Chess with Errol - Page 22 of 33

Chess development programme in evidence

Eight months into the year, the strength of Guyana’s player-development invisible programme was in evidence during the Forbes Burnham Memorial Chess Tournament.

Republic Bank’s Davion Mars (left), who placed second in the Junior category of the Forbes Burnham Memorial Chess Tournament, receives his trophy and medal from PNCR senior official Lance Carberry at an awards ceremony at Carifesta Sports Club. The junior category of the Burnham Memorial was won by Roberto Neto.

Neto, Drayton took top awards in memorial tournament

At the lively awards ceremony to mark the 30th death anniversary of former president Forbes Burnham at the Carifesta Sports Club on the evening of Friday before last, there was a palpable sense of excitement among the karate kids who assembled to uplift their medals and trophies.

Drayton victorious at Burnham Memorial tournament

The World Chess Federa-tion’s Candidate Master Anthony Drayton emerged victorious in the fierce Forbes Burnham Memorial Chess Tournament last Sunday following a defeat of Plaisance’s Alexander Duncan in his final game.

Clement Corlette (left foreground) leads the Forbes Burnham Memorial Chess with two rounds yet to play. Corlette smashed tournament favourite Anthony Drayton in his fifth round encounter to assume the lead. In the photo, Corlette opposes Plaisance’s Alexander Dun.

Practice and study in chess are vital

The single round swiss-system 2015 Forbes Burnham Memorial Chess Tournament ends this afternoon.

Chess players competing for honours during the 2015 Forbes Burnham Memorial Chess Tournament which ends today at the National Racquet Club on Woolford Avenue. Leaders after three rounds of the competition are Roberto Neto, Anthony Drayton and Taffin Khan.

The Burnham Memorial is still anybody’s tournament

Within recent years there has been a resuscitation of, and increased interest in chess, with many more annual tournaments sponsored and held than ever before in the history of the game in Guyana.

Burnham Memorial Tournament now in progress

It is my fervent hope as President of the Guyana Chess Association and as the Head of a Government committed to national excellence in sports, that Ajedrez will make a contribution in further popularizing chess, to illuminate the darkness and dispel the mysteries which in some cases still surround and engulf this great game, and be a source of instruction to the inexperienced, and of pleasure to the initiate.

Maria Varona Thomas, one of the participants in the James Bond inaugural chess tournament which was played at Congress Place, Sophia, last weekend. Maria placed fourth in the tournament which was won by Wendell Meusa.

Re-energising the local chess scene

Attorney-at-Law James Bond learnt to play chess last December. He was wowed and inspired by the game.

Carrying the name of the most famous movie character of perhaps all time, Attorney-at-Law James Bond (left) ponders his next move in a friendly chess encounter. Bond learnt to play the game last December and relates that he is fascinated with the possibilities which chess has to offer. Bond is sponsoring a chess tournament over the weekend at Congress Place, Sophia. The tournament concludes today, and all are invited as onlookers to the games. Play begins at 10 am.

A James Bond shot in the arm for local chess

The mysterious game of royalty, chess, was given a plaudit over the weekend as a seven-round, Swiss-system, two-day chess tournament was conducted from yesterday, Saturday, at Congress Place, and will conclude today, Sunday.

Jerald Times, a school teacher from Harlem, teaches underprivileged children the game of chess. Times was a champion of Harlem at 14, and is considered one of the five strongest black players in the world. He honed his skills in chess by playing against the street hustlers in New York. He noted that they bring a mental toughness to the game. Not that long ago, Times engaged his students in speed chess, where players have only minutes to complete a game. They punch a running game clock after every move, and the crackling pace tests a player’s reflexes, nerves and confidence.

Trash talking, the lighter side of chess

Chess is not a physical contact sport. In chess, contact is made with the mind, sometimes through speech, sometimes silently.

Anthony Drayton (left) of Guyana opposes Andrew Mellace of Jamaica during last year’s Umada Cup which was held in Guyana. The tournament was hosted by the World Chess Federation.

More local competition in chess is necessary

At times, the column focuses primarily on regurgitating chess stories from around the world in juxtaposition to highlighting what is happening locally.

Chess is one of the oldest surviving war games

Some time in the fourth century BC, Sun Tzu wrote the Chinese classic The Art of War which has survived.

Felicity Sonaram, 13 (left) a student at St Stanislaus College, opposes Sheriffa Ali, 16, of St Joseph High, during the lunch interval of last Sunday’s rapid chess tournament at the National Resource Centre in Woolford Avenue. Both students have been identified to represent Guyana at the Guyana Games which are to be held here next month. In the background, Joshua Gopaul, 15, of Saints, takes on his sister Ellen, a student at Zeeburg Secondary. Joshua captured the top junior chess prize in Sunday’s competition and has also been earmarked to represent his country at the Guyana Games.

The ‘game of the decade’

The 6th Hainan Danzhou chess tournament concluded yesterday. The 16-year-old chess phenomenon Wei Yi played a game with Cuba’s number two player, Lazaro Batista Bruzon.

Russia’s world chess champion Garry Kasparov takes on the world’s super-computer Deep Blue in a return six game chess match in New York in 1997. Kasparov had beaten Blue the previous year. Blue won the deciding sixth and final game. Its owners IBM, did not respond positively to Kasparov for a rematch and retired the machine.

Machines built to win at ‘thinking’ games

Garber to fellow policeman: “You won’t believe this.” Policeman: “You know me.

Only 11 countries have produced men’s world chess champions

Becoming a world chess champion may be, decidedly, the most extraordinary feat one can perform as it is captured in a halo of glory; a colossal achievement.

Chess, politics and coincidence

In the long, fluctuating history of chess, since it was first discovered in India some time around 6 AD, the number of heads-of-state who are familiar with the game becomes noticeable.

Promoting chess can redound to the benefit of all Guyanese

“The ultimate strength of our country and our cause will be not in powerful weapons or infinite resources or boundless wealth, but will lie in the unity of our people.”

At 16 years old, Wei Yi (in photo) became the youngest chess champion of China when he emerged victorious in the Chinese Chess Championship in Xinghua recently. It is now apparent that youngsters are excelling in the rich ancient game beginning with Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, who won the world championship title when he was 22, two years ago. Following his victory, Yi was catapulted to No 30 in the rankings by the World Chess Federation. Some chess analysts are of the view that Yi could be a likely challenger in due course for Carlsen.

Teen wins Chinese Chess Championship

China’s rise in the world of chess has been meteoric ever since the nation came to prominence with its playing strengths at the turn of the millennium.

Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana to compete in Candidates tournament

Two Americans, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, blasted their way into the 2015 Candidates elimination chess tournament with an opportunity to oppose Magnus Carlsen for the world championship title.

International Master Nisha Mohota urges equal rights for women chess players

India’s International Master Nisha Mohota concludes her remarks in relation to British grandmaster Nigel Short’s criticism that women are inferior chess players.

Indian International Master Nisha Mohota (in photo) responds to British grandmaster Nigel Short’s ‘ Vive la Difference’ story about inferiority at the game of chess in relation to women. She has qualified as a woman grandmaster (WGM) and a full international master (IM).

Chess is not about gender, it’s about being smart

One month ago, British grandmaster Nigel Short provoked anger and derision when he claimed that men are “hard-wired differently” to be better chess players than women.