The wheels of the 2019 National Chess Championships have begun to turn with the current hosting of the qualifier for the National Junior Championship. The National Junior will conclude today, and, later in March, the qualifier for Senior Championship will begin.
When the results of the Junior and Senior Championships become known, the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) will be clear on who would be the nominees be for the Nationals. The winners of the Nationals, therefore, would have undergone an evidently democratic process to be called chess champions of Guyana.
The swiftness for the hosting of the qualifiers of the National Championships should be credited to Loris Nathoo, as well as officials of the GCF. I feel compelled to reference his name. Although he is not a designated official of the GCF, his heart and mind are in chess, and he wants to witness the further development of the royal game.
There is a myriad of possibilities for Guyana, Nathoo said to me when he returned from representing Guyana at the 2018 Chess Olympiad in Batumi, Georgia. Our rise to stardom in chess should begin with our National Championships. Nathoo took pleasure in explaining the benefits Guyana could experience from playing in the big leagues. I was captivated by his inspiring rhetoric.
At the time of writing this column, two rounds had been completed in the Junior qualifier from a total of seven rounds. Seven players were locked on the maximum two points and it was anyone’s championship.
Ethan Lee was in the lead, based on his FIDE rating. Jaden Taylor, although he was on one point, was still considered a favourite to win; as were Andre Jagnandan and Ghansham Allijohn. We will see. The playing abilities of the juniors have improved considerably owing to their internet interaction with the game.
