Chess with Errol - Page 12 of 34

Elbow bump: The Covid-19 pandemic has altered the way we do things. This photo was taken at the 2020 FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament which is currently taking place in Russia. Grandmasters Ian Nepomniachtchi (left) and Alexander Grischuk both of Russia bump elbows replacing the mandatory handshake before and after a chess game. The Candidates Tournament will identify a player to challenge world champion Magnus Carlsen for the title. (Photo: Lennart Ootes/FIDE)

Candidates Tournament begins amid preventative measures

The international 2020 FIDE Candidates Chess Tournament began on Tuesday amid some unprecedented measures related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Gyllisa Hamilton (left) of St Joseph High School and Alexia McAdam of Marian Academy, contesting their 4th round game in the Under-16 Development Chess Tournament at the National Stadium, Providence. The tournament has since been postponed to a date to be announced. Before the postponement, McAdam was in fourth place with three points, one point behind the leaders. (Photo by John Lee)

Chess tournaments postponed

The 2020 National Chess Championship has been postponed to a date to be announced in due course.

Ronan Lee (left) vs Emmanuel Primus. Lee has scored the maximum four points from the four rounds which he contested in the Under-16 Development Chess Tournament currently being played at the National Stadium. Lee is a student of Marian Academy while Primus attends the School of the Nations. (Photo by John Lee)

Youngsters doing well at developmental chess tournament

Four rounds of the Under-16 Development Chess Tournament have been completed at the National Stadium, Providence and three players have acquired the maximum four points.

President David Granger presents a cheque and trophy to West Demerara’s Taffin Khan for winning the President’s 50th Anniversary Shield Rapid Chess Tournament at State House which was held on Saturday, February 22.

Successful Shield tournament held at State House

President David Granger hosted the President’s 50th Anniversary Shield Rapid Chess Tournament on Saturday, February 22 at State House, at which Guyana and Suriname were participants.

The Gobin sisters, Samirah (left) and Suriyah, playing alongside each other at the Ladies Olympiad Chess Championship, which was conducted recently at the National Stadium, Providence. Samirah placed second in the Championship and qualified to represent Guyana at the 2020 Chess Olympiad in Russia. She is a Grade 10 student of the Al-Ghazali Islamic Academy School. Her sister Suriyah, is a first-year computer science student at the Government Technical Institute, Georgetown. (Photo by Bibi Gobin)

Four qualify for Olympiad women’s team

The Women’s Olympiad qualifier has ended with four players identified to represent Guyana at the 2020 Chess Olympiad in Russia.

Sisters! Waveney Johnson (left) competing against her sister Nellisha Johnson in the 2020 National Chess Qualifiers Championship at the National Stadium. Both sisters learned to play chess in their hometown of Orealla, Berbice River. Nellisha represented Guyana at the 2018 Chess Olympiad in Georgia. The sisters are competing for a place in this year’s Olympiad. (Photo by John Lee)

Khan surges ahead in chess qualifier

West Demerara’s Taffin Khan had amassed 4½ points by Wednesday evening and took the sole lead in the National Qualifiers Chess Tournament, which is currently being played at the National Stadium, Providence.

The players in this photo are favourites in this year’s senior National Qualifier Chess Championship which began yesterday at the National Stadium, Providence. Clockwise from left are Taffin Khan, Glenford Corlette, Ronuel Greenidge and Davion Mars. Only nine chess players can qualify to participate in the 2020 National Championship. They will be joined by last year’s national champion to make the number a round ten. Missing from the photo is Wendell Meusa, the prime favourite for winning the National Qualifier. (Photo by Shiv Nandalall)

No upsets expected as qualifier begins

The senior National Qualifier for entry into the 2020 National Chess Championship started yesterday at the National Stadium, Providence.

Harmony Dodson (left), a student at Mae’s Under-12, relaxes before the start of her game with Isabella Rodrigues of Marian Academy. The occasion was the Choco Moo-sponsored Under-12 chess tournament which was held last weekend at the School of the Nations. Participation by the girls in the tournament promised much for the future of chess in Guyana. (Photo by John Lee)

National championship would benefit greatly from double round-robin system

The qualifier for entry into the 2020 National Chess Championship which was scheduled to begin yesterday has been postponed to next Saturday, February 1, at the National Stadium, Providence.

Ethan Lee (left) is a junior chess player who has been contesting the senior competitions during 2018. Here he faces Glenford Corlette who represented Guyana at a previous Chess Olympiad. Lee is a much-improved contender and is expected to perform creditably in the qualifier for the 2020 National Chess Championship. (Photo by John Lee)

Exciting chess qualifier starts this weekend

The qualifier for entry into the senior 2020 National Chess Championship begins on Saturday January 25, at a venue to be announced.

Champions shake hands! Anthony Drayton (left) and Wendell Meusa shake hands before the commencement of an encounter at the National Aquatic Centre during a Gaico Construction Grand Prix chess tournament in 2019. Drayton has already secured a place in the 2020 national chess championship, owing to the fact he is last year’s national champion. However, Meusa will be among the principal contenders vying for a place in the competitive 2020 national qualifier tournament. Meusa is a former national chess champion.

Nationals, Olympiad and Carifta tournaments point to a busy year for chess

2020 is anticipated to be a busy year for chess. There will be three national championships — the seniors, the juniors and the women’s.

