After nine gruelling rounds of rapid chess, Candidate Master Sachin Pitamber emerged winner of the Readymix Concrete 2026 National Rapid Chess Tournament last Saturday at the Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre in Kingston.
In the fast-paced event, players were each allotted 15 minutes on the clock, plus five seconds’ increment after every move. Pitamber took top honours with a flawless 8 points, dropping his only half-point against CM Taffin Khan.
Coming off excellent performances, where he was recently crowned the 2026 National Chess Champion, Pitamber confidently outplayed his opponents with technical precision and knowledge. The fifteen-year-old now holds three national titles for 2026, the other being the National U-16 Open Chess Champion.
Keron Sandiford claimed the runner-up spot, also finishing with 8 points but narrowly missing the title on tiebreak criteria. Sandiford displayed technical precision throughout the day; his sole defeat came at the hands of CM Pitamber in the fourth round. However, he distinguished himself with two major victories in rounds three and six, overcoming veteran heavyweights CM Taffin Khan and FM Anthony Drayton.
FIDE Master Drayton secured third place with 7 points, though he was unable to retain his Rapid Champion title. Drayton’s experience was on full display; despite setbacks in rounds three and six against Pitamber and Sandiford respectively, he remained a formidable contender, highlighted by a pivotal victory over CM Khan in the fifth round.
In fourth place was CM Khan with 6.5 points. One of Guyana’s most seasoned players and a past national chess champion for several years, Khan demonstrated his talent and experience on the board, outplaying several of his younger counterparts. His only defeats came at the hands of fellow veterans Sandiford and Drayton, with a lone draw against Joshua Gopaul in the sixth round.
National Junior Chess Champion Kyle Couchman secured fifth place with 5.5 points. A seasoned competitor in fast-paced formats, Couchman navigated much of the tournament with ease, dispatching several opponents through clinical play. His only stumbles came via a third-round draw and tough losses to senior teammates in the fourth, seventh and eighth rounds.
Rounding out the top ten, Kishan Puran secured a solid 5.5 points, followed closely by WCM Jessica Callender, newcomer Odinnie Reece, Italy Ton-Chung and Kataleya Sam, who all finished with five points apiece. Throughout the event, these players demonstrated the tactical depth and endgame precision necessary to navigate a highly competitive field.
WCM Callender was awarded the Best Female Prize after finishing ahead of the other female competitors with 5 points.
Twenty males and seven females participated in the one-day championship. A simple prize-giving ceremony was held, and prizes were distributed by Mrs Ruplall of Readymix Concrete.
The federation extended its sincere gratitude to FIDE Arbiters John Lee and his assistants Oluwadare Oyeyipo and Kim ShinChong for ensuring that all the games were played fairly and in accordance with the rules.
The games were live-streamed on lichess.org, and results and pairings were published on chessresults.com by Mr John Lee.
Thanks were also extended to sponsors Readymix Concrete for supporting the development of chess in Guyana, and Pegasus Suites and Corporate Centre for generously providing the venue for the tournament. (Guyana Chess Federation)
