Kyle Couchman has emerged victorious in the Rouge Salon and Spa-sponsored National Junior Chess Championship for 2025, which concluded at the School of the Nations last week.
The fifteen-year-old played unbeaten in the nine-round Round Robin competition, earning 8.5 points ahead of the top ten contenders for the title. After winning the National Junior Chess Qualifiers last month, Couchman, who has an ELO rating of 1915, delivered a stellar performance to secure the National Junior Chess Championship title. He defeated every opponent, with the sole exception of a draw against rising talent, Micaiah Enoe, in Round Three.
Guyana’s youngest Candidate Master (CM), Sachin Pitamber, and reigning U16 Chess Champion placed second with 8 points. The talented fifteen-year-old, who has an ELO rating of 1860, was a close contender for the title, but his loss to Couchman in Round Four quickly put him at a disadvantage for the position.
Ricardo Narine placed third with 4.5 points after an unsuccessful attempt to defend his title in his last year as a junior. The two-time National Junior Champion, having won four games and drawing his match with Aditi Joshi, will be looking to join the senior ranks next year.
Enoe, who has performed significantly well during recent competitions, placed fourth with 4.5 points, with three wins and three draws. This is the first time the fifteen-year-old competed in the National Junior Chess Championships.
Woman Candidate Master Aditi Joshi placed fifth with 4.5 points after securing three wins and three draws. Joshi, the only female contender, held her own amongst the males, demonstrating skill and resilience over the board.
Twenty-year-old Jerod Roberts, competing for the first time in the National Junior Chess Championships, placed sixth with four points. Matthew Singh with 3.5 points, Alexander Zhang 3 points, Nicholas Zhang 2.5 points, and eleven year-old Aquilani Swaminadha, the youngest competitor, with 2 points, wrapped up the remaining positions.
The U20 chess players competed in the classical style format of the game, with 90 minutes and 30-second increments added to the clock after each move.
The players will be rewarded with their prizes at the prize-giving ceremony scheduled for later in the year. The games were live-streamed and monitored by FIDE Arbiter and Technical Director, John Lee.
The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) expresses gratitude to Rouge Salon and Spa for their kind sponsorship and to the School of the Nations for providing the tournament venue.
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