Jeremy Cole and Kataleya Sam won the Open and Girl’s Divisional titles, respectively, when the Kitty Square Mall National U12 Chess Championships concluded on Saturday at the School of the Nations auditorium, New Market Street. This was confirmed following an official release from the Guyana Chess Federation. According to the correspondence, Cole won the Open Divisional title after finishing on six points, in the process besting 21 other participants. Second and third places were decided by a tiebreaker, with former champion Aquilani Swaminadhu finishing ahead of Julian Mohabir.
In the girl’s division, reigning champion Kataleya Sam retained her title after recording an undefeated campaign to score seven points. Saura Ruplall finished in second with 5.5 points, while Chelsea Harrison rounded out the top three with five points.
For their efforts, both Cole and Sam walked away with a trophy and
a gift card worth $6000. Meanwhile, Vir Narine was adjudged the best U10 Open Division player after tallying 4.5 points, while Landon Mohabir was adjudged the best U8 Open Division participant after a score of four points.
According to the release, 41 individuals from various primary and secondary schools participated in the tournament, which featured seven rounds. Among the represented institutions were the School of the Nations, Marian Academy, New Guyana School, Mae’s School, Covent Garden Primary, Cornelius Primary School, Apex Education, Valmiki Vidyalaya Primary, and the Georgetown International Academy. “Supervising the tournaments were FIDE Arbiter John Lee, assisted by National Arbiters Odit Rodrigues and Kim Shing Chong, and senior players Ethan Lee, Oluwadare Oyeyipo, Keron Sandiford, and Justino DaSilva. All the winners will be entered automatically in the National Under-14 Chess Tournaments scheduled for Saturday, January 27th, at Queen’s College, the release stated.
