The curtain came down on the Guyana Chess Federation’s (GCF) DeSinco National Under-12 Chess Championships with nine-year-old Aquilani Swaminadha winning the Open division and Kataleya Sam the girls U-12 division.
On Friday at School of the Nations with 25 children participating in the seven-round tournament, Swaminadha secured the title with 5.5 points.
Swaminadha defeated Jacob McDonald, Joseph Prendergast, Javier Davenand, Julian Mohabir and Arush Ramnarine, receiving half-a-point from his fifth-round match up against 11-year-old Nicholas Zhang which ended in a draw.
The nine-year-old also copped the best U-10 player award. Zhang finished second also with 5.5 points but behind Swaminadha on the Buchholz tie-break system which takes into account scores of the opponents that the player defeated.
McDonald rounded off the podium with five points while Jeremy Cole, Mohabir and Ramnarine ended in that order on the tiebreak after them each ended on five points.
Meanwhile, in the girls U-12 battle, Sam walked away with the best female U-10 player award, finishing the competition with four points and ninth overall.
Second was Chelsea Harrison and third Skyler Gurchuran, each of whom ended on 2.5 points.
Seven-year-old Landon Mohabir, the youngest player in the tournament, earned a prize for his exceptional performance and copped the Best U-8 player trophy. He finished on three points, defeating Harrison, Ethon Marks and Lucas Smith.
Notable performances came from Prendergast, Adam Rahaman, Veer Persaud, Francis Thomas and Shaheem Khan who each finished on four points.
The GCF expressed satisfaction with the performances of the players in the tournament which was supervised by FIDE arbiters, John Lee and national arbiter, Jessica Callender.
The federation also extended its gratitude to DeSinco Limited for its unwavering support to the development of the sport.
“We couldn’t have held this championship without their assistance and we look forward to continuing our partnership in the future. Congratulations to all of the winners and participants in the tournament. We look forward to seeing your continued growth and success in the world of chess,” the federation stated in a release.
Additionally, the body extended its appreciation to the management of School of the Nations who also provide a facility to host weekly chess club for school-aged children.
The next tournament will be the National U-14 tournament which will be held in February.
