“Age brings wisdom to some men, and to others, chess.” – Evan Esar World Chess Day, observed on July 20, coincides with the birth anniversary of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), which was founded on July 20, 1924. The idea to celebrate World Chess Day was proposed by UNESCO and celebrations commenced in 1966. Every year, events and competitions are initiated worldwide but largely for FIDE’s 181 federations.
Guyana celebrated World Chess Day last Monday with a rapid online tournament. The time regulation was set at seven minutes plus two incremental seconds for the completion of each game.
National chess champion Anthony Drayton won easily from among the two dozen participants. He was followed by Irshad Mohammed and Wendell Meusa. Drayton’s only loss was to Meusa.
Two days earlier, on Saturday, July 18, the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) held its first online tournament, which attracted 28 participants. Again, Drayton won. The time regulation was 10 minutes in addition to two incremental seconds. Most of the local participants in the upcoming FIDE Olympiad were in attendance for both activities.
Undoubtedly, FIDE and the GCF are encouraging young persons to sharpen their skills with the aim of promoting the game further on the international and national levels.
According to the FIDE schedule, Guyana will begin its 2020 Olympiad campaign on Friday, July 31 and continue on August 1 and 2. The competition will operate on a knockout basis, where the player has to win to progress. Team Guyana is ranked 121 from the 163 participating nations.
State-of-the-art equipment, such as cameras to prevent cheating, are a necessary requirement. The GCF has already put measures into place to obtain the equipment. Cheating in this competition will be difficult. Although actual competitors will be playing from their homes, safeguards will be in place. Competitors have to face a wall when the game begins, cell phones and earpieces are not allowed in the playing area and no one is allowed into the room during the game but the player. Players will be watched from a central control station as they play.
Team captain Loris Nathoo noted that should Guyana progress to the next round, it would be a substantial boost to chess and our young players, especially the women and girls. “It can be done although we are new to this kind of virtual exercise,” Nathoo said.
Women play less competitive chess than men worldwide and FIDE is encouraging attendance at tournaments and championships in this direction. The platform to be utilised for the Olympiad is available online at chess.com.
