MisOr's Salcedo settles for 3rd

MISAMIS Oriental's Richelieu Salcedo III failed in his bid to collar the national master title but settled a respectable third in the 2011 National Juniors Chess Championships, which ended Tuesday at the NCCC Mall in Davao City.

Handling black, Salcedo tried his best to squeeze out a full point only to be neutralized by the solid-playing Mari Joseph Turqueza, who sealed his sweeping finish in Davao with a draw in the 9th and final round.

Fresh from topping the 20-under age-group championship that will send him to Indonesia, Turqueza's winning of the national juniors eventually earned for him the national master title and a stint in the Asean Juniors in India.

Turqueza, who established a rare feat in Davao by demolishing almost the entire senior men's squad of Far Eastern University that won this year's UAAP Championships, also brought home the P15,000 top purse in the NCFP-sanctioned event.

"It seems like he assumed the role of the late Bobby Fischer of America who single-handedly conquered the powerhouse Russia's battery of super grandmasters," said FEU's assistant coach Alex Milagrosa of Turqueza, who shamed his fancied team composed of UAAP's back-to-back MVP Sheider Nebato, "Rookie of the Year" Lennon Hart Salgados, Kevin Mirano and Salcedo in the week-long Davao chessfest.

The Quezon City-based Turqueza, who used to play with La Salle in the UAAP, is now with San Sebastian College Stags in the NCAA Games.

Giovanni Mejia who stunned National Master Joey Albert Florendo of Zamboanga on board 2 tussle grabbed the second place.

In the distaff side, FEU's Janelle Mae Frayna defeated Cebu City's Jessa Marie Balbona in the eighth, then drew with Judith Pineda of Olongapo City in the ninth and final round to finish with 7.5 points and grab the girls' title.

Frayna also outright obtained the Woman National Master (WNM) title.

Cebu's Yves Christian Fiel, who lost to Salcedo in the tiebreaker, occupied the fourth spot. Fifth to 9th places were Mirano, Nebato, Jerad Docena, Jerwell Andoy and Kyz Llantada.

Cagayan de Oro's Chezter Jayson Coquilla and Salgados finished with 6 points to share ten to 18th places in the junior event that attracted close to 100 participants from all over the country. (LLS)