Sam and Harrison win U1400 Rapid Chess Tournaments

Dominic Sam and Chelsea Harrison were the stars of the Jade’s Wok, Pinnacle Business Services, and Cubs in Action International joint-sponsored U1400 Rapid Chess Tournament, held last Sunday at the David Rose Special School. The two juniors won in their respective categories—Open and Female—claiming the first-place trophies after delivering stellar performances over the board.

Sam finished first among the 25 competitors in the Open Category. Returning to competitive chess after a break from his studies, Sam made an impressive comeback. His perfect score was prevented by draws against Tejasvarun Kandavel and Jeremy Cole in the second and seventh rounds.

Shurlan Sparman produced a calm and technically sound performance to finish with 6 points; however, due to tiebreakers, he was awarded the second-place trophy. His lone loss came in the fourth round against Sam.
Third place went to the talented Arush Ramnarine, who scored 5 points after a resilient showing despite losses in rounds five and six. Jeremiah Jacobs, a promising young talent, finished fourth with 5 points; tiebreakers placed him fourth following losses in rounds one and six. Rounding out the top five was Jeremy Cole, who also scored 5 points. His performance was highlighted by solid play, with draws in rounds four and seven, and a single defeat in round three.

In the Girls Category, Harrison finished with a strong 6 points among 16 competitors. Her only setback came in the third round, when she lost to second-place winner Angelina Yhap. Yhap maintained a tactically sound and disciplined approach throughout the nine rounds. Her strong run included only two minor setbacks: a draw in round five and a loss in the final round, bringing her total to 5.5 points.

Third place went to Sana Sreebalakumar, who finished with 4.5 points. Sreebalakumar displayed her depth and knowledge of the game despite losses in the first and sixth rounds and a draw in the third round. Finishing fourth on a tiebreak was seasoned competitor Italy Ton-Chung, also with 4.5 points, with losses in rounds one and six and a hard-fought draw in round five contributing to her final standing.

Parnita Kishun secured fifth place, also with 4.5 points due to tiebreakers. She played calmly and consistently, winning her final round, and showed resilience and experience with a draw in round two and losses in rounds three and five.
Other notable players in the Open Category included Ethen Pompey, finishing with 5 points; Jacob McDonald, Mark De Freitas, Tejasvarun Kandavel, Sanjay Suman, Brian Clarke, Pranav Suman, and Viren Meghan, all finishing with 4 points. In the Female Category, Axela Vieira and Divya Persaud both finished with 4 points, while Bianca Jessimy, Rebha Lachhman, Varsha Pooran, and Madison Spencer ended the tournament with 3.5 points each.

The seven-round competition featured a Rapid time control of 15 minutes plus a 5-second increment per move and was overseen by Chief Arbiter John Lee and his assistant arbiters Ethan Lee and Kim Shing Chong. The U1400 Rapid Tournament is in its second year and is designed to attract only unrated players, giving them a chance to shine and compete against players of similar strength.

In a simple prize-giving ceremony, trophies were presented by Mrs. Lucknauth, the proprietress of Jade’s Wok, Pinnacle Business Services, and Cubs in Action International, to the top five finishers in both categories.
The GCF extends heartfelt gratitude to Jade’s Wok, Pinnacle Business Services, and Cubs in Action International for their generous sponsorship.