CHESS 960 TOURNEY SET FOR 60TH INDEPENDENCE DIAMOND JUBILEE CELEBRATIONS

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.