The Mala Supreme Open Chess Tournament Winds Down Grand Prix Series

After four rounds, Candidate Master Ronuel Greenidge is leading the MALTA SUPREME Grand Prix 4 Open Chess tournament being staged at the David Rose Special School, Thomas Lands.

The 4th quarter of the Guyana Chess Federation Grand Prix 4 got underway last Saturday, 22^nd June 2024. The Malta Supreme-sponsored tournament catered only for competition in the Open division category, with participation from ten males and six female players, twelve of which are junior players.

The games will be played according to the time control Swiss format with 90 minutes for each player with an additional 30 seconds after every move. The first four rounds of the tournament were played on June 22nd and 23rd. The final four rounds will continue on Saturday, June 29^th and 30th, 2024. Monetary prizes for the top three players totaling $35,000 will be awarded after the competition.

The standings are (CM) Ronuel Greenidge and Ethan Lee with 3.5 points each, followed by Sachin Pitamber and Loris Nathoo with 3 points each. Holding the fifth position, and leading the girls with 2.5 points is Aditi Joshi, the reigning National Under-14 female champion. Twelve-year-old Nicholas Zang is also on 2.5 points. Kishan Puran, Alexander Zang, Maliha Rajkumar, Alek UbaldoSingh, and newcomer Prince Dunn each hold 2 points.

A lengthy and thrilling Round Four battle between young Ethan Lee and CM Ronuel Greenidge ended after almost 70 moves. As both opponents entered the endgame, Greenidge maneuvered an active Knight and King to escort his only passed pawn, already deep into enemy territory. But Lee’s well-positioned Rook and King also threatened the single pawn with capture to avoid its promotion. With winning chances dwindling for both sides, a draw was agreed on move 67 and the two players split the point.

With the remaining four rounds set for this weekend, players have the opportunity to strategise their best moves to better their outcome.

MALTA SUPREME is back on board with the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) and is proud to be associated once again in the pool of generous sponsors of GCF tournaments.

The GCF would also like to thank the Ministry of Education and David Rose Special School for facilitating the venue for the competition.

The Guyana Chess Federation 2024 Grand Prix series is part of the qualification system for the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, in September 2024. The four Grand Prix allows players to test their skills and work on improving their strategy for the opening, middle, and end games in a competitive setting.

Persons wishing to join the Guyana Chess Federation can visit the website on guyanachess.gy. Games can be viewed online on boards one to eight at www.view.livechesscloud.com. The competition is being supervised by FIDE Arbiter John Lee.