Chess Gran Prix is off on its 3rd Series

After four rounds in the Guyana Chess Federation’s Third Grand Prix Chess Tournament,  which commenced on March 16th, 2024, Ethan Lee and Sasha Shariff lead in their open  and female categories, respectively. 

Lee is on 3.5 points after defeating Odit Rodrigues, Loris Nathoo, and Roberto Neto and  drawing with CM Ronuel Greenidge.  

Lee managed to defeat Loris Nathoo after gaining the upper hand in the chaotic duel as  the two players raced to checkmate. For Nathoo, it was the amassed pawn storm towards  Lee’s defensive line. For Lee, it was the arrangement of his long-range bishops and queen  towards Nathoo’s weakened kingside. As the time pressure piled on the players, both  players scrambled for tricks and traps. Finally, it was Lee who got the upper hand against  Nathoo. Nathoo’s race to Lee’s king had faltered, granting Lee the victory over the veteran  player. 

Lee vs Greenidge was a slow but tactical game. Lee, with the white pieces, gained an  upper hand early in the game, winning a pawn. This advantage began to snowball for Lee,  as his pieces became more and more active and threatening. However, Greenidge’s  precise end-game experience and inaccuracies by Lee led the game into a draw for the  black pieces. 

On 3 points are Loris Nathoo and Rashad Hussain. Ronuel Greenidge, Roberto Neto, Kyle  Couchman, Ricardo Narine, Keron Sandiford, and Jaden Taylor are all on 2.5 points. Other  participants are Odit Rodrigues, Sachin Pitamber, Kishan Puran, Kim Shing Chong, Ethan  Thakurdin, Tremusa Marshall, Rafael Park, and Alek Ubaldo-Singh.  

Meanwhile, Sasha Shariff won against Jessica Callender, Emma John, and newcomer Anya  De Groot, and drew with Aditi Joshi to gain 3.5 points.  

Shariff’s game against Callender was even as they exited the opening, with Shariff having  the advantage with a better pawn structure. The middle game then evolved into a series  of tricks and traps involving both players’ knights. In the end, it was Shariff who had  outmaneuvered Callender, securing a material advantage and cruised into a winning  endgame and into victory. 

Joshi, Callender, Ciel Clement, and Treskole Archibald are on 2.5 points. Other female  players are Kaija Clement, Nellisha Johnson, and Angelina Yhap. 

The 3rd series of the Grand Prix tourneys started on Saturday, March 16th, and will  conclude on March 24th, 2024. The tournament is being held at the Guyana National  Stadium, Providence, and is sponsored by the Guyana Chess Federation. Cash prizes  totaling $70,000 will awarded to the top three placements in the open and female 

categories. Gran Prix points will be calculated according to the rating system of the Grand  Prix tourneys.  

The Guyana Chess Federation 2024 Grand Prix series is part of the qualification system  for the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, in September 2024. The four Grand  Prix allows players to test their skills and work on improving their strategy for the opening,  middle, and end games in a competitive setting. The final Grand Prix will be played later  in June of this year. The National Open and Women’s Competitions are also part of the  qualification system for the Olympiad.  

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