Guyana is being noticed at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, which ends tomorrow. As stated in an earlier publication, in a Round 7 match against the seasoned chess playing African nation of Cote d’Ivoire, Guyana’s four-member open team scored three victories. Anthony Drayton, Loris Nathoo and Queen’s College student Sachin Pitamber were the winners for Guyana.
It is commendable the victories were against participants with higher FIDE rankings. Nathoo (1786) for example, won against Candidate Master Yoboue Hermann Manan (2030). However, Taffin Khan (2066) lost his game to Nicolas Cogan (2112).
In these team championship matches, countries put their highest rated players on Board One. Therefore, it is much more difficult to secure a victory. I followed Khan’s game until it reached a knight and pawn ending. Khan lost because he was a pawn down and his opponent’s knight was more centralised.
Guyana’s women’s team drew its Round 7 match with Equatorial Guinea. Treskole Archibald was the lone player who won her game. Sasha Shariff and Aditi Joshi drew their games while Ciel Desiree Clement lost her encounter. India is leading the points table for the gold medal.
Chess game
In the game below Aditi Narayan Joshi breezily checksmate Lou-Anne Delrieu of Vanuatu, an island country in Oceania.
White: Lou-Anne Delrieu, Vanuatu
Black: Aditi Narayan Joshi, Guyana
Event: 2024 Budapest Women’s Olympiad, Budapest, Hungary, Round Eight, September 19
Type of Game: Sicilian Defence, O’Kelly Variation, Normal System, Kan Line
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. Bd3 Nf6 8. O-O b5 9. e5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nxf3+ 11. Qxf3 Qb7 12. Qxb7 Bxb7 13. Rae1 Bb4 14. Be5 Be7 15. Ne4 Nxe4
16. Bxe4 d5 17. Bf3 O-O 18. Re3 f6 19. Bg3 e5 20. Rd3 e4 21. Bxe4 dxe4 22. Rd7 Bc5
23. Rxb7 Rfd8 24. Rc7 Bd6 25. Bxd6 Rxd6 26. Re7 f5 27. h3 Kf8 28. Re5 g6 29. g4 Re8
30. Rc5 f4 31. Rc3 h5 32. a3 Re5 33. b4 hxg4 34. Rc8+ Ke7 35. Rh8 Rh5 36. Rxh5 gxh5 37. h4 Ke6 38. Re1 Ke5 39. Kg2 Rd2 40. Kf1 Rxc2 41. Ra1 f3 42. a4 bxa4 43. Ke1 Kd4 44. Rxa4 Kd3 45. Ra3+ Rc3 46. Rxa6 Rc1# 0-1. White resigns.
