NATIONAL junior player Jessica Callender finished third in the women’s category of the Master of the Guianas 2022 tournament which was recently played online.

The 19-year-old finished with 4.5 points in a competitive field, which included Women Candidate Master Victoria Kaslan from Suriname, who won the category with 5.5 points.

Nine exciting rounds were contested for various prizes over a five-minute Swiss System on the Lichess Platform.

Callender, who has competed in the last two online Olympiads, has played well in many local and regional competitions.

She also used this blitz event to sharpen her skills for next Saturday’s STR Wood Inc. Senior Blitz Championship.

Along with Callender, two other Guyanese excelled in the one-day event, which had 46 competitors from Suriname and Guyana.

Last year’s Independence Cup winner, Justino DaSilva, was awarded a prize for finishing as the top Guyanese in the tournament. DaSilva, who is active on the local scene, finished with five points.

Meanwhile, 50-year-old Francis Simmons, who finished with four points, received a prize for being the oldest competitor in the tournament.

Seventy-one-year-old Ramsagar Singh, from Guyana, had registered for the tournament but opted not to compete since he was not feeling well.

Of the 46 players, only a few were Guyanese and that was reflected in the prizes.

The top five players were all Surinamese, with Imaan Kalidjo crowned as the first Master of the Guianas.

Suriname-based Athena Chess will host several tournaments, both online and over-the-board, and has indicated an interest in having Guyanese participate.