More than 50 young players gathered at the National Track and Field Centre in Leonora last weekend, May 9th–10th, for a comprehensive two-day youth chess workshop. Sponsored by International Import and Supplies and the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), the workshop successfully initiated the federation’s expansion program within Region 3.
The program drew a diverse crowd of students and teachers from nine local schools, offering tailored instruction for every skill level. Absolute beginners learnt the fundamentals—from piece movement to essential checkmating patterns—while intermediate players sharpened their tactics through complex puzzles and opening theory. The five-hour sessions saw high engagement from all participants, including a strong showing of 23 female players. Beyond the board, the initiative provided complimentary meals and refreshments, ensuring students could focus entirely on developing their critical thinking skills. To sustain this momentum, the GCF awarded chess sets to the schools with the most attendance to help launch their internal chess clubs. Leonora Secondary, West Demerara Secondary, Qayyim Academy, and De Willem Secondary had the most attendance. Other participating schools were Leonora Primary, Stewartville Secondary, Zeeburg Secondary, Cornelia Ida Primary and Modern Foundation Academy.
The workshop welcomed a mix of new faces and returning players, including several young women and teachers who had attended the previous week’s Girls’ Chess Workshop. This continuity allowed students to transition seamlessly from theory to practice.
On Sunday, forty eager participants put their new skills to the test in a competitive mini-tournament. For many, this was their first experience playing with chess clocks under formal tournament conditions. After six rounds of intense play, trophies and chess sets were awarded to the top six finishers and the Best Female Performer, while other participants received prizes to commemorate their progress. The top six performers of the tournament were Deandre Mohammed from Qayyim Academy, Kemari Peters from West Demerara Secondary, Jaquan Browne from Stewartville Secondary, Christian Campbell from Qayyim Academy, Jairam Thackurdeen from West Demerara, and Samuel George from Qayyim Academy. The Best Female prize went to Zafirah Bremner from Qayyim Academy.
The GCF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Unit of Allied Arts, spearheaded the training to foster awareness among primary and secondary level students. GCF chess coaches CM Taffin Khan, Nellisha Johnson and Marcia Lee headed the training sessions of the students, while John Lee assisted with the tournament.
GCF President Anand Raghunauth noted the significance of the turnout, emphasizing that chess is now a reality for several schools across the West Coast of Demerara. He reaffirmed the Federation’s commitment to supporting these institutions, noting that the GCF will maintain active engagement with school administrations to ensure chess becomes a permanent fixture in their extracurricular development.
The GCF would like to thank the National Sports Commission for providing a comfortable venue for the training. Gratitude to International Import and Supplies for their commitment and continuous support to the GCF.
