PITAMBER, SAM DOMINATE KITTY SQUARE MALL U-16 CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Kitty Square Mall National U-16 Rapid Chess Championships hosted by the  Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), held on Sunday, February 15th, 2026, at the  Christ Church Secondary School, saw a long day of competitive, tactical moves  and excellent play, in which CM Sachin Pitamber successfully retained his title,  while Kataleya Sam emerged as the new U-16 Girls’ Champion. 

Thirty-four boys and nineteen girls competed for top honours in the One-Day  Championships. 

In the Open Category, CM Pitamber delivered an outstanding unbeaten  performance to win with a perfect seven points after seven rounds of fast-paced  competition. Building on his momentum from recent Grand Prix successes, he  displayed remarkable consistency, composure, and strategic gameplay  throughout the tournament. Drawing on those experiences, he confidently  defended his title as his opponents struggled to keep pace with his sharp  preparation and accurate endgame techniques. 

In second place was Aquilani Swaminadha, who finished with six points,  demonstrating his growing skills with notable wins against Omar Shariff in the  fifth round and Alexander Zhang in the sixth Round. Swaminadha’s only loss was  against CM Pitamber in the third round. 

In third place was prolific player Alexander Zhang, who finished with five points.  He demonstrated his years of experience in chess, despite losses in the fourth  and sixth rounds against Pitamber and Swaminadha, respectively. 

Abel Fernandez Ciria, coming off a successful U-14 tournament, also finished  with five points. However, due to the tie-break rules, he placed in fourth place.  His losses came in the fourth and fifth rounds against Arush Ramnarine and  Zhang, respectively.  

Rounding out the top five finishers was Nicholas Zhang, who finished with five  points, also due to the tie-breaker calculation. No stranger to the chessboard, he  competed skillfully and fiercely despite losing in the third round to his sibling,  Alexander and the sixth round to Pitamber.  

In the Girls’ Category, young Kataleya Sam carried the momentum from her  recent U14 Championship victory into the competition. She demonstrated a  remarkable blend of readiness, composure, calm, skill, and mental power against 

her opponents to finish with six points, having lost her final round against Rebha  Lachhman. Sam’s overall performance was enough to secure her the title. 

In second place was Parnita Kishun, who finished with a strong five points.  Despite setbacks in the third and sixth rounds, she held her own with the poise  of being an experienced player, drawing on her experiences to navigate the field  and finish as the runner-up. 

Emma John also concluded the tournament with five points, securing third place  after the tie-breaker rules were applied. The 2025 U-14 Girls’ Champion  displayed excellent technical skill throughout the day, maintaining a high level of  play despite tough losses to Kataleya Sam in the fourth round and Parnita Kishun  in the sixth round, allowing her to secure a hard-earned third-place finish. 

Rebha Lachhman finished in fourth place with five points due to the tiebreaker  rules. Lachhman, no stranger to the competitive arena, played consistently  throughout the tournament despite losing in the second and fourth rounds. In  the final round, she played an unconventional but brilliant game, which secured  her a victory against the new U-16 female champion.  

Securing fifth place on a tie-breaker, Chelsea Harrison finished with a solid five  points. Despite setbacks in the third and fifth rounds, she remained a formidable  competitor, displaying a gritty and consistent style of play in the competition. 

In addition to the main prizes, special prizes were awarded to the top performers  in the younger age group. Aquilani Swaminadha and Kataleya Sam were  recognized as the Best U-14 players. In the U-12 category, Javier Devanand and  Divya Persaud, the current U-12 Girls’ Champion, earned the honours as the top  players, while Mark Defreitas and Malia Thompson took home the best U-10  prizes, respectively. 

Notable performers in the Open Category included Aiden and Arian Tinnie, Jacob  McDonald, and Omar Shariff. Meanwhile, the Girls’ Category saw Alesa Williams,  Divya Persaud, Axela Vieira, Varsha Pooran, and Andrina Matthews secure their  spots in the top ten. 

Prizes were presented to the players during a simple prize-giving ceremony by  Ms. Sabeita Hardeo, the proprietor of Kitty Square Mall. 

Thanks to Chief Arbiters John Lee and the assistant Arbiters: Kim Shing Chong,  Ethan Lee, Keron Sandiford, Kishan Puran, Italy Ton-Chung, CM Taffin Khan, and  Joshua Gopaul, who worked together to ensure that all games were played in 

accordance with the rules and regulations through their collaborative hard work  and supervision. 

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) expresses its gratitude to the sponsor, Kitty  Square Mall, for being one of the GCF’s trusted sponsors and always coming on  board in helping with the development of chess in Guyana. 

Thank you to the venue provider, Christ Church Secondary School. 

For more information on the Guyana Chess Federation or on how to become a  member of our chess clubs, visit the official website at guyanachess.gy.