Guyana had an excellent showing at the recently concluded CARIFTA Chess Championship 2026 last Saturday, July 11th, in the Under-18 and Under-16 Categories in a Hybrid format at the Olympic House in Liliendaal. The Guyanese players faced their opponents from sister Caribbean and CARIFTA nations entirely online.
Candidate Master Sachin Pitamber’s brilliant performance in his Under-16 Open Category earned him the top score of 7.5 in the nine-round tournament, but he finished second due to the tie-breaker. Sixteen-year-old Kyle Couchman, playing in the Under-18 Open Category, showcased his tactical brilliance, finishing third with 6 points. Fifteen-year-old Woman Candidate Master Aditi Joshi secured third place in the Under-16 Girls division with 6 points. Meanwhile, 16-year-old Ciel Clement matched her podium finish, claiming third in the Under-18 Girls category with 4 points.
Pitamber’s impressive run included seven victories, a single draw against James Levi of Trinidad and Tobago, and a lone defeat to Suriname’s Thie-yen Fung. Once again, the young 2026 National Chess Champion has proven his mettle and solidified his place at the top of the game.
These top performers from Queen’s College have put Guyana on the regional stage in the chess world, and the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) couldn’t be prouder of them. The competition was held among players from fifteen CARIFTA Nations, using the hybrid format, with the junior categories playing on July 11th and the Women and Open Categories on July 12th.
In the highly competitive Open Category, CM Taffin Khan claimed a commendable 17th-place finish. Khan put on an impressive display of chess, racking up 6 points across nine gruelling rounds. He remained exceptionally difficult to defeat, securing 4 wins and 4 draws, with his solitary loss coming against his Surinamese counterpart, Pratul Panchoe.
FM Anthony Drayton also delivered a solid performance, concluding the event with 5 points. Drayton started the tournament dominantly, sweeping his first four consecutive rounds. While he faced a challenging patch during the middle intervals, he stabilized his run to close out the final round with a hard-fought draw.
Meanwhile, Keron Sandiford, another of Guyana’s seasoned players, finished with 4.5 points. Sandiford experienced a roller-coaster tournament of mixed results across the nine rounds, ultimately anchoring his score with 4 victories and a crucial draw in the eighth round.
In the women’s category, WCM Jessica Callender and WCM Sasha Shariff faced stiff competition, showing great endurance across nine demanding rounds. WCM Callender ultimately finished in 15th place with 5 points, while WCM Shariff secured 28th place with 4 points.
In the Junior category, played on Saturday, July 11th, 2026, several young Guyanese players competed across the U18, U16, U14, U12, U10 and U8 categories.
Nicholas Zhang ended with 5.5 points; Alexander Zhang -5 points, Parnita Kishun -4 points, Emma John 3.5, rounding out the Guyanese lineup in the Under-16 Open and Girls Categories.
The Under-14 Category showcased incredible depth from the young Guyanese players. Leading the pack, U14 Open Chess Champion Abel Fernandez Ciria delivered an exceptional performance to finish as the highest-ranked Guyanese player, securing 6th position with 6 points in the category. Meanwhile, Alex Ubaldo Singh claimed 11th place by scoring 6 points out of the 9 rounds. The battle in the middle of the standings was incredibly tight. Aquailani Swaminadha fought hard to secure 5 points. Fellow teammate U14 and U16 Girls’ Chess Champion, Kataleya Sam, matched that score with 5 points of her own. Rounding out the stellar effort for Guyana, Sana Sreebalakumar concluded her tournament run with 3.5 points, while Rebha Lachhman finished with a hard-earned 3 points.
Leading the U12 category charge for Guyana was U12 Open Champion Aiden Tinnie, who delivered a strong performance to finish with 5.5 points, while U12 Girls Champion Divya Persaud secured 5 points. The rest of the U12 contingent also put up a solid fight to round out the standings, with Vir Narine finishing with 5 points, while Saura Ruplall and Arian Tinnie fought hard in a crowded field, finishing with hard-fought 3.5 points each.
Action in the younger bracket saw Mark DeFreitas leading the way for Guyana in the U10 category with 5 points, while Malia Thompson secured 4.5 points. Rounding out the U10 category was Isabella Shariff, who concluded the tournament run with 3.5 points, while Avery Munroe finished with 3 points to cap off the team’s effort.
Bringing a fantastic tournament to a close, the youngest bracket showcased incredible promise. In the U8 category, Pranav Suman fought hard to finish with 4 points, beautifully rounding out the stellar efforts of the Guyanese contingent at the CARIFTA 2026 Chess Tournament.
Each category featured a single, co-ed tournament involving almost 450 participants, with results separated by gender. Competing nations included Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Curacao, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, the US Virgin Islands, Jamaica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) is incredibly proud of the players’ growth and overall performance. While further training is needed to help some juniors reach their full potential, the GCF highly commends the dedication and resilience shown by all participants.
The GCF extends its sincere gratitude to FIDE Arbiter John Lee for his dedicated efforts in monitoring the Guyanese delegation throughout the tournament.
Additionally, the Federation wishes to express its immense appreciation to the Guyana Olympic Association for generously providing the venue and facilities to support our national players.
