Pan Am Junior Chess Championships
Team Guyana had another day of mixed fortunes yesterday when the Pan American Youth Chess Championships continued at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel.
Sachin Pitamber, Kyle Couchman, and Aditi Joshi all added a win apiece to their tournament record from two more rounds. Pitamber and Joshi suffered a loss each, while Couchman had a better day, taking a win and a draw from his two rounds.
Pitamber, playing in the U-14 Open category, suffered a loss to the USA’s Gordon Xu in the fourth round but rebounded in the fifth round to win his match against Panama’s Jose Rodriguez Lopez. Thus far, Pitamber has three points from five matches.
On the other hand, Couchman, in the U-16 Open, won his fourth round match against Jamaica’s Zuberi Edwards before drawing with Trinidad and Tobago player Kael Bisnath. While Couchman suffered two defeats in the first three rounds, he improved on his points tally from 1 to 2.5 points by the end of yesterday.
Joshi, another stalwart on Guyana’s junior chess scene, showed great fortitude to rebound from her fourth round loss against American Dhanvi Namala to beat Jamaica’s Tshasai Clarke, taking her points tally to 2.5.
Meanwhile, Jeremy Cole (U-12 Open) and Kataleya Sam (U-12 Girls) both took a win each to get points under their belts, while Saura Ruplall had a draw, with Vir Narine copping a loss and a bye to the next round. Pitamber, Joshi, Couchman, and the others will all be in action when the competition continues today.
The championship is organised by the Confederation of Chess for the Americas and the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and will conclude on July 20.
