Guyana’s FM Anthony Drayton and CM Taffin Khan scored four points each as the national team finished 13th in the men’s rapid chess competition at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
Guyana ended the 15-round event with eight board points and eight match points after recording two victories, four draws and nine defeats against the other 15 competing nations.
Drayton, rated 1996, made an impressive start by defeating Mexico’s 2437-rated Grand Master Sion Radamantys Galaviz Medina in the opening round. Khan lost on the second board, leaving Guyana with a 1-1 draw against the fourth-ranked Mexicans.
Drayton also secured victories against Nicaragua’s FM Maximiliano Rocha, Haiti’s FM Davidson Gabriel and Puerto Rico’s FM Edgardo Almedina Ortiz. He finished with four points from 15 games against opponents with an average rating of 2286 and gained 23.6 rating points.
Khan, who entered the tournament with a rating of 1968, earned wins against Haiti’s FM Marckens Jean Louis, Jamaica’s FM Shreyas Smith and Puerto Rico’s CM Diego Zilleruelo Irizarry.
His biggest result came in the final round when he defeated Colombia’s 2424-rated FM Andres Santiago Garzon Camelo. Drayton lost to IM Esteban Valderrama Quiceno on the top board, but Khan’s victory allowed Guyana to hold eventual champions Colombia to a 1-1 draw.
Khan also collected four points from 15 games. His opponents had an average rating of 2223, and he gained 11 rating points from the competition.
Guyana’s two victories came through 2-0 results against Haiti in the ninth round and Puerto Rico in the 13th. The team drew 1-1 with Mexico, Nicaragua, Jamaica and Colombia.
The Guyanese suffered 2-0 defeats against Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Venezuela, El Salvador, Panama, Barbados and Guatemala.
Colombia won the competition with 23.5 board points and 26 match points. Cuba placed second with 23 board points and 25 match points, while Venezuela secured third with 22.5 board points and 24 match points.
Mexico finished fourth, followed by the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, El Salvador, Jamaica, Barbados and Panama. Haiti, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua occupied the final three positions behind Guyana.
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