Thirteen-year-old Aditi Joshi has emerged as the winner of the Women’s Chess Qualifier tournament. The 7-round tournament concluded last Sunday at the National Racquet Center, Woolford Avenue, Georgetown. The event registered more than 20 female chess players, the youngest nine years old.
Joshi, the reigning National Under-14 female champion, performed excellently, completing the tournament with 6.5 points, conceding a single draw to her fellow Queen’s College peer, Ciel Clement, in round 5. She managed to outmanoeuvre her more established opponents, Sasha Shariff and Shazeeda Rahim.
Joshi leads the pack with Shazeeda Rahim on 6 points and Ciel Clement with her 5.5-point total. Treskole Archibald finished 4th with a final score of 4.5 followed by Parnita Kishun and cilt year-old Chelsea Harrison, both on 4. They will be joined by Sasha Shariff, Nellisha Johnson and Emma John, who all finished on 3.5 points, to complete the group of nine who will challenge the current Nation Women’s Champion, Jessica Callender, for the title.
Callender, awaiting the tournament result, had these words to say, “Having won last year’s Championship with no losses and only two draws, I have set high expectations for myself heading into this year’s title defence. I recognize the incredible talent and dedication of all my competitors, and I am excited for the challenge this will bring.”
The top nine ladies who will be moving to the Women’s Championship rounds starting this weekend on April 27th are Aditi Joshi 6.5 points, Shazeeda Rahim 6 points, Ciel Clement 5.5 points, Treskole Archibald 4.5 points, Parnita Kishun 4 points, ten-year-old Chelsea Harrison 4 points, Sasha Shariff 3.5 points, Nellisha Johnson 3.5 points and Emma John 3.5 points.
The Guyana Chess Federation congratulates the top nine contenders for advancing to the championship title round because of their exceptional play. The GCF would also like to recognize the up-and-coming young players, Kaija Clement and Angelina Yhap, who also gained 3.5 points but did not make it to the top nine because of the tie-break system in place. Other notable performers were Ann Doodnauth, nine-year-olds Saura Ruplall and Amaya Sharma, Gabriella Roderigues, ten-year-old Olivia Caesar, and Lusianna Farlot.
The Women’s Championship matches are scheduled for April 27th and 28th, May 1st, 4th, and 5th, 2024.
Diamond Fire and General Insurance Inc. has sponsored the 2024 Women’s Qualifiers and the Women’s Championship tournaments.
The GCF wishes to thank Diamond Insurance for their incredible generosity towards the women in chess. These tournaments are part of the qualifying process for the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary in September this year.
Top performers will gain Grand Prix points from these tournaments and the 2024 Grand Prix Tourneys, which will be tallied and calculated to see who will make the top five for the Guyana female team.
For more information on upcoming tournaments and to keep updated with player stat details, please visit our website at www.guyanachess.gy. Interested persons who wish to join the GCF can do so on guyanachess.gy.