SANDIFORD LEADS I-CEE GRAND PRIX 2 CHESS TOURNAMENT

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) I-CEE sponsored Grand Prix 2 Chess  Tournament got underway last weekend at the School of the Nations, setting the  stage for a dramatic final weekend of play. After four intense rounds in classical  style play, Keron Sandiford has established a decisive early lead in the Open  Category, while Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi heads the Female  Category. 

In the Open Category, from among 30 players, Sandiford continued his winning  streak midway through the tournament after his match with Gilbert Williams last  Sunday. Sandiford overwhelmed his fourth opponent with two unstoppable  centre pawns, which were a major threat, forcing Williams to resign. 

In the second and third positions are FIDE Masters (FMs) Anthony Drayton and  newcomer Rawle Allicock, who are tied on 3.5 points. They were engaged in a  fierce battle in the Fourth Round. Both opponents mobilised their Rooks, Pawns,  and Queens within striking distance to attack each other’s King. Faced with  severe loss of material and on the verge of losing, Drayton held on tenaciously  and courageously fought back. He advanced his active queen and rooks to  threaten Allicock’s King with checkmate. In a dramatic twist, Drayton offered his  opponent a draw by perpetual check (continuously attacking Allicock’s King  without obtaining checkmate) and Allicock accepted. The two opponents shook  hands and signed the truce after just over 40 moves. 

Former Junior Champion Joshua Gopaul defeated reigning Junior Champion Kyle  Couchman in Round Two in a marathon encounter. Gopaul gained a decisive  edge with his stronger Rook dominating Couchman’s weaker Bishop in an  exciting endgame. Gopaul’s Rook created mayhem, although Couchman  stubbornly resisted. The former junior champion eventually scored a  breakthrough, trading his Rook in exchange for Couchman’s Bishop and  introduced a new Queen to checkmate Couchman’s King and secure victory. 

In the same Round, Sachin Pitamber went down to Prince Dunn in a surprise  defeat. Dunn’s passed pawn, about to be promoted to a Queen, sealed his win  against Pitamber on move 46. Dunn’s much stronger position left his opponent  without many options, and he secured the win.

Following closely on the points table are Kyle Couchman, Joshua Gopaul, CM  Sachin Pitamber, Leslie Campbell, and Micaiah Enoe, all on three  points. Finishing off the top 10 are Shiv Nandalall and Kim Shing Chong, both  with two and a half points. 

On the distaff side, reigning Women’s Champion WCM Aditi Joshi defeated three  of her opponents and drew her match with promising young player Kataleya  Sam. Joshi also defeated Ciel Clement, her fourth opponent on Sunday, in a  gruelling endgame battle with both Kings and a Bishop each in battle mode to  target the remaining pawns. With two extra pawns, the WCM consolidated her  position to regain a powerful Queen and a won position. Knowing the outcome,  Clement conceded to her opponent on move 43. 

In the Female Category with seventeen females, Joshi leads with 3.5 points, but  faces serious competition from young star Kataleya Sam, who secured an  impressive draw against Joshi to land in second place with three points. Treskolé Archibald and Ciel Clement are also tied on three points. WCMs Jessica  Callendar and Sasha Shariff are both tied on two and a half points, along with  Italy Ton-Chung. Maliha Rajkumar, Parnita Kishun, Chelsea Harrison, and Saura  Ruplall follow up with 2 points each. 

The tournament, which boasts a total cash prize fund of $100,000, is set to  conclude this coming weekend. The remaining four rounds are scheduled for  Saturday, November 29th, and Sunday, November 30th, at the School of the  Nations. 

The top eight boards of the open category and top four of the female category  are live-streamed on lichess.org by John Lee, FIDE Arbiter and Technical Director  of the GCF. Full results and pairings can be viewed on Chess-results.com. 

The Guyana Chess Federation expresses its gratitude to its dedicated sponsor, I CEE, for its continued support of chess development in Guyana, and to the  School of the Nations for providing the venue.