The final of the 2019 Guyana National Chess Championship begins on Saturday, June 1, but there is no indication whether national chess champion Wendell Meusa will participate. The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) has not issued a statement on the matter. Perhaps it’s not ready to do so.
The seven persons qualified to play the round robin final are: Taffin Khan, Anthony Drayton, Saeed Ali, Loris Nathoo, Shiv Nandalall, Kriskal Persaud and Roberto Neto. One week from Saturday, the public is uncertain whether the final of the National Chess Championship would have seven players or would be increased to eight with the inclusion of the current national champion.
One notable view ascribed to an active tournament player suggested that the GCF should have issued a deadline to ascertain Meusa’s intended participation and once that deadline passed and Meusa had not addressed the issue in one way or another, his space should have been filled by the person who placed 8th in the National Qualifier.
Internationally, the Moscow Grand Prix has started. The 16-player knockout is the first of four legs of the 22-player Grand Prix series that will determine two places for the 2020 Candidates Tournament. Players compete in three of the four tournaments.
The Candidates Tournament is the preliminary for identifying someone to challenge the world champion for the title. Only the very best chess players worldwide have an opportunity of participating in a Candidates Tournament. The Grand Prix series, therefore, will identify two players for the 10-man Candidates.
The Moscow Grand Prix is in its infant stages. However, US grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura and Russia’s Alexander Grishchuk are playing well. The Grand Prix ends on May 29.
