GUYANA OFF TO A STRONG START AT THE XXI CAC YOUTH CHESS FESTIVAL IN COSTA RICA
Guyanese chess players continue to demonstrate strong performances at the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Youth Chess Festival in Costa Rica, with several players securing decisive wins and critical draws against higher-rated competition.
Candidate Master (CM) and National Chess Champion Sachin Pitamber remains undefeated after five rounds in the U16 Absolute Category. With two wins and three draws, he sits comfortably in the top 10 with 3.5 points in the classical Swiss format competition.
Thirteen-year-old Kataleya Sam, a recent Olympiad participant, continues her impressive campaign. Highly praised by Grandmaster Aleksa Striković during a recent training stint as the future of Guyanese women’s chess, Sam opened with three consecutive victories. Despite a loss in Round 4, she has now reached an impressive 4 points after Round 5, maintaining her momentum and keeping Guyana firmly in the spotlight. Sam is competing in the U14 Female Category.
Women’s Candidate Master (WCM) Aditi Joshi, Women’s Chess Champion, has enjoyed a strong showing in the competition. Following four consecutive draws, Joshi claimed her first victory in Round 5 to reach 3 points from five games. She remains unbeaten, demonstrating consistency and resilience throughout her opening matches in the U16 Female Category.
Kyle Couchman, National Junior Chess Champion, has moved to 3.5 points after five rounds, following a particularly impressive Round 5 performance. Kyle secured a solid draw against a FIDE Master rated above 2100, a valuable result against significantly strong opposition.
In the U12 Absolute Category, Vir Narine has recorded two victories and one draw from his five matches, while teammate Abel Fernandez Ciria, the U14 Open Champion, has secured one victory and a draw from his first five games in the U14 Absolute Category. Mark Defreitas is on 2 points in the U10 Absolute Category. These youngsters will be looking to build on their performances as the competition progresses. With Sam continuing to climb, Joshi securing her first victory while maintaining an unbeaten record, and Couchman and Pitamber both reaching 3.5 points, Guyana’s contingent has plenty of positive results to build upon. A win is one point, a draw is half a point, and a loss is zero points.
One of Guyana’s standout stories is nine-year-old Mark Defreitas, who is gradually making his mark on the international stage. Competing in the U10 category of the Rapid competition hosted by the Costa Rican Chess Federation last Tuesday, Mark delivered an impressive performance, securing 7th place in a field of 42 players across nine rounds.
The CAC Youth Chess Festival provides a critical platform for developing chess nations across the region to test their strength against international competition, gain essential experience, and additionally highlight the impressive growth of chess in Guyana.
Through five rounds of play, Guyana is demonstrating what stands to be its most successful CAC campaign to date.
The nine-round tournament, which has a time control of 90 minutes plus 30- second increments, concludes on Saturday, November 7th, 2026, with a Blitz competition on November 5th, 2026.
Results are displayed on chess-results.com.
Source: Village Voice News