Jaden Taylor of St Stanislaus College (left) and Queens College’s Rajiv Lee locked in battle during a junior competition at the National Aquatic Centre in 2019. The two were, perhaps, the more enterprising junior chess players of the past year. Let us see what will happen in the 2020 National Chess Qualifiers where it will be every man for himself. The prize? Ten participants will qualify to play the National Chess Championship. Can a junior qualify? (Photo by John Lee)

2019 was a good year for local chess

A new year has begun and with it comes the responsibility of a select few positively administering chess for 2020.

Shiv Nandalall (left) and Loris Nathoo play their game during the final Gaico Construction Grand Prix chess tournament which concluded last Sunday at the National Stadium, Providence. The encounter ended in a magnificent draw for Nathoo in a strange twist of miscalculation and fate. Nandalall stalemated the position with two pawns up, a king and a rook. A trick from Nathoo? (Photo by Rashad Hussein)

Khan soars with 61 Grand Prix points

Once again, West Demerara’s Taffin Khan demonstrated that he belongs to the select inner circle of chess in Guyana when he won the last Gaico Constrution Chess Tournament, which concluded on Sunday at the National Stadium, Providence.

Glenford Corlette (left) and Ronuel Greenidge are two of the participants of the Gaico Construction 4 tournament. Greenidge has the maximum three points and Corlette, two. (Photo by Shiv Nandalall)

Khan, Greenidge look good as Gaico Grand Prix ends

The final chapter of the progressive Gaico Construction Grand Prix chess tournament ends today at the National Stadium, Providence.

Berbice vs Georgetown! At the recent Berbice Chess Association’s one day rapid chess tournament, Kriskal Persaud (left) and Wendell Meusa clashed. For years, Persaud was acknowledged as the strongest chess player in Berbice. At the Rapid Tournament, Persaud once again won the prize of Best Berbice competitor. However, in this instance, he was unable to out-manoeuvre Meusa. Both players are expected to compete in the Gaico Grand Prix today. (Photo by Shiv Nandalall)

Final Gaico Grand Prix likely to see play from top local players

The celebrated Gaico Construction Grand Prix series of chess tournaments comes to a conclusion this, and next weekend, at the Providence Stadium following two months of intense encounters.

Manager of Outback Adventures Yuvindra Sookraj, sponsor of the Berbice Rapid Chess Tournament (left) with the winners of last Sunday’s Berbice Tournament. Standing next to Sookraj are (from left ) Davion Mars (third), Anthony Drayton (first), Omesh Dyal (Best Junior), Wendell Meusa (second) and Kriskal Persaud (Best Berbice Player).

Drayton beats Meusa to win Berbice tournament

GTT’s Anthony Drayton avenged a recent defeat by Wendell Meusa to take the Berbice Chess Association’s one-day, rapid chess tournament last Sunday.

Wendell Meusa (seated at centre) was the winner of the third Gaico Construction chess tournament. On his left is Anthony Drayton (second place) and at right is Ronuel Greenidge (third). Runners-up of the tournament with medals were (from left) Frankie Farley, Davion Mars, Loris Nathoo and Shiv Nandalall. Flanking the group are the arbiters/tournament directors John Lee (left) and Rashad Hussein (right).

One-day tournament set for Berbice today

A seven-round Swiss system tournament will be held today from 10 am by the Berbice Chess Association at the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus, Corentyne.

Four players certain of places on overall Chess Olympiad team

Since the balanced Grand Prix chess series began, Demerara Distillers Limited with its Topco brand and Gaico Construction have been two of the game’s principal sponsors.

In competitive chess, sometimes the younger play the older and the weak play the strong. The younger is not necessarily the weaker player, especially in this era where young people have technological aides. Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen became world chess champions in their early 20. In photo, Mahir Rajkumar (first, left) of Mae’s Schools, shakes hands with Oluwadare Oyeyipo, of Marian Academy, at the Topco Junior Rapid Chess Tournament last Sunday. The handshake is compulsory before the start of every chess game. (Photo by John Lee)

Meusa, Singh win Gaico 3, Topco tournaments

The robust Gaico Construc-tion 3 and the Topco Junior Chess tournaments ended last Sunday at the National Resource Centre on an exuberant note with some of the participants expressing satisfaction at the new wave of competitions.

Since the Gaico Construction accumulated chess competitions began, Kenrick Braithwaite (at left in foreground) has been a feature at the tournaments. Win, lose or draw, Braithwaite plays on with an exuberant spirit. In the photo, he faces Errol Tiwari at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal. (Photo by John Lee)

A Meusa, Drayton match would spice up local chess

The Gaico construction Grand Prix 3 chess competition has reached the halfway point and it is expected there would be a clash between Anthony Drayton and Wendell Meusa, two of Guyana’s strongest players.

At left is Mia Dinga, 9, as she opposed Mahir Rajkumar, 9, at the Marian Schools Competition recently. They are both students of Mae’s Schools. Eighty-two students from seven schools participated in the competition. The team from St Stanislaus College took first place. (Photo: John Lee)

Topco Juice pumps $320,000 into junior chess

Soon after the Gaico Construction sponsorship for chess was finalised, Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) favoured the brain game with a $320,000 injection.