Anand Raghunauth returns as Guyana Chess Federation president

Anand Raghunauth

Anand Raghunauth will serve another consecutive term as President of the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF), following the Federation’s biennial National Conference held virtually on Sunday, 16 November 2025. Raghunauth and his entire slate for the 2025–2027 Board of Directors returned to office unopposed, as declared by the Returning Officer, Attorney-at-Law Mrs Tanya Warren-Clement.

Returning as Vice-President is Irshad Mohamad; Company Secretary, Marcia Lee; and Directors Loris Nathoo, Davion Mars, Shiv Nandalall and Yolander Sammy.
Committee members serving on the Board are John Lee, Pritima Balgobin, Gilbert Williams, Sabine McIntosh, and new addition, Roberto Neto.

The meeting also highlighted the achievements and events of the past two years, along with the 2024 financial report.

President Raghunauth presented his report detailing the partnership and enhanced level of support provided to the GCF by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the Confederation of Chess for the Americas (CCA), and the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the National Sports Commission. He noted growth in membership and acknowledged the expansion of chess among school children through the Chess in Education Programme, which was significantly strengthened by the Ministry of Education’s Priority Areas Programme in schools around Georgetown, resulting in more than 2,000 children being exposed to the game.

Raghunauth also highlighted the landmark achievement of the GCF with the successful conceptualisation and execution of the CARICOM Classic Chess Tournament, which held its inaugural event in 2024 and a successful second edition in 2025. He said significant investment had been made in Special Education Needs schools, where training programmes and competitive chess were introduced to both teachers and students. The GCF received national recognition when two deaf chess players won the Sportswoman of the Year for Persons with Disabilities award from the National Sports Commission for 2023 and 2024.

The President further noted the growth of chess through the chess clubs at School of the Nations, the Pegasus Chess Club, the distribution of chess sets to students by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, the Gift of Chess programme, and the expansion of the pool of rated chess players in Guyana.

Raghunauth credited the GCF’s accomplishments to its hard-working and dedicated management team.

In his financial report, Chief Financial Officer Mr Loris Nathoo highlighted the significant funding required for two major international tournaments—the CARICOM Classic and the Chess Olympiad. He noted that support came from FIDE, the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport and the National Sports Commission, as well as strong backing from Corporate Guyana. Nathoo also stated that national tournaments and other competitions require substantial funding, which the GCF was able to secure from Corporate Guyana. He reported that the Federation is now in a position to sponsor some of the smaller rapid and blitz tournaments, unlike in previous years when this was not possible.

Raghunauth and his team thanked the membership for their support over the years. The new Board of Directors will serve for the next two years, focusing on the continued development of chess within the country, with expansion into several regions identified as a key priority. (Guyana Chess Federation)