Sachin Pitamber remains unbeaten after five rounds of the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Youth Chess Festival in Costa Rica, where several Guyanese players have secured wins and draws against higher-rated opponents.

Candidate Master (CM) and National Chess Champion Pitamber has two wins and three draws in the U16 Absolute Category. His 3.5 points place him in the top 10 of the classical Swiss format event.

Thirteen-year-old Kataleya Sam, a recent Olympiad participant, won her first three games in the U14 Female Category and lost in Round 4. She stands on four points after Round 5. Grandmaster Aleksa Striković described her as the future of Guyanese women's chess during a recent training stint.

Women's Candidate Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi, the national Women's Chess Champion, won in Round 5 after four consecutive draws. She has three points from five games and remains unbeaten in the U16 Female Category.

National Junior Chess Champion Kyle Couchman has 3.5 points after five rounds, including a Round 5 draw against a FIDE Master rated above 2100.

In the U12 Absolute Category, Vir Narine has two wins and a draw from five matches. Abel Fernandez Ciria, the U14 Open Champion, has one win and a draw from his first five games in the U14 Absolute Category. Mark Defreitas has two points in the U10 Absolute Category.

Nine-year-old Defreitas also placed seventh in a field of 42 over nine rounds in the U10 Rapid competition hosted by the Costa Rican Chess Federation on Tuesday.

The nine-round tournament, played at 90 minutes plus 30-second increments, concludes on Saturday, November 7. A Blitz competition was scheduled for November 5. Results are on chess-results.com.