Pitamber retains U-16 Rapid Chess title, Sam wins girls’ crown

CM Sachin Pitamber successfully defended his title at the Kitty Square Mall National U-16 Rapid Chess Championships on Sunday, while Kataleya Sam claimed the U-16 Girls’ crown, the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF) said.

The one-day tournament, held at Christ Church Secondary School, featured 34 boys and 19 girls competing in fast-paced, tactical rounds. Pitamber remained unbeaten in the Open Category, scoring seven points from seven rounds, with Aquilani Swaminadha finishing second on six points and Alexander Zhang third with five points. Tie-breakers determined fourth and fifth positions for Abel Fernandez Ciria and Nicholas Zhang.

In the Girls’ Category, Kataleya Sam scored six points, losing only her final round to Rebha Lachhman. Parnita Kishun finished second with five points, followed by Emma John in third. Rebha Lachhman and Chelsea Harrison completed the top five after tie-break calculations.

Special prizes for younger competitors were awarded to Aquilani Swaminadha and Kataleya Sam as the best U-14 players, Javier Devanand and Divya Persaud in the U-12 category, and Mark Defreitas and Malia Thompson in the U-10 group.

The GCF acknowledged Chief Arbiter John Lee and assistant arbiters Kim Shing Chong, Ethan Lee, Keron Sandiford, Kishan Puran, Italy Ton-Chung, CM Taffin Khan, and Joshua Gopaul for overseeing the event. Ms. Sabeita Hardeo, proprietor of Kitty Square Mall, presented the prizes.

The federation also thanked sponsor Kitty Square Mall and venue provider Christ Church Secondary School. More information on the GCF and local chess clubs is available at guyanachess.gy.