Guyana’s chess champion may not come from the capital

World chess champion Magnus Carlsen (left) reacts at the 2018 Sinquefield Chess Tournament in August during his much-awaited encounter with Fabiano Caruana. Carlsen had a winning game but misplayed the position and gave Caruana a draw. The world championship match between Carlsen and Caruana began on Friday.

“Never let anyone know what you are thinking,” Mario Puzo, The Godfather

 Guyana’s progressiveness in chess hinges on spreading the royal game to the four corners of the country. In the interim, the chess fraternity would be pleased for the game to be promoted substantially in Essequibo and Berbice. The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) may wish to do so with all practicable speed if we intend to breathe in the oxygen of success.

As it is with every other chess nation, the talent, sometimes, does not emanate from the capital. Nellisha and Waveney Johnson, sisters, learned their chess in Orealla. And Nellisha represented Guyana at last month’s chess Olympiad in Georgia. She played faithfully and with verve. Additionally, the ‘Queen of Katwe’, the teenage chess superstar, did not originate from the capital of Uganda. There is a general feeling among chess players that natural talent in Guyana is likely to come from the capital and within the regions. In time, the Essequibo and Berbice national championships would be implemented to join Demerara in one grand finale to crown the national chess champion of Guyana. For the 2019 national chess championships, I am hoping to see the two London brothers from Rosignol. They play well. 

It may be worthwhile for the GCF to sharpen its participation skills for the 2020 Chess Olympiad by modifying its annual tournament schedule to complement the structure of the said competition. If a two-hour thinking time is allowed per player, per game, the identical timing should be considered for local competitors.