Looking back at it now, from the vantage point of being a player myself, the 2022 National Chess Championships were energetic. There was a spirit of liveliness among the players and officials. The Open and women’s categories saw several champions: Taffin Khan, Wendell Meusa, Anthony Drayton, and Sasha Shariff, who had faced Olympiad competition previously.
However, Shariff’s competition came from Jessica Callender, who had won the National Qualifiers; Nellisha Johnson, who had faced Olympiad competition also; a strengthened Anaya Lall and the crafty Pooja Lam, among others. These competitions were contested by the very best chess players who were available in Guyana.