Abasolo solo champ in Iligan chessfest

AFTER a “not so impressive performance” in Dipolog City, the Cagayan de Oro boys are back on top of the elite charts of Mindanao chess.

The experienced pair of Silverio Abasolo and Jokorn Maestrado, who occupied the 3rd and 16th spots of the 8th Hudyaka Open chess tournament in Dipolog City, made a 1-2 finish in the just-concluded 14th Araw ng Iligan Open in Iligan City.

In the star-studded event that saw the "unexpected fall" of the early favorites, Abasolo and Maestrado cleared the path in the first six rounds then faced each other again in the seventh and final round.

This time their match however turned into a draw with Abasolo getting the better of it to claim the P10,000 top purse with a total score of six points.

"Nag-last round gihapon ‘mi sa Dipolog peldi ko niya. Okz na sa ako ang second sa Iligan kay kusog kaayo ang field," said Maestrado who shared the second place with fellow 5.5 pointers Jeriel Manlimbana of Malaybalay City, Nazario Ubanan and homeground bet Ringo Teves.

Maestrado got the runner-up trophy worth P5,000 by virtue of a higher tiebreak points.

Manlimbana and Oro native Ubanan, who placed fourth in the Hudyaka chessfest behind eventual winner Joel Fernan, Allan Cantonjos of Gingoog City and Abasolo, landed at third and fourth, respectively, with P3,000 and P2,000 take-home. While Tevez and the rest of the top-10 placers (Rja Edades, Ebrahim Alawi, NM Fernandito Pialan, Cosain Magarang and NM Roger Sarip) settles for P500 each.

Among the big guns who failed to make it to the prize circle include Misamis Oriental's Johnnel Balquin and Cantonjos, Dipolog City's Maximo Ramos, Pagadian City's NM Ernesto Fernandez and fellow National Masters Levi Mercado of Cagayan de Oro and Victor Lluch of Iligan.