The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) has officially resumed its schedule of tournaments for 2023. The tournaments will begin with a National Under-16 rapid competition on Caricom Day, Monday July 3, at the Marian Academy, Thomas Lands. It will be seven rounds with a time limit of 20 minutes plus 5 seconds increment and will last from 09:00 hrs to 16:30 hrs. The tournament fee of $2,000 will be applicable to non-members of the GCF. Members of the GCF will be admitted free of charge to the tournament. Trophies will be awarded as prizes to the first three finishers, in addition to the Best Under 8, 10 and 12 girls. Only online registration will be accepted with a deadline date of Sunday July 2 at 5:00 pm. The GCF has been placing emphasis on junior chess over the years, and now more than ever. Naturally, it is where Guyana’s chess future lies. Recently, Thehas Rithmitha Kiringoda, born 2014, won the 2023 Under-9 World School Chess Championship in Sri Lanka with a score of 7½ points from nine games. What an achievement! During an interview, Kiringoda said his elder sister taught him the game, and he was fascinated with the movement of the pieces on the chess board.
Sri Lanka does not have a grandmaster, but Suneetha Wijesooriya won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympiad in Manila, the Philippines. She won the Sri Lankan Women’s Championship a total of ten times. and was Kiringoda’s school coach. Kiringoda has been invited to participate in the 2023 World Youth Chess Championship in Egypt and the 2023 Asian Youth Chess Championship in the United Arab Emirates.
Under-16 Chess Championship
