KHAN RETAINS THE OPEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

Candidate Master (CM) Taffin Khan has successfully defended his title at the  2025 Guyana Chess Federation National Open Chess Championships, playing  undefeated and finishing ahead of his challengers with an impressive 8 out of 9  points including two draws.  

The prestigious Round-Robin Classic style tournament took place from May 24th  to June 1st at the David Rose Special Needs School on Thomas Lands and the  School of the Nations. The event featured 10 participants: the top 9 qualifiers  from the National Open Championship Qualifiers and the defending champion,  CM Taffin Khan.  

Khan showcased excellent form throughout the event, navigating a competitive  field of seasoned players and rising stars. Finishing closely behind him in second  place was fifteen-year-old Kyle Couchman, who earned 7.5 points. In the crucial  Round 8 confrontation while Khan faced Couchman, the defending champion  scored a brilliant victory over his challenger. In a carefully executed attack, Khan  sacrificed his Bishop followed by his Queen in a stunning raid that began on  move 23 to breach his opponent King’s defences. Khan’s well-coordinated pieces  continued the aggression and Couchman was forced to concede the loss on  move 46, ending the hopes of all other challengers in the Championship.  

Fourteen-year-old Candidate Master Sachin Pitamber secured third place with  6.5 points, reflecting a strong showing. Pitamber successfully drew his game with  Khan in round six.  

Alexander Zhang and Keron Sandiford ended with 5 points each, with Zhang  taking the higher position due to the tiebreak. Sandiford drew his game with  Khan in round nine. Veteran player Candidate Master Ronuel Greenidge placed  sixth, followed closely by the tournament’s only female participant, Woman  Candidate Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi. 

Rounding out the top ten standings were Rolex Alexander and Joshua Gopaul,  who brought competitive spirit and resilience to the event. Reigning Junior  Chess Champion Ricardo Narine opted out of the tournament in the early phase  of the competition.  

The Federation would like to extend its heartfelt gratitude to the Tournament  Director, FIDE Arbiter Mr. John Lee, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to 

ensure that all games were conducted in accordance with the rules and  regulations and that the games were streamed live on Lichess.org. 

The GCF thanks the David Rose Special School and the School of the Nations for  providing the venue for the tournament over the last weeks.  

Guyana Chess Federation