Jaden Taylor’s climb to third place has added interest to the battle for the remaining Pegasus Weekly Chess League podium spots, with three players level on four points ahead of the October 26 finale at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown.
The title is already secured by Davion Mars, whose 5½ points leave him an unbeatable 1½ points clear with one round remaining. Attention now turns to Keron Sandiford, Taylor and Oluwadare Oyeyipo, who sit second, third and fourth respectively on tiebreaks.
Taylor gained two positions in Monday evening’s sixth round after being awarded a forfeit victory against Sandiford. He has now risen five places across the past two rounds and moved ahead of Oyeyipo on tiebreaks.
Sandiford retained second despite the result, while Oyeyipo’s draw with Ryan McKay prevented him from moving into outright second place.
Mars’ early dominance ensured that his absence from Round 6 did not stop him from becoming the league’s inaugural champion. He won each of his first five games before overseas travel commitments led him to request a half-point bye, taking his total to 5½.
Under the competition’s rules, participants may request up to two half-point byes, provided they offer sufficient justification. With his closest rivals on four points, none can catch Mars in the concluding round.
Further down the standings, the youngest player in the competition, Sachin Beharry, celebrated his first win. He defeated Annastasya Marcano in a lengthy game, eventually making his advantage count after missing several earlier winning opportunities.
The victory lifted Beharry two places to ninth with 2½ points, giving him a milestone result ahead of the final round.
Martin Poon and Odinnie Reece also collected victories, defeating Raymond Sookdeo and Owen Mickle respectively, while Woman Candidate Master Jessica Callender received a full-point bye.
McKay, Reece and Poon now hold fifth, sixth and seventh positions respectively with 3½ points each. Callender follows on three points, ahead of Beharry. Sookdeo and Mickle have two points each, followed by Sana Sreebalakumar on 1½, Marcano on one and Juliana Persaud on zero.
Season 1 concludes with Round 7 on Monday, October 26, 2026, at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, Guyana. Although the champion is confirmed, the final games will settle the remaining podium positions.
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