Young Guyanese Score mixed results at PAN American Chess competition

Team Guyana, made up of seventeen young chess players, has officially  concluded its campaign at the Pan American Youth Chess Festival, held in  Medellín, Colombia, from July 26 to August 2, 2026. Hosted jointly by the  Colombian Chess Federation and the Chess Confederation for the Americas (CCA), the prestigious event gathered nearly 1,000 players representing 30  nations from across Latin America and the Caribbean. Competitors faced off  across the Absolute and Girls divisions, spanning categories from U-8 to U-18.  

Guyana’s standout result came in the U-18 Absolute category, where National  Junior Chess Champion Kyle Couchman scored 5 points in the nine-round  competition. Rated 1962 ELO, Couchman notched four wins and two draws,  dropping only three games—all to strong Colombian opponents: Juan Esteban  Cabiativa (2148), Xavi Hernandez Jimenez (2112), and CM Samuel Toro Ramirez  (2063). Battling through an elite field, Couchman’s tactical resilience saw him  outperform his initial 41st seed to finish 34th out of 86 contenders. His  tournament highlight came in Round 4, where he secured a brilliant draw against  Mexico’s CM Miguel Angel Lopez Garcia (2217). 

WCM Aditi Joshi and Guyana’s National Women’s Champion recorded 4.5 points  after 2 wins and 5 draws in the U-16 Female Category. National U-14 Open  Champion Abel Fernandez Ciria finished with 4 points in his U-14 Absolute  Category with 3 wins and 2 draws, while National U-12 Open Champion Aiden  Tinnie ended on 4 points in the U-12 Absolute Category.  

Alek Ubaldo-Singh, competing in the U-14 Absolute Category, scored 3.5 points,  while Rebha Lachhman finished with 3 points in the Girls U-14 category.  Alexander Zhang finished with 3 points in his U-16 Absolute Category, and Emma  John recorded 3 points in the U-16 Female Category. 

In the U-12 Absolute Category, Vir Narine and Jeremiah Jacobs finished with 3  points each, while Sanjay Suman and Arian Tinnie, competing in the same  category, scored 2 points and 1.5 points, respectively. In the Girls U-12 category,  National U12 Girls Champion Divya Persaud finished with 3 points, while Amaya  Sharma finished with 2 points. 

In the U-10 Absolute category, Mark Defreitas scored 3 points, while Jordan  Jacobs finished with 1 point.

Parnav Suman, the youngest member of the contingent, put up a valiant effort  in the U-8 Absolute category, with a score of 2.5 points. 

The players returned Sunday after a week of intense competition, with  invaluable international experience and in some cases, significant gains in their  ELO ratings.  

The Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) is proud of its young players and confident  that this experience will foster both their growth as chess players and their  personal development. 

We extend special thanks to National player Keron Sandiford, who served as  Coach and Head of Delegation, as well as parents Gwen Tinnie and Patrick John  for their unwavering guidance, supervision, and support throughout the  tournament. Additional thanks go to all the accompanying parents who provided  crucial help and supervision during the event. 

Finally, the GCF sincerely thanks the officials who worked tirelessly behind the  scenes to make this trip possible. Coordinating our largest-ever delegation—a  team of nearly 40 individuals—to an international event required extraordinary  dedication, and we are immensely grateful for their assistance and support.