CARICOM Chess: Guyana and Trinidad to battle in final

Both female players on the team defeated their opponents from the Cayman Islands. Joshi, playing white, and Zara Majid of the Cayman Islands, playing black, were both embroiled in a tense game position.

Joshi admitted she sacrificed a rook by taking Majid’s knight to relieve the pressure. Both players infiltrated each other’s territory, but Black missed a grave white threat. Joshi moved in with her Queen for a quick checkmate, and Majid lost.

Sasha Shariff won Laia Swaminathan of the Cayman Islands in 24 moves. Shariff used her Knight to threaten her opponent’s King, but Shariff’s rook finally ended the game with checkmate.

Kyle Couchman drew with Christopher Young, while Keron Sandiford lost to Clifford Shaw.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Team One and Guyana’s Team One will battle for the CARICOM Classic Chess Title in the final round on Saturday.

The intense and exciting outcome of the inaugural CARICOM Classic tournament will depend on how well the home team performs.

After eight rounds, Trinidad and Tobago leads with 16 points, Guyana Team One with 14 points, Barbados with 12 points, Jamaica – with 11 points, Bahamas – with 7 points, Suriname, Saint Lucia, and the Cayman Islands – with 6 points, with Guyana Team Two and Dominica closing out the point spread.

Games are live-streamed on the Guyana Chess Federation’s website,guyanachess.gy.