Topco Juices Chess Tournament

Topco Juices Chess Tournament under way
Errol Tiwari
September 5, 2010 in Features, Sunday

The DDL Topco Juices Chess Tournament began yesterday at the Kei-Shar’s Sports Club. The eight round swiss system tournament will be played in a junior and a senior category. For the juniors, the tournament is being used as a qualifier for the upcoming national chess championships. DDL has also sponsored the qualifiers for the seniors, and this tournament will be played shortly.

The seven top finishers among the juniors will gain automatic entry to the nationals. Queen’s College student Cecil Cox is the current national champion, and, therefore, has been seeded to the nationals. Among the favourites for the top seven finishers are the Motilall brothers, Ron and Raan, Saeed Ali, Kana Khan, Khalil Gajraj, Rashad Hussein, Sham Khan and Sheriffa Ali.

Within the senior rank, Taffin Khan is the favourite to take first. Recently, Taffin has been winning the local tournaments, and with his UMADA Cup experience in Trinidad and Tobago, he should emerge victorious. His opposition should come from Webster, who placed second in the last tournament, Nandalall, who gave a sterling performance in the FIDE-rated tournament, and a few others who have not been consistent with their performances this year but who could surprise their opponents at the most unlikely moment. The tournament promises to be a rigorous one for both the juniors and seniors.

Here is the full article.