Nineteen-year-old Ricardo Narine has reclaimed his national Junior Chess Championship title after competing in a nine-round, Round Robin competition against the top 10 junior qualifiers last week. The MOO MILK-sponsored tournament wrapped up on August 1st after intense competition from talented young chess players.
Narine secured 8.5 points with eight victories and one draw. He was closely followed by fourteen-year-old Kyle Couchman, who earned 8 points with seven wins and two draws. Sachin Pitamber came third with 6 points, Matthew Singh came fourth with 5.5, and Alexander Zhang fifth with 5 points.
Narine, who previously won the championship title in 2022, started strong by winning his games against Alexander Zhang and Kishan Puran in the first two rounds, maintaining his lead throughout the tournament. He narrowly missed a perfect score after drawing his game with Kyle Couchman.
Narine remarked that he gained a solid start in the competition with his early wins but faced the most difficult challenges in the final two rounds against the top seeds. He was not entirely confident of securing the title until the final move of the final game. When asked about his future in chess, Narine, who is also a chess teacher, expressed his passion for spreading the game and helping young players develop their skills. He plans to defend his title next year and looks forward to challenging and growing with the senior players.
Guyana Chess Federation President Anand Raghunauth praised the exceptional talent displayed by the junior competitors, attributing their success to the federation’s commitment to consistent training and competition opportunities. Raghunauth highlighted the notable achievement of two juniors ranking among the nation’s top ten players and the progress of three female qualifiers who secured top-ten positions in the Junior Nationals, underscoring the GCF’s dedication to fostering a level playing field for both male and female chess players.
The tournament, supervised by FIDE Arbiter John Lee and assistant Jessica Callender, took place at the David Rose Special School, with the first round starting on July 26th, 2024. The games were live-streamed on DGT livechess cloud and lichess.com, allowing viewers to watch from the comfort of their homes.
The GCF expressed gratitude to its sponsor, De Sinco Ltd, and its MOO MILK brand for supporting the junior chess competitions. Awards and prizes will be presented to the winners at the annual prize-giving ceremony hosted by the GCF later in the year. The GCF also thanked the David Rose Special School for providing the venue for the tournament.
