13-year-old Angelina Yhap is winner of Queenside Rapid Chess Tournament

Thirteen-year-old Angelina Yhap won the Queenside Championship Title for Beginners and Unrated Players held on Saturday October 12, 2024. An elated Angelina, who is a student of Marian Academy and has been playing chess for two years, amassed seven points to claim the title, making it her first competition win.

The Queenside Rapid Chess Tournament, sponsored by Jade’s Wok and Pinnacle Business Services, concluded at the School of the Nations Campus in Kingston, Georgetown. Hosted by the Guyana Women in Chess Community (GWICC), the event aimed to encourage females of all ages new to chess to compete. The tournament was also open to players without an ELO rating.

Up-and-coming eleven-year-old Queen’s College student, Rebha Lachman claimed the second-place prize with seven points and twelve-year-old Lusianna Farlot from the New Guyana School took the third spot with six and a half points. Both girls started playing chess earlier this year.

Mrs Marcia Lee came in fourth place with six points, while thirteen-year-old Claire Cole from Queen’s College secured fifth place, also with six points. Thirteen-year-old St. Roses student, Kaija Clement ended with six points earning her the sixth-place spot.

Notable performances came from Shreya Harjohn (five and a half points) and Faraa Gaskin, Bianca Jessimy, Kyla Jordan, Raphaella Omarao, and Arianne Lynch who all ended on five points each.

Monetary prizes totalling fifty thousand dollars were distributed among the first to third-place winners, and trophies were awarded to the top five players. Special prizes were also presented: Best Girl Prize – Kaija Clement, Best Woman Prize – Mrs Amanda Alli, Best Beginner Prize – Kyla Jordan, and the Youngest Player Prize went to Amy Ramphal. The prizes were presented by National Women’s Chess Champion Jessica Callender.

The tournament attracted twenty-one girls and three women, who competed in nine rounds of fifteen-minute games with a five-second increment per move. Nearly half of the participants, including all three women, were first-time competitors. The GCF anticipates continued growth in tournament participation as more girls and women join the program.

The arbiters for the tournament were Jessica Callender, Odit Rodrigues, and John Lee.

Anand Raghunauth, President of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), expressed his appreciation to the players for their participation, which contributed to the tournament’s success. He noted that while the girls compete with each other, they have social interactions and get an opportunity to forge new friendships with persons who have a common goal.

GCF in its statement thanked the sponsors PINNACLE BUSINESS SERVICES and JADE’S WOK for their kind and continuous support of chess in Guyana.

Also thanked were the administration of the School of the Nations for stepping up and allowing the use of their facility on short notice to host our event.

Another rapid chess tournament for females is scheduled for next Sunday, October 27th, 2024. All female players are eligible to play. Persons seeking information to become a member of the Guyana Chess Federation, could visit its website on guyanachess.gy and follow on Facebook, and guyanachess on Instagram.