PITAMBER AND CALLENDER LEADING I-CEE GRAND PRIX III CHESS

CM Sachin Pitamber and WCM Jessica Callender are both leading the Open and Female  categories, respectively, after four rounds ended in the I-CEE Grand Prix III Chess tournament  on Sunday, January 25th, 2026, at the David Rose Special School. The winners will emerge this  weekend as the tournament leaders battle over the board with opponents in four more  intense Rounds. 

Dominating the field, Pitamber finished last weekend undefeated, securing the lead with a  perfect 4 points. Close on his heels is FM Anthony Drayton with 3.5 points, followed by  Alexander Zhang in third with 3. The tournament’s competitive depth was on full display as  Alek Ubaldo Singh fought his way to 3 points, while Keron Sandiford, Tejas Kandavel, and  Gilbert Williams remain in striking distance with 2.5 points each. Rounding out the top half of  the table, Kyle Couchman, Kishan Puran, and Saeed Ali ended the fourth round with 2 points  apiece. 

Callender leads the charge in the women’s division, remaining unbeaten with 3.5 points. Her  impressive run included victories over Emma John, WCM Sasha Shariff, and Treskolé Archibald.  Her only draw came against a formidable Ciel Clement, who is currently on 3.5 points. The  competition remains fierce, with Shariff and John holding steady at 3 points each, followed by  Olivia Rajmangal on 2.5. Rounding out the top spots are Archibald, Amaya Sharma, Kataleya  Sam, and Sana Sreebalakumar, all tied at 2 points.  

With a $100,000 prize fund on the line, this FIDE-rated tournament reaches its thrilling  conclusion this weekend. The final four rounds, held on January 31st and February 1st, carry  immense weight; players are not only battling for ELO rating points but also for crucial Grand  Prix points. These points are crucial to the qualification process, determining who will  ultimately represent Guyana at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. 

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 David Rose Special School for  providing the venue. The tournament is the third in a series of hard-fought competitions for  Guyanese chess players to qualify for the 2026 Chess Olympiad.