Pitamber, Couchman and Sandiford shine at Year End Rapid and Blitz Chess Tourneys

It was no surprise to the chess community when the three young men, Candidate  Master Sachin Pitamber, Kyle Couchman, and Keron Sandiford, emerged as the top  three winners of the End of Year Rapid and Blitz Chess Competitions held at the  David Rose Special School last weekend. 

Young Pitamber, who gained his Candidate Master Title in September last and  played unbeaten, emerged as the winner in the End of Year Rapid Tournament with  8.5 points in the nine-round Swiss competition. Couchman came in a close second  with 8 points, while Sandiford, known for his talent in fast-paced competitions,  placed third with 6.5 points.  

Couchman won the End of Year Blitz Tournament with 8 points while Sandiford  came in second, with 8 points, and Pitamber placed third with 6 points.  

Junior Champion Ricardo Narine, playing in the U20 Category emerged victorious  over his counterparts with 8 points. Young Nicholas Zhang and Woman Candidate  Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi placed second and third with 6.5 points each.  

The Best Female prizes for the Rapid competition went to WCM Jessica Callender  and Tharisha Montes De Oca in the Open and U20 categories respectively, while  Joshi copped the Best Female prize in the Blitz competition.

Notable performances in the Rapid competition were Kishan Puran with 6 points  and newcomer Aravinda Singh with 5 points, playing in the Open Category,  Alexander Zhang with 6.5 points, and newcomer Krishna Singh with 5 points from  the U20 Category, and Rolex Alexander and Nicholas Zhang with 5.5 points, from  the Blitz competition.  

The tourneys, sponsored by the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), attracted almost  thirty players vying for $225,000 in cash prizes. The End of Year Rapid and Blitz  tourneys were set to complete the 2024 calendar of chess tournaments hosted by  the GCF. The Rapid chess competition was played on Saturday, December 28th, in  two divisions, the Open and U20 categories, with a time control of 15 minutes plus 

5 seconds added to the clock after each move. The Blitz competition played on  December 29th had a time control of 5 minutes plus 5-second increments.  

The GCF wishes to thank the players for their resolute commitment to chess and  their participation in the tourneys, which culminated in the chess events for 2024.  Thanks to the arbiter of the tournaments, FIDE Master Anthony Drayton.  

The GCF would like to thank David Rose Special School for providing the venue for  the tournament. 

The GCF extends best wishes for 2025 to all our sponsors, supporters, and friends  in the chess community. Join us on guyanachess.gy, Facebook, and Instagram to  keep updated with chess activities.