Chess 960 returns for the second year on Independence Day, Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre. The event, which is hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) and sponsored by Trophy Stall and the Pegasus Suites, promises to be an exciting and fun competition to celebrate Guyana’s 60th Independence Diamond Jubilee. Chess 960, also known as Fischer Random Chess, is a variant of chess strongly advocated by the legendary grandmaster and former world champion Bobby Fischer. The competition will be held in the Exhibition Room at the Pegasus Suites, compliments of Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre.
Mr. Brandon Badal, Director of the Pegasus Suites, is proud to support the Chess 960 Tournament for the second consecutive year, especially as this year’s tournament holds special significance as it forms part of the celebrations marking Guyana’s 60th Anniversary of Independence. A keen chess player himself, Mr. Badal has been a dedicated supporter of the sport and a valued sponsor of local chess events for several years. He commended the GCF’s promotion of Chess960, noting that the variant pushes players to think outside the box rather than relying on memorized opening theories.
As Guyana proudly celebrates its 60th Independence Anniversary, Trophy Stall is pleased to sponsor the trophies and cash prizes for Chess960 Tournament as part of the national observances. Ramesh Sunich, proprietor of Trophy Stall, said that he was very encouraged by the progress chess has made in Guyana over the years, noting that more young people are becoming interested in the game, more schools are introducing chess activities, and local players continue to perform with growing confidence and skill. This progress, he said, shows the tremendous potential that exists within the sport and that his company is honoured to support an event that brings together talented players, young minds, and lovers of the game in a spirit of competition, discipline, and national pride. Mr. Sunich advocated that for chess to continue growing and reaching even greater heights, there must be more tournaments, more opportunities for competition, and greater public and private support.
Trophy Stall extends congratulations to the organizers, participants, and supporters of the tournament and wishes all the players the very best.
The competition will be a 7-round Swiss format with a 15-minute time control and a 5-second increment for each player after every move. This chess variant shuffles the back-rank pieces at the start of the game to create exactly 960 different starting positions, forcing players to rely on creativity rather than memorized opening moves. While the pawns remain in their standard positions on the second and seventh ranks, the back-row pieces are randomly arranged.
Registration for the tournament can be done using the registration link provided on the GCF’s Facebook page. Payment of the tournament registration fees is made via MMG. The registration deadline is Monday, May 25, 2026, at 17:00hrs. Pairings and results will be published on chessresults.com.
The Federation would like to extend a sincere gratitude to the Trophy Stall for their kind support.
A special thank you to Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre for providing the venue for the tournament.
For more information on the Chess Federation and clubs, follow our social media accounts and check our website guyanachess.gy.
