Inaugural FIDE tournament

National chess players Taffin Khan and Loris Nathoo, were trumped by overseas players Karl Rapon and Michael Barker, respectively, in the first round of the inaugural Guyana/FIDE International Rating Tournament held at the National Stadium yesterday.

Sport Minister Dr. Frank Anthony makes the first move at the opening of the inaugural Guyana/FIDE International Rating tournament at the Guyana National Stadium yesterday. (Orlando Charles photo)

In other matches locals Ronuel Greenidge and Shiv Nandalall fared better as they earned one point each when they won.  Greenidge checkmated his fellow local Ryan Singh while Nandalall triumphed over David Khan.

Meanwhile Trinidadian Hayden Lee wrapped up the victories with a win over Surinamese Cassanova Sanches.

Khan and Nathoo were among the first four players to vie against the international competitors. Local chess players Taffin Khan and Nandalall also got their chance to vie against the new competition in the second round of the tournament. Nandalall came up against Martinique player Rapon while Khan took on Sanches, and they were still battling away at press time. In round two also Greenidge took on David while it was  Nathoo versus Singh and Lee against Barker.

The tournament which will run until Monday is sanctioned by the World Chess Federation (FIDE) and will afford the competing players the chance to achieve international ratings based on their performance.

The tournament will feature two rounds each day and  each round will consist of five concurrent matches.

The four international players arrived on Wednesday afternoon from their respective countries, along with the internationally distinguished arbiter, Aubrey Kappel from Suriname

Rapon, with a FIDE rating of 2065, stands as the highest rated player in the tournament. The other players’ ratings are Sanches 1972, Lee 1856 and Barker 1729.

The tournament is being conducted by the Guyana Chess Federation in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

In a brief opening ceremony that preceded the tournament, Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony referred to the remarkable achievements of the GCF since its revival some three years ago. Dr Anthony also pointed to the significance of the current tournament in the advancement of the federation.

“Over the last three years we have seen the GCF move from an interim body to a formal federation, and getting back into the international body, I think those are very significant steps for them…,” Anthony commented. “They have not only made steady progress but progress in the right direction and this is quite an achievement.”

This tournament is expected to act as an initiation point for the ranking of other Guyanese chess players.

Noting its “multiplying effect” Anthony explained that once these players achieve their ranking, other local chess players could vie against them and subsequently attain international ratings as well.

Anthony said that while things may seem dormant the ministry has been working fervently to move the game forward.

“We need to create competition tournaments, we are working with our regional counterparts to set up regional competitions. We have a regional competition for football, cricket and other sporting disciplines why can’t we have that for chess?” Anthony asked.

And affirming the ministry’s commitment, Anthony observed that the ministry had already assisted the implementation of the game in a few schools.

Meanwhile, when Stabroek Sport interviewed a few of the local players, some were nervous while others were just elated.

“Regularly before any tournament in chess you’re always tense at the first when you’re playing local players, and now we’re playing against international players so I’m a little nervous,” Singh acknowledged.

“Not only because it’s an international tournament but because we’re playing against players we’ve never played before and we barely know anything about their playing styles, and that is added to the pressure of everyone expecting us to do good.”

However those views were in contrast to the sentiments of Greenidge, who stated that other than being happy about the development and the privilege to be a part of it, his composure was intact.

“I’m happy that things are advancing in the federation, and that we can achieve international ranking, but concerning feeling nervous I’m not nervous. I just feel cool, and relaxed, and happy to be a part of such a tournament. I’m just hoping not to make any mistakes and if I do make any, I just hope to learn from them,” Greenidge stated.

Taffin Khan and David also shared similar feelings.

Fixtures today are as follows:

Round 3
Hayden Lee vs Loris Nathoo
Taffin Khan vs Michael Barker
Shiv Nadalall vs Cassanova Romario
Ronuel Greenidge vs Karl Rapon
Ryan Singh vs David Khan

Round 4
Loris Nathoo vs David Khan
Shiv Nandalall vs Hayden Lee
Ronuel Greenidge vs Michael Barker
Ryan Singh vs Cassanova Sanches
David Khan vs Karl Rapon.