Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Bacolod kid tops S'pore Asian schools chessfest
FOURTEEN-year-old Bacoleño Joel Pimentel of Marapara, Barangay Bata, Bacolod City recently emerged as the champion and gold medal winner of the 2006 Asian Inter-Schools Chess Festival held in Singapore last December 18-23.
Pimentel, a first year student at De La Salle Greenhills in San Juan, Metro Manila, was presented to several members of the media last week by former University of St. La Salle president and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman Bro. Rolando Dizon, FSC representing the JRR Dizon Foundation which sponsored Pimentel's stint in the international competition.
Also present was chess official Jessie Sanchez. Pimentel, who started playing chess when he was just five, also emerged champion during the Asean Under-14 Chess Championship in Jakarta last July 2006.
"We're preparing Joel for the 2007 Singapore Junior Chess Olympiad for Under-16 players because we believe that a young player of his caliber needs constant international exposure to competitions in order to progress in sports," Dizon said.
Dizon added that when the new FIDE ratings come out in January they expect Tolentino to become a FIDE Master.
During the Singapore tournament Tolentino competed against young chess standouts from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Qatar and Korea, among others.
He was one of the four DLS-Greenhills players who saw action in the said event. The others were Mikee Ramos, Rhett Matugas and Miguel Lahoz.
Dizon also revealed that the foundation is supporting the campaign of Escalante City's National Master Hamed Nouri to become an International Master this year.
"Hamed needs all the support he can get so he can improve his stat us one of the country's promising emerging chess talents and JRR Dizon Foundation is behind him in his quest," he assured.
Nouri was the best placed Filipino player at eight place during the recent inaugural staging of the President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Open and International Chess Challenge held in Parañaque City, Metro Manila.
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(January 3, 2007 issue)
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