The Guyana Women in Chess Community (GWICC) is on a mission to increase women and girls’ participation in chess and will today host another Queenside Rapid Chess Tournament encouraging female chess players of all skill levels. According to a release from the GWICC, the Rouge Salon and Spa sponsored tournament will be a nine-round Swiss with 15 minutes per player, with 5 seconds added to the clock after each move. Games will commence at 9 am sharp at the David Rose Special School. This competition is the second that the GWICC is hosting this month. It noted that the first tournament’s goal was to encourage women and girls who were new to chess or did not have an ELO rating. Twenty-four females participated in that competition, including three women and the GWICC is optimistic that the turnout for this tournament will be significant. The release said that notable participants for the Queenside Rapid include Women’s Champion Jessica Callender, U-12 Champion Kataleya Sam, Treskole Archibald, Emma John, Chelsea Harrison, and Saura Ruplall. Winners Angelina Yhap, Rebha Lachman, and Lusianna Farlot from the beginner’s tournament are also expected to compete. Trophies and cash prizes will be awarded to the top six placements along with a Best Newcomer prize. The women’s arm of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) said it has seen increased participation in chess by girls and is confident that the numbers will increase in the coming months.