DRIVEN by her determination, 17-year-old Sheriffa Ali stands out in many ways in Guyana’s chess arena.The former St Joseph High student is currently Guyana’s only Women Candidate Master (WCM) and while she is not the first, she is the youngest, and with just a FIDE rating of 1 411.
But that’s still a far cry from where Ali is headed. The aspiring doctor is aiming for that ultimate Grand Master (GM) title, which she anticipates will be in the very near future.
“I want to be a Grandmaster (GM) before I’m 30 years old,” she stated.
But it won’t come easy for Ali. Of the 1 541 GM currently in the world, only 33 are women, so it’s going to be quite a challenge. But the challenge is what Ali loves most about playing chess.
“I am a very competitive person and I love that … chess challenges me,” Ali said.
And while chess itself is a challenge, finding the time to train is another uphill task for Ali when she was a student.

“It was a bit challenging since chess requires keen attention and intense studying, but because of my passion for the game it didn’t affect me much. I made time to practise.”
But the challenge is not all that she loves about this strategic game that tests one’s mental skills.
“Chess has helped me on a personal level as well. It taught me how to be patient in many aspects of my life and also boosts my planning, management and evaluation skills.
“Chess promotes brain growth, increases problem-solving skills, teaches you planning, and improves your memory. The game can be really helpful to your school and personal life, since it assists with many aspects,” Ali stated.
Ali achieved her first FIDE rating after performing favourably at the World Chess Federation (FIDE) 42 Chess Olympiad last September.
At her first international tournament, Ali secured four wins and three draws to earn 5.5 points.
That gave Ali exactly the 55% success rate that she needed to secure her WCM title.
Outside of specific matches, the female chess players actually need to attain a FIDE rating of 2000 before they could get the title. In essence, Ali’s win helped fast-track her climb in the FIDE rankings table.
With little opportunities for external exposure, Ali tries the make the best of what she can, with whatever tournaments she can attend. However, unlike other competitive areas, chess has the advantage of being able to compete with players across the world via electronic means.
Since playing her first game back in 2007, Ali has played in a number of national tournaments, and has been a repeating fixture on Guyana’s Inter-Guiana Games since 2011.
In 2014 she also took part in the Loper Klasse Open Rapid tournament in Suriname where she secured the first place in the Knight category.