Team Coach FM Anthony Drayton believes the Guyana four-member U-16 team delivered a strong performance against tough Latin American opponents at the FIDE World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad in Barranquilla, Colombia, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the competition.
In nine rounds of battle to keep the Guyana Flag flying, they faced opposing teams from Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Guatemala, and Chile without going down 4-0 in any Round.
According to Drayton, the matches were hard-fought and a test of nerves, but unexpected results from Alexander Zhang and WCM Aditi Joshi cost the team a durable finish and an accolade as the top Under-16 team in the Caribbean and parts of South America.
After a solid performance against Colombia 11 in Round 6, scoring 3 out of 6 match points, the Guyanese players were close to bettering their standings.
In Round 7, Guyana faced Peru 4 with Kyle Couchman and CM Sachin Pitamber on the top two boards. The duo both secured early draws, leaving the job of winning the Round to Zhang and WCM Joshi. Zhang fumbled in a better positional opening and lost a pawn in a combination attack, losing in an unfortunate fashion. WCM Joshi achieved an equal endgame with the black pieces, but under severe time pressure, with less than ten seconds on the clock remaining, her chances of turning around the team’s fortunes were very slim; time ran out, and she lost the match. The Round ended 3-1 in Peru’s favour.
Guyana faced Chile 3 in Round 8, and a plan was set with the team poised to take the match. Couchman scored a quick win, crushing his opponent in a potent and well-prepared middle game attack. Not wanting to be counted out yet, Couchman reached a solid 4.5 out of 8 individual points. In his match, Zhang committed an unexpected blunder from a better middle game position and lost, while CM Pitamber scored a draw. WCM Joshi obtained a crushing position against her opponent, but her fortunes evaporated to convert the game into a win. She, too, was forced to settle for a draw, tying the match 2-2.
In the ninth and final Round, Guyana was paired with Peru 5. The day was long, but the games were short and filled with excitement. Zhang obtained a quick draw, but WCM Joshi suffered an unfortunate defeat in a completely winning
endgame. Couchman and CM Pitamber were taken to task to make aggressive moves in fighting chess as they confronted their opponents. In his match, CM Pitamber was completely winning. However, one slightly inaccurate move caused his opponent to achieve a drawn endgame with nothing to reverse the result. Couchman stood his ground to fight for a win. He sacrificed three pieces – two Rooks and a Knight to force a checkmate. His opponent also stood his ground, and the match ended in a draw, 2-2.
Guyana ended in 52nd position out of 85 teams.
CM Pitamber ended on 6 points out of 9, gaining an impressive 95 Elo rating points, finishing in 85th position out of 340 participants. Couchman ended with 5.5 points out of 9 with a 33 Elo point gain finishing at 109th place in the competition. Zhang and WCM Joshi ended with 2.5 points each and are searching for new ways to improve with the tournament experience now behind them.
The Guyana Chess Federation appreciates the support of the National Sports Commission for the U16 Olympiad Chess Team. The Federation is committed to improving the skills of our chess players on both a national and international level. The GCF believes this experience will be valuable for the young players’ growth as both individuals and competitors.
