Candidate Master Sachin Pitamber and Woman Candidate Master Jessica Callender are leading the Open and Female categories, respectively, after four rounds of the I-CEE Grand Prix III Chess Tournament ended last Sunday at the David Rose Special School. The winners will be decided this weekend as the tournament leaders face their opponents in four more intense rounds, a release said.
Dominating the field, Pitamber finished last weekend undefeated, securing the lead with a perfect 4 points. Close behind is FM Anthony Drayton with 3.5 points, followed by Alexander Zhang in third with 3 points. The tournament’s competitive depth was on full display as Alek Ubaldo Singh fought his way to 3 points, while Keron Sandiford, Tejas Kandavel, and Gilbert Williams remain in striking distance with 2.5 points each. Rounding out the top half of the table, Kyle Couchman, Kishan Puran, and Saeed Ali ended the fourth round with 2 points apiece.
Callender leads the women’s division, remaining unbeaten with 3.5 points. Her impressive run included victories over Emma John, WCM Sasha Shariff, and Treskolé Archibald. Her only draw came against a formidable Ciel Clement, who is currently on 3.5 points. Competition remains fierce, with Shariff and John holding steady at 3 points each, followed by Olivia Rajmangal on 2.5 points. Rounding out the top positions are Archibald, Amaya Sharma, Kataleya Sam, and Sana Sreebalakumar, all tied on 2 points.
With a US$100,000 prize fund at stake, this FIDE-rated tournament reaches its thrilling conclusion this weekend. The final four rounds, held on 31 January and 1 February, carry immense weight; players are competing not only for ELO rating points but also for crucial Grand Prix points. These points are key in the qualification process, determining who will ultimately represent Guyana at the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
The top eight boards of the Open category and the top four of the Female category are live-streamed on lichess.org by John Lee, FIDE Arbiter and Technical Director of the Guyana Chess Federation. Full results and pairings can be viewed on Chess-results.com.
The Guyana Chess Federation expressed its gratitude to its dedicated sponsor, I-CEE, for its continued support of chess development in Guyana, and to the David Rose Special School for providing the venue. The tournament is the third in a series of hard-fought competitions for Guyanese chess players seeking to qualify for the 2026 Chess Olympiad.
