GUYANA U16 CHESS TEAM RETURNS FROM COLOMBIA AFTER A CREDITABLE PERFORMANCE

Team Coach FM Anthony Drayton believes the Guyana four-member U-16 team  delivered a strong performance against tough Latin American opponents at the  FIDE World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad in Barranquilla, Colombia, highlighting  the unpredictable nature of the competition. 

In nine rounds of battle to keep the Guyana Flag flying, they faced opposing  teams from Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Guatemala, and Chile without going  down 4-0 in any Round.  

According to Drayton, the matches were hard-fought and a test of nerves, but  unexpected results from Alexander Zhang and WCM Aditi Joshi cost the team a  durable finish and an accolade as the top Under-16 team in the Caribbean and  parts of South America. 

After a solid performance against Colombia 11 in Round 6, scoring 3 out of 6  match points, the Guyanese players were close to bettering their standings.  

In Round 7, Guyana faced Peru 4 with Kyle Couchman and CM Sachin Pitamber  on the top two boards. The duo both secured early draws, leaving the job of  winning the Round to Zhang and WCM Joshi. Zhang fumbled in a better  positional opening and lost a pawn in a combination attack, losing in an  unfortunate fashion. WCM Joshi achieved an equal endgame with the black  pieces, but under severe time pressure, with less than ten seconds on the clock  remaining, her chances of turning around the team’s fortunes were very slim;  time ran out, and she lost the match. The Round ended 3-1 in Peru’s favour.  

Guyana faced Chile 3 in Round 8, and a plan was set with the team poised to take  the match. Couchman scored a quick win, crushing his opponent in a potent and  well-prepared middle game attack. Not wanting to be counted out yet,  Couchman reached a solid 4.5 out of 8 individual points. In his match, Zhang  committed an unexpected blunder from a better middle game position and lost,  while CM Pitamber scored a draw. WCM Joshi obtained a crushing position  against her opponent, but her fortunes evaporated to convert the game into a  win. She, too, was forced to settle for a draw, tying the match 2-2.  

In the ninth and final Round, Guyana was paired with Peru 5. The day was long,  but the games were short and filled with excitement. Zhang obtained a quick  draw, but WCM Joshi suffered an unfortunate defeat in a completely winning 

endgame. Couchman and CM Pitamber were taken to task to make aggressive  moves in fighting chess as they confronted their opponents. In his match, CM  Pitamber was completely winning. However, one slightly inaccurate move  caused his opponent to achieve a drawn endgame with nothing to reverse the  result. Couchman stood his ground to fight for a win. He sacrificed three pieces  – two Rooks and a Knight to force a checkmate. His opponent also stood his  ground, and the match ended in a draw, 2-2.  

Guyana ended in 52nd position out of 85 teams.  

CM Pitamber ended on 6 points out of 9, gaining an impressive 95 Elo rating  points, finishing in 85th position out of 340 participants. Couchman ended with  5.5 points out of 9 with a 33 Elo point gain finishing at 109th place in the  competition. Zhang and WCM Joshi ended with 2.5 points each and are  searching for new ways to improve with the tournament experience now behind  them. 

The Guyana Chess Federation appreciates the support of the National Sports  Commission for the U16 Olympiad Chess Team. The Federation is committed to  improving the skills of our chess players on both a national and international  level. The GCF believes this experience will be valuable for the young players’  growth as both individuals and competitors.