Guyana Team Coach Anthony Drayton believes the country’s four-member U-16 team delivered a strong performance against tough Latin American opponents at the FIDE World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad in Barranquilla, Colombia, highlighting the unpredictable nature of the competition.
Across nine rounds of competition, aimed at keeping the Guyana flag flying, they faced teams from Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Guatemala, and Chile — without conceding a 4-0 defeat in any round, a release said.
According to Drayton, the matches were hard-fought and a true test of nerves, but unexpected results from Alexander Zhang and WCM Aditi Joshi cost the team a stronger finish and an accolade as the top Under-16 side in the Caribbean and parts of South America.
After a solid showing against Colombia 11 in Round Six, scoring three out of six match points, the Guyanese players were close to improving their standings.
In Round Seven, Guyana faced Peru Four, with Kyle Couchman and CM Sachin Pitamber on the top two boards. Both secured early draws, leaving Zhang and WCM Joshi to try and win the round. Zhang faltered in a favourable positional opening, lost a pawn in a tactical sequence, and was eventually defeated. WCM Joshi achieved an equal endgame with the black pieces but, under severe time pressure with less than ten seconds remaining, her chances of saving the match dwindled. She ran out of time, and the round ended 3-1 in Peru’s favour.
In Round Eight, Guyana met Chile Three. A clear plan was set, with the team poised to take the match. Couchman scored a swift victory, overwhelming his opponent with a powerful, well-prepared middlegame attack. This brought his tally to a strong 4.5 out of eight individual points. However, Zhang committed a costly blunder in a superior middlegame and lost, while CM Pitamber secured a draw. WCM Joshi built a crushing position against her opponent, but her advantage slipped away and she too was forced to settle for a draw, tying the match 2-2.
In the ninth and final round, Guyana was paired against Peru Five. Though the day was long, the games were sharp and full of excitement. Zhang secured a quick draw, while WCM Joshi suffered an unfortunate defeat in a completely winning endgame. This left Couchman and CM Pitamber under pressure to push for wins. Pitamber was completely winning in his game, but a single inaccuracy allowed his opponent to salvage a draw. Couchman played fighting chess, sacrificing two rooks and a knight in a valiant attempt to force checkmate. His opponent defended stoutly, and the game ended in a draw, with the match tied 2-2.
Guyana ultimately finished in 52nd place out of 85 teams.
Individually, CM Pitamber scored six points out of nine, gaining an impressive 95 Elo rating points and finishing 85th out of 340 participants. Couchman ended with 5.5 points out of nine, gaining 33 Elo points to place 109th. Zhang and WCM Joshi both scored 2.5 points, and will be looking for ways to build on the valuable experience gained from this tournament.
The Guyana Chess Federation expressed its appreciation to the National Sports Commission for its support of the U-16 Olympiad Chess Team.
