-Alphonso and Couchman draw in Girls’ U16s

GUYANA’S National Junior chess team continued their fine showing at the FIDE Cadet and Youth Online Rapid World Cup with a victory and two draws on Sunday in the latest rounds of the championships. After a solid performance by the National U10 side, the older age group are now battling.

Mahir Rajkumar was able to replicate the victory that he achieved in Round One, against a highly ranked opponent when

he battled against a 1264 rated player, Zangrilli Leonardo, from Malta in Round Six. In Round One, the 10-year-old had defeated Mittal Ashvath from India with a ranking of 1419.
With the win, the youngster is now the top Guyanese in the U12 division with two points.

HEART-BREAKING LOSS
Alexander Zhang, who won in the third round, never had the chance to move the first pawn given that he was forced to forfeit his Round Five clash against Guatemalan Jose Hector Linares due to a power failure yesterday morning. Omar Shariff, who won in Round Four, is also on one point. In the Girls’ U16s battle, Adia Alphonso was able to gain a draw against Bolivian player, Rebecca Barnor, while Aniyah Couchman drew against Elsie Muturi (1086 ratings) from Kenya in Round Six. The online championships age-group battle is scheduled to continue today.