Guyanese FIDE Master Anthony Drayton emerged as the champion of the Caribbean Blitz Chess Championship, which was staged on Wednesday at the Ramada Princess Hotel, East Bank Demerara.
This was confirmed by an official release from the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF). According to the correspondence, the event, which was open to all members of the participating teams at the ongoing CARICOM Classic, featured in excess of 40 competitors.
Drayton prevailed in the seven-round tournament, ending with an impressive 6.5 points. He defeated countrymen Rolex Alexander and Sachin Pitamber, Trinidadians Yvette Hermoso Rodriguez, Quinn Cabralis, Joshua Johnson, and Jamaican Nathan Hinds. He played to a stalemate against Jason Yeung of Suriname in the final stanza.
Meanwhile, Joshua Johnson secured the runner-up position, while Cabralis and Yeung ended up in third and fourth place, respectively. The event was supervised by FIDE Arbiter John Lee and International FIDE Arbiter Kelvin Daniel from Barbados.
“Guyanese Candidate Master Ronuel Greenidge placed 5th with 5 points. Rodriguez, Jhustice-Demonte McDonald (Jamaica), Phillip Corbin (Barbados), and Ryan Blackwood (Cayman Islands) also gained 5 points with the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th positions. Barbados Emar Edwards took the 10th position with 4.5 points. Cash prizes totaling USD 1,250, sponsored by the Guyana Chess Federation, were presented to the top ten winners, and the U14 prize went to Guyanese 13-year-old Sachin Pitamber”, the release stated.
