CHESS CHAMPIONS IN ADMIRABLE PERFORMANCE

Guyana’s Candidate Master (CM) Taffin Khan, the reigning National Chess  Champion, and Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Jessica Callender, 2024’s National  Women Champion, have returned home following their participation in the 2025  Subzone 2.3.3 Absolute and Women Chess Championships, hosted by the Trinidad  and Tobago Chess Association from April 11th to April 18th, 2025. 

In the Absolute category, International Master Orlando Husbands (2291) of  Barbados emerged as the overall champion, finishing with an impressive 7.5 points  out of a maximum of 9. Representing Guyana, CM Khan delivered a commendable  performance, securing 5.5 points and finishing in 15th place among a competitive  field of international players.  

While entering with an ELO rating of 2023, Khan experienced two setbacks, losing  to Trinidad’s Vassell (1664) in the opening round and to strong contender FM Ryan  Harper (2125) in round eight. Nevertheless, he demonstrated his strength with wins  over Trinidad’s Sookraj (1586) and Jamaican players Mckoy (1729), Stephenson  (1861), and Belinfante (1898). He drew games with his Trinidadian opponent  Bisnath (1891), Jain (1910) from Jamaica, and FM Moncur from the Bahamas.  

Barbadian WFM Hannah Willson (1847) delivered a stellar performance in the  Women’s category, dominating the field and clinching the championship with a  commanding 8 points out of a possible 9. 

WCM Jessica Callender (1568) finished in 14th place with a total of 4.5 points, which  included two wins and five draws with only two losses. After losing her first round  against WCM Reifer-Belle (1816) from Barbados, Callender secured victories against  Grenada’s Flanders and WCM Wahid (1588) from St. Lucia. Callender drew with  Aruba’s Moreno Mora (1678), Trinidad’s Dolly (1596), Duffrin (1558) and Ali, and  WCM Zara Majid (1576) from the Cayman Islands. Neighboring Suriname’s WCM  Kaslan (1740) won against Callender in the eighth round.  

Callender described her first Sub Zone tournament as an incredible experience,  highlighting the opportunity to compete against top players from eight nations. She  expressed her excitement at losing only two games, noting that her toughest match 

was in the first round against eventual runner-up, Barbadian WCM Chanon Reifer Belle. 

Khan commented that the nature of the games was of a high standard and quite  challenging. He welcomed the experience of playing against other talented chess  players from other countries.  

The tournament featured top players from across the region, including  representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda,  British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica,  Netherlands Antilles, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the  Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 

The tournament champions of each tournament will automatically earn the right to  participate in the next FIDE World Cup. 

The Guyana Chess Federation congratulates Khan and Callender on their  achievements and continues to champion the growth of local players as they  compete internationally.