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The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), in collaboration with the Special Education Needs (SEN) Department of the Ministry of Education, hosted a chess competition for Special Needs students on November 1st, 2024, at the David Rose Special School, Thomas Lands, Georgetown.
Seventeen students, including six girls, registered for the competition from David Rose Special School, Diamond Special Needs School, Linden SEN Centre, St. Barnabas Special School, and New Amsterdam Special Needs School. Ms. Sabine McIntosh, head of the GCF Special Needs Committee, led the day’s activities, guiding students as they showcased their chess abilities in a spirited tournament.
The competition, designed to foster intellectual growth and inclusivity, encouraged students to apply the skills they developed during training sessions conducted by their teachers through the GCF. The event marked a major achievement in the Guyana Chess Federation’s (GCF) ongoing initiative to introduce chess to students from SEN schools.
Placing first in the competition was talented fifteen-year-old Samuel Foo from the New Amsterdam Special Needs School, who played unbeaten in the few rounds allotted for the tournament. This is the second time Foo has won this competition, as he had placed first last year. Foo is happy to have won first place again. His father in an invited comment, said that Samuel loves the game and practices a lot and wants to continue playing in the future.
Deon Smith, sixteen, is a keen and eager player from David Rose Special School. He placed second, while fifteen-year-old Troy Scott, an up-and-coming player from the Linden SEN Centre, took the third spot. The best female prize went to fourteen-year- old Abigail Jairam, who displayed her strategic skills to take the fourth spot in the tournament. All the winners are Deaf students who would have been taught chess by the coaches from the GCF and by their respective teachers.
New Amsterdam Special School gained the most points for schools, followed by David Rose Special School and Linden SEN Centre. Teachers from each school were present to support their students. The tournament was overseen by John Lee, Jessica Callender, and Marcia Lee. Trophies for the winners and certificates of participation were presented by the federation.
GCF has expressed gratitude to the Special Education Needs Department for its support in making the tournament possible, thanked the David Rose Special School for providing the venue for the tournament and Mrs. Amanda Alli for donating the meals and beverages for the attendees.
This tournament highlighted the remarkable potential of students with special needs in chess. The GCF continues to build pathways for these students to excel academically and competitively through the game. The Special Education Needs Chess in Schools Competition represents a significant step toward an inclusive future in Guyanese chess, where all players, regardless of background, are given the opportunity to shine on the chessboard. Further chess training of the SEN teachers from the various schools will be ongoing with a program planned for early next year.
