CEBU CITY--Regarded as a "boring game" by the uninitiated, chess played a heroic role in barely pushing Mindanao team to third place overall in the first ever Milo Little Olympics National Finals which ended in grand fashion here Sunday at Cebu City Sports Center.

Among the last few events concluded, Mindanao won the secondary boys and girls' chess team competitions--courtesy of MOGCHS and Corpus Christi chessers' thrilling finish--en route to stealing the last medal slot from Typhoon-wrecked Luzon in what considered now as the best sporting meet the country's young athletes can be proud of.

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"I felt staggered by the trend of games statistic results kay nameligro gyod nga dili kita makasulod sa top three, owing to our poor performance in the ballgames. But after the late afternoon announcement nga midaug kita sa chess medyo nabuhi-an ra kita'g dugo," said Cagayan de Oro-based Milo sports director Megdonio Llamera who already mentioned in the coaches meeting the City of Golden Friendship's hosting of the next Milo Little Olympics National Finals the Queen City of the South had successfully hosted like no other.

For the overall points standing, Mindanao got 373 points for the team silver or just 17 points ahead of fourth-placer Luzon which garnered 356 points.

The mighty Visayas juggernaut struck heavily on all fronts to run away with the overall championship, amassing 631 points or 80 points clear of pre-tournament favorite National Capital Region (NCR) which collected 551 points for second place.

"Dako na kaayo akong kalipay nga naka-third kita. Crucial gyod ang pagdaug sa chess after nga natabangan kita sa taekwondo, swimming ug athletics with more than a dozen of golds," added the age-less Llamera.

With two golds in secondary chess and a couple of silvers in elementary level, Mindanao delegation--mostly represented by Cagayan de Oro athletes--barely nosed out host Visayas for the overall crown in chess.

Mindanao's reign in chess was full of dramatic twist and turn. After a shocking 4-0 sweep of NCR, Mindanao's MOGCHS-powered secondary boys woodpushers fought to a 2-2 tie with Visayas team. A 3-1 win over Luzon in the final round, followed by Visayas' failure to sweep NCR in their own match allowed Mindanao to claim the championship via tiebreaker.

"Pero dili basta-basta ang gibuhat nga pagdaug sa secondary girls from Corpus Christi since after emerging victorious from two knockout matches nanlimbawot gyod akong mga balahibo," said MOGCHS' coach Chito Tupiz, who acknowledged the big help of National Master (NM) Levi Mercado in turning the Misamis Oriental board players into a potent force in the inaugural Milo Little Olympics National Championship.