Allicock, Couchman, and Joshi dominate GCF’s year-end chess tournaments

FIDE Master (FM) Rawle Allicock emerged victorious in the Guyana Chess Federation (GCF)-sponsored End of Year Rapid, while Kyle Couchman claimed first place in the Blitz segment of the competitions held last Saturday and Sunday, respectively, at the School of the Nations in Georgetown. WCM Aditi Joshi secured the Best Female Prize in both events.
Allicock went unbeaten in the End of Year Rapid, delivering a commanding performance to finish with 6.5 points. His near-perfect run was only interrupted by a draw against second-place finisher Kyle Couchman, who ended on 5.5 points, in Round 5. Keron Sandiford took third place with 5 points. Couchman, who had performed flawlessly in the first six rounds, lost to CM Sachin Pitamber in the final round. Pitamber, competing in the Open section, secured fourth place in the Open Category with 5 points, while Joshi also finished on 5 points.
The junior U-20 category showcased equally fierce competition. Ricardo Narine, with 5 points, earned the Best Player award, ahead of Rafael Park and Matthew Singh, who both also finished on 5 points to take second and third place, respectively. Lusianna Farlot claimed the Best Female prize for the U-20 category, scoring 3 points. Other notable performers included Kim Shing Chong with 5 points, and Alexander Zhang and Aiden Tinnie, who both finished on 4.5 points.
The End of Year Rapid Tournament, featuring a seven-round Swiss format with a time control of 15 minutes plus a five-second increment, attracted the nation’s elite players for an intense showdown.
The Year-End Blitz, held on Sunday with a five-minute plus three-second increment time control, was dominated by Kyle Couchman. He finished first with an unbeaten 8.5 points across nine rounds, with his only draw in the final round against Nicholas Zhang. His standout moment came in Round 5, when he secured a crucial victory over FM Allicock. Allicock took second place with 8 points, while Matthew Singh earned third with 6.5 points, losing only to the top two finishers.
WCM Joshi once again claimed the Best Female prize, finishing with 5 points. Other notable performers included Keron Sandiford with 6 points, Joshua Gopaul with 5.5, and both Alexander and Nicholas Zhang, who finished on 5 points. Kishun Puran (4.5) and Jessica Callendar (4.0) also delivered solid performances to complete the top ten.
Cash prizes totalling $159,000 were awarded to the top three winners and Best Female in both the Open and U-20 categories for the Rapid Tournament, while the top three and Best Female were similarly recognised in the Blitz competition.
The GCF extends its sincere gratitude to the School of the Nations for its continued support as venue host and commends FM Anthony Drayton for his professional oversight of the games.
Those interested in joining the local chess community can find further details on clubs and membership at guyanachess.gy. (Guyana Chess Federation)