Pitamber shines in FIDE World Youth U16 Chess Olympiad

After four days and six rounds of intense competition at the FIDE World Youth  U16 Chess Olympiad in Barranquilla, Colombia, Team Guyana has had some  mixed results, with Candidate Master Sachin Pitamber the top scorer so far. The  nine-round tournament runs from August 16 to August 23, 2025. 

Guyanese coach FM Anthony Drayton is providing updates from Barranquilla,  Colombia, with the sharp display of top Guyanese young minds participating in  the highly contested competition. Guyana faced a formidable team from the  host country, Colombia Team One on Sunday, August 17th 2025. 

Although the Guyanese Team prepared well, their stronger opponents prevailed  on the opening day Each match was a dynamic display of fighting spirit in a bid  to score an upset. Spectators and broadcasters were glued to Boards One and  Two of the Colombia vs Guyana matches – Kyle Couchman and CM Sachin  Pitamber, respectively. Computer analysis behind the scenes revealed that  Couchman was poised to gain an edge in an equal position, while Pitamber was  dominating with a pawn advantage. 

Unfortunately, the fortunes of the Guyanese players dwindled after WCM Aditi  Joshi and Alexander Zhang lost their matches to their Colombian counterparts,  leaving the team with the possibility of securing only a draw. Pitamber obtained a winning endgame position, but his more experienced  opponent cleverly manoeuvred the fight into a drawn position, forcing Pitamber  to accept the truce. Couchman’s lost in an endgame with a rook down.  

Rounds Two and Three saw improvement with Guyana winning a match against  Colombia Team Sixteen, 2.5-1.5, and dominating Guatemala 3-1 with excellent  performances from all players. 

Guyanese Alexander Zhang and Aditi recorded wins on Boards Three and Four,  respectively.  

Guyana faced off against Venezuela Team One in Round Four, and Pitamber  continued his stellar performance, beating his 1900-rated opponent on Board  Two with relative ease. Couchman blundered a positional move order, fighting  back in a pawn-down endgame. However, his efforts were not enough to clinch  the win. Guyana ended up losing the match 3-1.  

In Round Five, Guyana was paired against Colombia Team Seven. Although  determined to redeem themselves, the Guyanese players experienced mixed 

fortunes. Zhang and Joshi went down with losses, leaving Pitamber and Kyle  Couchman to keep the country’s flag flying. Pitamber pulled off a brilliant win  with a Queen sac against his opponent and won the game in style. Despite  several winning chances, Couchman faltered and settled for a draw since his  Board One opponent defended well. Guyana was defeated 2.5-1.5 in that match up. 

In Round Six, Guyana won convincingly against Colombia Team Eleven, scoring  3:1 with victories from Couchman, Zhang, and Joshi.  

With the last roundsremaining, the team is united to continue the mental battles  as they represent the Golden Arrowhead. Pitamber is already contending for the  Board Two prize with the most games won. 

Forty countries from around the world with eighty-five registered teams are  participating in the competition.