-Fall to Puerto Rico, T&T and St Lucia

TEAM Guyana registered six points on the second day of their Division Four, Pool E battle of the FIDE Online Olympiad.
The side clashed against front runners Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago, along with the Bahamas and St Lucia.

After seven rounds, Guyana sit on 20.5 points, which places them sixth overall.
Puerto Rico are way ahead on 38 points, with Trinidad and Tobago in second place on 31 points and Haiti in third on 29 points. The Cayman Islands (21.5 points) have moved into the fourth position with Bermuda into fifth (21 points). Saint Lucia are seventh (19.5), Netherlands Antilles (19 points) eighth, Antigua and Barbuda ninth (18.5), Mauritania 10th (15.5), the Bahamas 11th (12.5) and Togo 12th (six points).

Victory against The Bahamas
After winning 14.5 points in the first three rounds on Friday against West African nation Togo, the Cayman Islands and Antigua and Barbuda, Team Guyana registered a match-point victory against a spirited Bahamas team yesterday in Round Four.

Reserve player Loris Nathoo registered a win against Curtis Pride, while Shazeeda Rahim won against Olga Roussos on board three.
Youth player Ricardo Narine, Jessica Callender and reserve player Gilbert Williams all drew their games, which left Guyana with 3.5 points out of a possible six points.

Outstanding Khan
Guyana then took on current leaders, Puerto Rico in Round Five and Captain Davion Mars and current National Champion Taffin Khan were able to registered points.
Candidate Master Khan defeated the highest-rated player of the 12 competing countries in the division, International Master Mark Machin.

The top Puerto Rican player with a rating of 2323 started the game with the English Open, but Khan with a rating of 1989 was up to the task and countered well. He was able to capture a strategically placed knight which forced his opponent to resign 29 moves into the game.

Mars was able to register a half-point after drawing against Jaime Santiago Rodriguez (rated 2037) in the round.
Guyana’s other point came via a walkover victory by Nellisha Johnson in Round Six against St Lucia. Mars said that St Lucia are the dark horses of the competition and that they played very well.

None of our players registered points against Trinidad and Tobago..
After seven rounds, Rahim (five games played) and Johnson (six games played) are ahead with four points each, while Jessica Callender (seven games played) is on 3.5 points. Khan (five games played), Mars (six games played) and Narine (six games played) have so far registered 2.5 points each.

Nathoo who claimed a victory in his lone encounter is next followed by Williams (two games) on half of a point.
There are six selected players and six reserves in Team Guyana.

Today, Guyana will play Netherlands Antilles, Haiti, Mauritania and Bermuda in rounds 8-11 respectively.