Candidate Master Sachin Pitamber completed an unbeaten run to win the Guyana Chess Federation National Junior Championship Qualifiers on Wednesday, securing first place after seven rounds at Olympic House, Liliendaal and advancing to the National Junior Championships alongside eight other players.
Pitamber sealed the title with a seventh-round victory over Alek Ubaldo-Singh to finish on six points from a possible seven. His campaign included five wins and two draws, with the unbeaten performance keeping him clear of the chasing pack.
WCM Aditi Joshi also ended the tournament on a high, defeating Jaden Todd in the final round to finish second on 5.5 points. Alexander Zhang shared the point with Nicholas Zhang to end on five points, while Kataleya Sam and Jeremy Cole also reached five points after defeating Aquilani Swaminadha and Abel Fernandez Ciria respectively.
The battle for the remaining qualifying places went down to the final round. Darrel Abrams and Matthew Singh played to a draw, while Aiden Tinnie strengthened his position with a victory over Dominic Sam. Javier Davenand also claimed a win over Ciel Clement to finish level on points with Tinnie, but narrowly missed qualification on the tiebreak system.
Pitamber had entered the final round in first place after drawing with Matthew Singh in round six. At that stage, Joshi and Alexander Zhang trailed by half a point, with several players still in contention for the nine available qualifying spots.
The qualifiers now give way to the National Junior Championships, where the top nine finishers will be joined by reigning National Junior Champion Kyle Couchman.
Qualified players:
CM Sachin Pitamber
WCM Aditi Joshi
Alexander Zhang
Kataleya Sam
Jeremy Cole
Nicholas Zhang
Matthew Singh
Darrel Abrams
Aiden Tinnie
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