NINETEEN-year-old Ricardo Narine has reclaimed his National Junior Chess Championship title after competing in the nine-round MOO MILK-sponsored championships last week.

The Round Robin competition was played among the top ten junior qualifiers, and wrapped up on August 1 after intense battles.

Narine gained 8.5 points with eight victories and one draw.

He was followed closely by 14-year-old Kyle Couchman, who earned eight points with seven wins and two draws ahead of Sachin Pitamber, who finished third with six points, Matthew Singh fourth with 5.5, and Alexander Zhang fifth with 5 points.

Narine, who won the championship title in 2022, won his games against Zhang and Kishan Puran in the first two rounds, giving him the lead, which he maintained throughout the tournament, only missing a perfect score against Couchman, which ended in a draw.

Narine commented that he gained a solid start in the competition after winning his earlier games. However, the final two rounds presented the most difficult challenges, as he faced the top two seeds, and as such, he was not entirely sure of securing the title until the final move in the final game.

When asked about his future in chess, he replied that as a chess teacher, he finds it rewarding to spread chess, and see young players develop their skills and learn the game.
Narine says he intends to defend his title next year, and challenge and grow with the senior players.

Guyana Chess Federation President Anand Raghunauth expressed his enthusiasm for the exceptional talent displayed by the junior competitors.

He attributed the players’ success to the Federation’s commitment to providing consistent training and competition opportunities. Raghunauth highlighted the remarkable achievement of two juniors ranking among the nation’s active top ten players, as well as the progress of three female qualifiers who secured top-ten positions in the Junior Nationals.

This, he emphasised, underscores the GCF’s dedication to fostering a level playing field for both male and female chess players.

The tournament was supervised by FIDE Arbiter John Lee, and assistant Jessica Callender at the David Rose Special School.

The games were live-streamed on DGT livechess cloud, and lichess.com, enabling viewers to watch the games from the comfort of their homes.

The GCF thanked its sponsor, De Sinco Ltd, and its MOO MILK brand for supporting the junior chess competitions. Awards and prizes will be presented to the winners at the annual prize-giving ceremony hosted by the GCF later in the year.

The GCF also wishes to thank the David Rose Special School for providing the venue for the tournament.