Dominic Sam and Chelsea Harrison were the stars of the Jade’s Wok, Pinnacle Business Services, and Cubs in Action International joint sponsored U-1400 Rapid Chess Tournament, which was held last Sunday (February 22) at the David Rose Special School.
The two juniors won in their respective categories- Open and Female respectively- claiming the first-place trophy after delivering stellar performances over the board of rapid chess.
Sam finished in first place ahead of the 25 competitors in the Open Category. Returning to competitive chess after a break from his studies, Sam made an impressive comeback.
His perfect score was thwarted by draws against Tejasvarun Kandavel and Jeremy Cole in the second and seventh rounds.
Shurlan Sparman produced a calm and technically sound performance to finish with six points; however, due to tiebreakers, he was awarded the second-place trophy. His lone loss came in the fourth round against Sam.
Third place went to talented Arush Ramnarine, who scored five points after a resilient showing despite losses in rounds five and six.
Jeremiah Jacobs, a promising young talent, finished fourth with five points after f ighting hard; tie breakers placed him in fourth after losses in rounds one and six. Rounding off the top five was Jeremy Cole, who scored five points.
His performance was highlighted by solid play and draws in rounds four and seven, respectively, with a single defeat in round three.
In the Girls category, Harrison finished with a solid six points ahead of the 16 girls. Her only setback came in the third round, when she lost to second-place winner Angelina Yhap. Yhap maintained a tactically sound and disciplined approach for most of the nine rounds.
Her strong run included only two minor setbacks: a draw in the fifth and a loss in the final round, bringing her score to 5.5 points.
Third place went to Sana Sreebalakumar, who finished with 4.5 points. Sreebalakumar displayed her depth and knowledge of the game despite losses in the first and sixth rounds and a lone draw in the third round.
Finishing in fourth place on a tie break was seasoned competitor Italy Ton-Chung, finishing with 4.5 points, with losses in the first and sixth rounds and a hard fought draw in the fifth round contributing to her final standing.
Parnita Kishun secured fifth place, also with 4.5 points, due to the tie-breakers. She played calmly and consistently to win her final round, showing her resilience and experience. She drew her game in the second round and recorded two losses in the third and fifth rounds.
Notable players in the Open Category were Ethen Pompey, finishing with five points; Jacob McDonald, Mark Defreitas, Tejasvarun Kandavel, Sanjay Suman, Brian Clarke, Pranav Suman, and Viren Meghan, all finishing with four points.
Other notable players in the Female category were Axela Vieira and Divya Persaud, who both finished with four points. Bianca Jessimy, Rebha Lachhman, Varsha Pooran, and Madison Spencer each ended the tournament with 3.5 points.
The seven-round competition featured a Rapid time control of 15 minutes plus a five-second increment per move and was overseen by Chief Arbiter John Lee and his assistant Arbiters Ethan Lee and Kim Shing Chong.
The U-1400 Rapid tournament is in its second year of running, designed to attract only unrated players, giving them a chance to shine and compete among players with similar playing strength.
In a simple prize-giving ceremony, trophies were presented by Samantha Lucknauth, the proprietress of Jade’s Wok, Pinnacle Business Services and Cubs in Action International, to the top five finishers in both categories.
The Guyana Chess Federation has expressed gratitude to Jade’s Wok, Pinnacle Business Services and Cubs in Action International for their generous sponsorship.
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