CM Sachin Pitamber and Ciel Clement emerged as champions of the I-CEE-sponsored Grand Prix 3, held at the David Rose Special School, concluding on Sunday. The tournament forms part of the qualifying series for the Guyana Team for the 2026 Chess Olympiad in Uzbekistan.
Pitamber dominated the Open Category, finishing the eight-round event unbeaten with 7.5 points. He secured a notable fifth-round victory over FM Anthony Drayton and drew with Alexander Zhang in the sixth round. FM Drayton finished second with 6.5 points, while Zhang took third with 6 points. Other top performers included Kyle Couchman (5.5 points), Keron Sandiford (5), and Gilbert Williams (4.5).
In the Female Category, Clement claimed the title with 6.5 points, edging out former Women’s Champion WCM Sasha Shariff on tiebreaks. Shariff also scored 6.5 points, while WCM Jessica Callendar finished third with 5.5 points. Notable performances included Treskolé Archibald (5.5 points), Kataleya Sam (4.5), and Amaya Sharma (4), who scored a standout win over Callendar.
The top three winners in each category received cash prizes totaling GYD $100,000. The FIDE-rated tournament was overseen by FIDE Arbiter John Lee, who live-streamed the top twelve boards. Results were published on chess-results.com.
The Guyana Chess Federation thanked I-CEE for its continued support and the David Rose Special School for providing the venue. Chess enthusiasts can follow the federation on Facebook and Instagram, or visit guyanachess.gy for information on clubs and registration.
