Rouge Salon and Spa is sponsoring the upcoming National Junior Chess Championship Qualifiers Tournament, scheduled July 25-29, 2025, with Sunday designated as a rest day.
This seven-round competition, hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), will take place at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence. It aims to select the top nine junior chess players who will go on to challenge the current National Junior Chess Champion, Ricardo Narine, in the National Junior Chess Championships, set to begin on August 1, 2025.
This eagerly awaited annual competition, open to players under 20 years old, will be conducted using the Swiss format. Each match will feature a 90-minute time control, with an additional 30 seconds added after every move.
The tournament boasts a formidable line-up of top junior talent. Reigning champions expected to compete include Candidate Master Sachin Pitamber (Under-16), and Woman Candidate Master Aditi Joshi (Women’s and Under-16 Girls’ Chess). Other key players contesting include Kyle Couchman, Alexander Zhang, Kishan Puran, Alek Ubaldo-Singh, Micaiah Enoe, Tremusa Marshall, Omar Shariff, Arysh Raghunauth, Rafael Park, Jaden Todd, and Ciel Clement, among others.
Champions in the 2025 age category competitions—Nicholas Zhang (Under-14 Open), Emma John (Under-14 Girls), Abel Fernandez Ciria (Under-12 Open), and Kataleya Sam (Under-12 Girls)—will all vie for a chance to secure one of the nine coveted spots.
With over 70 competitors participating in the National Junior Qualifiers annually, the GCF is aiming for a 20 per cent increase in attendance this year. Chess activities hosted by the GCF—including tournaments, chess camps, clubs, and training sessions—have helped drive increased participation among children over the past year.
Over the past two years, the GCF has extended its reach to thousands of children, aided by the inclusion of chess in the curriculum of Georgetown secondary schools through the Ministry of Education’s Five Priority Areas Programme. With this initiative, the federation is actively considering expanding chess-in-schools programmes to other regions outside of Georgetown.
The GCF expresses its appreciation to Rouge Salon and Spa, a consistent supporter of chess, particularly noted for its significant contributions to the Women in Chess programme. The GCF also acknowledges the support of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, which will be providing the venue for the tournament.
The FIDE-rated tournament will be supervised by FIDE Arbiters John Lee and Anand Raghunath.
For more information on the tournament and sign-up details, please visit the GCF website at guyanachess.gy. Follow the GCF on Facebook and Instagram for further updates.
