SAM AND HARRISON WIN JADE’S WOK U1400 RAPID CHESS TOURNEYS

Dominic Sam and Chelsea Harrison were the stars of the Jade’s Wok, Pinnacle  Business Services, and Cubs in Action International joint sponsored U1400 Rapid  Chess Tournament, which was held last Sunday, February 22, 2026, at the David  Rose Special School. The two juniors won in their respective categories: Open  and Female, claiming the first-place trophy after delivering stellar performances  over the board of rapid chess.  

Sam finished in first place ahead of the 25 competitors in the Open Category.  Returning to competitive chess after a break from his studies, Sam made an  impressive comeback. His perfect score was thwarted by draws against  Tejasvarun Kandavel and Jeremy Cole in the second and seventh rounds. 

Shurlan Sparman produced a calm and technically sound performance to finish  with 6 points; however, due to tiebreakers, he was awarded the second-place  trophy. His lone loss came in the fourth round against Sam. 

Third place went to talented Arush Ramnarine, who scored five points after a  resilient showing despite losses in rounds five and six. 

Jeremiah Jacobs, a promising young talent, finished fourth with five points after  fighting hard; tie breakers placed him in fourth after losses in rounds one and six. 

Rounding off the top five was Jeremy Cole, who scored 5 points. His performance  was highlighted by solid play and draws in rounds four and seven, respectively,  with a single defeat in round three. 

In the Girls Category, Harrison finished with a solid six points ahead of the 16  girls. Her only setback came in the third round, when she lost to second-place  winner Angelina Yhap. Yhap maintained a tactically sound and disciplined  approach for most of the nine rounds. Her strong run included only two minor  setbacks: a draw in the fifth and a loss in the final round, bringing her score to  5.5 points.  

Third place went to Sana Sreebalakumar, who finished with 4.5 points.  Sreebalakumar displayed her depth and knowledge of the game despite losses  in the first and sixth rounds and a lone draw in the third round. 

Finishing in fourth place on a tie break was seasoned competitor Italy Ton-Chung,  finishing with 4.5 points, with losses in the first and sixth rounds and a hard fought draw in the fifth round contributing to her final standing.

Parnita Kishun secured fifth place also with 4.5 points due to the tie-breakers.  She played calmly and consistently to win her final round, showing her resilience  and experience. She drew her game in the second round and recorded two  losses in the third and fifth rounds. 

Notable players in the Open Category were Ethen Pompey, finishing with 5  points; Jacob McDonald, Mark Defreitas, Tejasvarun Kandavel, Sanjay Suman,  Brian Clarke, Pranav Suman, and Viren Meghan, all finishing with 4 points. 

Other notable players in the Female category were Axela Vieira and Divya  Persaud, who both finished with four points. Bianca Jessimy, Rebha Lachhman,  Varsha Pooran, and Madison Spencer each ended the tournament with 3.5  points. 

The seven-round competition featured a Rapid time control of 15 minutes plus  a 5-second increment per move and was overseen by Chief Arbiter John Lee and  his assistant Arbiters Ethan Lee and Kim Shing Chong. The U1400 Rapid  tournament is in its second year of running, designed to attract only unrated players, giving them a chance to shine and compete among players with similar  playing strength.  

In a simple prize-giving ceremony, trophies were presented by Mrs. Lucknauth,  the proprietress of Jade’s Wok, Pinnacle Business Services, and Cubs in Action  International, to the top five finishers in both categories. 

GCF would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to Jade’s Wok, Pinnacle Business  Services, and Cubs in Action International for their generous sponsorship.