GUYANA CHESS FEDERATION, DIAMOND INSURANCE NATIONAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIERS SET FOR THIS WEEKEND.

The 2026 National Chess Championship Qualifiers begin on Saturday, February 28,  at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall from 9 am. 

The Guyana Chess Federation and Diamond Fire and General Insurance are the  main sponsors of the Open and Female categories, respectively.  

The first four rounds of the eight-round classic tournament will take place this  weekend, Saturday, February 28th, and Sunday, March 1st, before concluding the  following weekend on March 7th and 8th, 2026. 

The eight-round Swiss tournament features a classical time control of 90 minutes  per player plus a 30-second increment per move, will see intense battles over the  board as chess players vie to secure a spot and challenge reigning National  Champions CM Taffin Khan in the Open Championship and WCM Aditi Joshi in the  Women’s Championship for the coveted titles. 

In the Open Category, a formidable line up featuring players like FM Rawle Allicock,  FM Anthony Drayton, Kyle Couchman, CM Sachin Pitamber, CM Ronuel Greenidge,  Keron Sandiford are expected to lead a diverse field of senior players seeking the  top nine spots meanwhile, the rising wave of talent of the juniors including U12  Champion Aidan Tinne, U14 Champion Abel Fernandez Ciria, Vir Narine, Javier  Davenand, among others will challenge the more experienced ones as they attempt  to break into the top nine spots. 

While in the Women’s Category, former champions, WCMs Jessica Callender and  Sasha Shariff, are expected to battle it out against a highly competitive field. The  top players will face a strong challenge from seasoned players including Treskolé  Archibald, Ciel Clement, Chelsea Harrison, Rebha Lachhman, Parnita Kishun and  from rising stars such as U14 and U16 Girls’ Champion Kataleya Sam, U12 Champion  Divya Persaud, among others, all vying for one of the top 9 spots. 

The top nine finishers from each category will earn a stake to participate in the  National Chess Championship 2026 set to begin on March 14th, 2026. 

The top eight boards for the Open Category and the top four boards for the  Women’s Category will be live streamed on lichess.org by John Lee, FIDE Arbiter 

and Technical Director for the GCF. Results and pairings can be viewed on chess results.com  

Visit guyanachess.gy to learn more about the GCF and follow us on Facebook and  Instagram.