Ethan Lee Wins National Junior Chess Qualifiers
Ethan Lee finished first place with no losses in the Guyana Chess Federation’s most widely contested National Junior Qualifiers, as he pursues the Junior Championship title.
Ethan Lee has won the National Junior Qualifiers which took place over the past four days. The 19-year-old former student of Marian Academy racked up 6 points after playing undefeated for five rounds and drawing his final two matches against top player Ricardo Narine and his brother Ronan Lee.
The top 10 players at the end of the qualifiers will go on to compete in the Nationals which begin this Saturday at the Guyana National Stadium.
The players for the 9-round round-robin tournament are; Ricardo Narine, Keron Sandiford, Ronan Lee, Rajiv Lee, Sasha Shariff, Jessica Callender, Matthew Singh, Kyle Couchman, and Mayas Khan – in that order from 2nd to 10th.
The winner will emerge as the National Junior Champion 2022.
Marian Academy student Micaiah Enoe, who also finished with 5 points, was awarded a trophy for the best U16 player. Pooja Lam from the Saraswati Vidya Niketan School finished on 4.5 points and received the trophy for the best U14 player. Nicholas Zhang, from the School of the Nations, was the best U12 with 4.5 points. Mae’s students, Julian Mohabir (4 points) and his brother Landon Mohabir (3 points) were the best U10 and U8 players respectively.
Regional prizes were awarded to Anasie Fredericks from Region 2, Tapakuma, a student of Anna Regina Secondary who finished with 4 points. Oluwadare Oyeyipo from the University of Guyana was the top player from Region 3 with 4 points. Queen’s College students, Ciel Clement from Region 6, and Jasmine Simpson from Region 10 finished on 3 points and 2 points respectively and took home medals.
Director of Sport Steve Ninvalle, who was present at the award ceremony, praised the progress the Guyana Chess Federation has made in developing the sport across Guyana.
He was also very impressed with the Federation’s expansive Nursery Programme after noting that this tournament saw nearly 70 junior players competing at a high level.
He has pledged the National Sports Commission’s support in advancing the game even further in the future.
