MOHABIR IS THE PEGASUS YOUNG KNIGHTS CHALLENGE CHAMPION

Julian Mohabir is the Pegasus Young Knights Challenge Champion, after playing spectacularly in  the inaugural chess competition hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) at the Pegasus  Chess Club last Sunday, September 21st, 2025. The twelve-year-old secured the title over young  Vir Narine by scoring the same number of points, but winning the championship prize based on  tie-break criteria, which considered factors such as opponents’ strength and head-to-head results  in the seven-round rapid competition. Both Mohabir and Narine finished the event with six  points, but the tie-break favoured Mohabir and secured his victory. The young competitors agreed  to a draw in their sixth round against each other.  

Mohabir, who has an ELO rating of 1457, secured his wins against newcomer Mekhel Murphy,  Dunamis Singh, Lester Thomas, Javier Davenand, and former U-12 Chess Champion, Jeremy Cole.  His two half points resulted from the games with Aiden Tinnie and Narine.  

Ten-year-old Narine, who has been steadily improving his performance and recently gained an  ELO rating of 1426, won against Sanjay Suman, Arian Tinnie, and newcomers Ace Patel and Mark  DeFreitas. His win against the Girls’ U-12 Chess Champion, Kataleya Sam (1503), was his most  accomplished one yet after he forced a win through a positional game. His two draws were against  Aiden Tinnie and Mohabir.  

Placing third is eleven-year-old Abel Fernández Ciria with 5.5 points. Fernández Ciria, who holds  the U-12 Open Championship title and an ELO rating of 1477, won against Avery Munroe, Raiden  Ruplal, Lester Thomas, Rebha Lachhman, and Amaya Sharma. He suffered a loss in his fourth  round against young Aiden Tinnie after drawing with Cole in the third round.  

Copping the fourth-place prize is Javier Davenand, rated 1437, who ended the competition with  5 points. The eleven-year-old had victories over Vrinda Narine, Amaya Sharma, Chelsea Harrison,  and Sam. His sixth and seventh rounds resulted in draws against Cole and Arush Ramnarine, while  his one loss came from round five against the tournament champion, Mohabir.  

Fifth place went to Aiden Tinnie with five points. Tinnie, who recently gained his ELO rating of  1525, drew his games with Mohabir and Narine and suffered a loss against Sam. His wins were  against Vasu Meghan, Joshua Patterson, Francis Thomas, and Sanjay Suman.  

The Best Female prize went to Sam, who placed sixth in the competition with 5 points. The current  U-12 Girls’ Champion holds a conditional Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title. She will earn  the WCM title when she reaches the required rating points. 

The inaugural Pegasus Young Knights Challenge for U-12 players was played at the venue of the  Pegasus Chess Club, Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre, Kingston. Forty-four players competed  in the seven-round rapid tournament with a time control of 15 minutes and 5-second increments  added to the clock after each move. FIDE Arbiter and Technical Manager of the GCF John Lee  overlooked the games with the assistance of the Pegasus Chess Club attendants.  

The GCF has reached a new milestone, fielding FIDE-rated players in an U-12 competition for the  first time in the federation’s history. This achievement is a testament to the GCF’s efforts over the  last five years, according to President Anand Raghunauth. “We’ve seen a dramatic increase in our  number of junior chess players and their performance,” he said. With this growing pool of rated  talent, the GCF is poised to make its mark on the international stage, with its sights set on  improving junior performance. 

The Federation is also aggressively positioning the club as a meeting place for players of all ages.  “Chess is for everyone from 6 to 60 years old. Pegasus Chess Club offers free coaching to anyone  who becomes a member and it is open on Sundays from 11AM to 6PM,” GCF Public Relations  Director Shiv Nandalall pointed out. 

The GCF expresses heartfelt thanks to the participants and their parents for their support and to  the Pegasus Suites for the venue and to Sunshine Snacks for providing snacks to the participants.  

The tournament is one of many that the federation will host at the Pegasus Chess Club. The venue  is the ideal place for players to relax, play, and learn in a comfortable environment. Persons who  wish to join the chess club can visit guyanachess.gy.