Lack of inclusiveness not good for local chess

Loris Nathoo (left) in action at a recent tournament. He prepared and delivered the 2019 chess calendar to the Guyana Chess Federation. Nathoo supported the idea of Essequibo, Linden and Berbice entering the National Championships following hosting of their regional tournaments. He is adamant the game should be expanded to include each region. For the moment, however, players from Essequibo, Linden and Berbice should be given incentives to participate in the National Championships. 

The qualifier for the 2019 National Chess Championship ended on Sunday, April 14, but so far no announcement has been made as to when the final phase of the National Championship would begin. The seven qualifiers are: Taffin Khan, Anthony Drayton, Saeed Ali, Loris Nathoo, Shiv Nandalall, Kriskal Persaud and Roberto Neto. 

In any sport or discipline, the national championships are the supreme tournaments. The winner or the team would effectively wear the crown for at least a year. Therefore, such championships are to be respectfully organised considering all, or at least, the major angles. It is as important as that.

During the last quarter of 2018, or early this year, national chess player Loris Nathoo delivered a calendar of events to the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) for 2019 based on the findings of his research into the manner in which the developed chess nations operated. He said more persons are surrounding themselves with chess. They want to play the game, and eventually, they are amenable to taking up management positions within the World Chess Federation (FIDE).