In what was a virtual final, Jessica Callender checkmated Sasha Sharriff to become the new national women’s chess champion playing unbeaten in the Guyana Chess Federation’s Diamond Insurance Women’s national championships at the School of the Nations last weekend.
Shariff had established herself as the player to beat after winning the Guyana Chess Federation’s Qualification tournament, but Callender saved her best for last, last weekend in the grand finale.
The two players had played to a draw in the qualification tournament and entered the final round knowing that a win for either player would result in championship honours with Callender on seven points and Shariff on six and one half points.
The result was a four-and-one-half hour slugfest in the English Opening.
By move 66, Callender had captured all of Shariff’s pieces and was up a Queen.
She eventually checkmated her opponent 10 moves later, leaving no doubt as to who was the champion.
Callender drew her games against Aniyah Couchman and Anaya Lall ending with eight points from the nine-round Swiss-system tournament.
Callender, a former UG Chess Champion, has represented Guyana on multiple occasions, including the most recent FIDE Chess Olympiad in India. This is the 21-year-old’s first national title.
She is currently the highest rated active female chess player and is rated 10th overall for active chess players in Guyana as of August 2023.
Callender is also quite active in developing chess locally as a member of the Women in Chess Committee, a volunteer coach in the GCF Chess club and part-time assistant arbiter in some youth tournaments.
Shariff, who held the women’s title from 2020 to 2022, finished the event on 6.5 points.
She drew her game against Lall and lost matches to Ciel Clement and Callender.
Aniyah Couchman, who is currently representing Guyana at the Youth CAC Chess Festival in Trinidad and Tobago, was third with six points after losing to Shariff and Aditi Joshi, and drawing her matches against Waveney Johnson and Callender.
Italy Ton Chung (5 points), Johnson (5 points), Joshi (4.5 points), Clement (3.5 points), Adia Alphonso (3 points), Lall (3 points) and Chelsea Harrison (0.5 points) all finished fourth to 10th place respectively.
The Tournament Director was Irshad Mohamed, Chief Arbiter, John Lee, Tournament Coordinator, Marcia Lee and Kim Shing Chong and Taffin Khan, Assistant Arbiters.
This event was also a farewell for Lall, the current U16 chess champion and national player who has migrated.
Whilst playing for Guyana she was a beacon of inspiration to local chess players, particularly those in the persons with
disabilities community. As a Deaf chess player, the 13-year-old’s determination led her to excel at the game, even against opponents who often were more experienced.
