidated by the more matured folk. You have to compete with all chess players if you intend to place higher; no one wants to enter a race to place second. As someone once noted, winning isn’t everything… it’s the only thing.
Watching the National Qualifiers for the 2022 National Championships which are now ongoing, I asked Vice-President of the Guyana Chess Federation Anand Raghunauth what he thought of Pooja Lam’s rapid rise in chess. I had just seen her execute a checkmate on her opponent with a queen and a rook and with a minimum of moves. Raghunauth said: “I see a great future for her in chess. Pooja understands the game and likes chess. She will continue to do well”. She drew with the inimitable Loris Nathoo during the second GAICO Grand Prix Tournament. Pooja is a West Coast find.
Chess game
White: Anthony Drayton
Black: Anaya Lall
Event: GAICO Grand Prix Number 2,
April 23, 2022, Providence Stadium, Guyana
Type of Game: King Pawn Opening
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 Bb4+ 4. c3 Bd6
5. Bc4 h6 6. dxe5 Nxe5 7. Nxe5 Bxe5 8. Qd5 Qe7 9. f4 Nf6 10. Qxe5 Qxe5 11. fxe5 Nxe4 12. O-O f6 13. Re1 f5 14. Nd2 Nxd2 15. Bxd2 Ke7 16. Rf1 Rf8 17. Be3 d6 18. Rae1 dxe5 19. Bc5+ Ke8
20. Rxe5+ Ke8 21. Bxf8 Bd7 22. Rd1 c6
23. Re7 Kc8 24. Rdxd7 g6 25. Be6 a6
26. Re8 mate. 1-0. 
