Berbice is traditionally known for its rich political and academic history, and its fabulously outstanding cricketing showmanship. The county’s talent is abundant.
When Forbes Burnham established the Guyana Chess Federation in 1972, the pastime found its way into Berbice. Somewhere between the county’s number one sport of cricket, and to a lesser extent draughts (some persons refer to draughts as checkers), there appeared a perplexing board game named chess, which learners sometimes refer to as a labour of Sisyphus. There were kings and queens, rooks, bishops and knights, and pawns, the lowly foot soldiers. Those who saw the pieces and watched in fascination as the game was being played, were entranced. They believed the game represented some kind of abracadabra.
Chess failed to become a best-selling preserve in Berbice; it
