Three significant occurrences took place in local chess for the year 2022. Former president of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) Frankie Farley was dismissed by the Board of Directors of the GCF.
National chess champion Wendell Meusa who qualified to play Board One for Guyana at the 2022 Olympiad, decided he would not travel to India for the tournament. He was succeeded by the national junior champion Ethan Lee.
Following a commendable performance at the 2022 Chess Olympiad in India, no classical chess tournament was held for a lengthy period.
2023 has started with a bang for local chess. This past weekend, it was a thrill to experience two rapid tournaments at the School of the Nations. Kieron Sandiford carted off the junior rapid tournament while Meusa ran away with the senior one.
It seems the chess world is becoming more enamoured with rapid, blitz and bullet chess. I believe the pandemic has something to do with this new trend. Speed chess was always around but recently it has gained the prominence it never knew previously. The younger generation loves speed chess.
World champion Magnus Carlsen won two prestigious titles, the world Rapid and the world Blittz in one week. As an added attraction, sponsors from big businesses are crowding this new trend.
