FIDE Master Anthony Drayton easily edged out his opponents last Saturday, March 15th, 2025, at the Exhibition Centre of the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre to win the Banks DIH ICEE Soft Drinks-sponsored National Rapid Chess Championship title.

Drayton, Guyana’s only FIDE Master, played unbeaten in the nine-round exhilarating Swiss format competition to secure first place with 8.5 points with his only draw against National Junior Champion Ricardo Narine.

Almost forty chess players of all ages competed for a chance to win in the Open division with a time control of 15 minutes plus 5-second increments after each move per player.

Nineteen-year-old Narine, no stranger to the podium in rapid chess, earned the second spot with 7 points after losing to Aravinda Singh in the second round. Narine bounced back with continuous victories and two draws with Sachin Pitamber and the tournament champion.

Candidate Master Taffin Khan placed third with 6.5 points after drawing with Keron Sandiford and losing his matches with Saeed Ali and Drayton.

Ali, a chess player for many years, came in fourth with 6.5 points. His losses came against Drayton and young CM Sachin Pitamber and a draw with Singh. Sandiford also gained 6.5 points, earning him the fifth-place prize.

A free month’s membership at the Pegasus Chess Club was awarded to CM Loris Nathoo and Leslie Campbell, who each gained 6 points to place sixth and seventh, and to Aravinda Singh, who finished eighth with 5.5 points.

Notable performances in the tournament came from Pitamber, Kyle Couchman, and Krishna Singh, who finished the tournament with 5.5 points each.

FIDE Arbiter and Technical Manager John Lee conducted the FIDE-rated tournament and was instrumental in producing the live feed for the top twelve boards.

Cash prizes amounting to $185,000 were distributed to the top five players. President of the Guyana Chess Federation Anand Raghunauth was on hand to present the cash prizes and trophy, compliments of Banks DIH ICEE Soft Drinks. Raghunauth expressed gratitude to BANKS DIH I-CEE Soft Drinks for their generous support and the Guyana Pegasus Hotel for graciously providing the tournament venue.

The National Women’s Chess Championships, commencing on March 22nd, 2025, will see the top nine qualifiers compete against WCM Jessica Callender for the 2025 Women’s title.