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Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Salgados rules Lapaz I chessfest
* As Bonbon kids dominate older rivals
OH WHAT a fitting Christmas gift!
Oro's own chess prodigy Lennon Hart Salgados won his first ever tournament against older foes just a few hours before the break of what appeared to be a perfect Christmas celebration for him.
The 12-year-old Salgados, facing the dangerous Cris Cubero with black in the final round, used the Scandinavian Icelandic Gambit variation to confuse his 40-year-old rival enroute to complete a five-game sweep of the Lapaz I Christmas Chess Tournament here on Saturday afternoon at sitio Agora in Barangay Lapasan.
With the youth and the clock on his side, Salgados managed to wiggle out from a complicated middlegame and take the battle into a favorable endgame with Cubero loosing grip of his central pawns.
"The game went on according to my plan. Although ipit gamay, akong gipa-cramp ang mga piyesa aron mapugos siya'g analyze og lalom leading to time pressure. Nakatira gyod siya'g weak move when he had only about 5 minutes left on his clock," said Salgados, fresh from winning the top kiddie award during the Aurora Open in Zamboanga del Sur and the elementary championship of the just-held qualifying chess matches here for the forthcoming Palarong Pampook.
His 15-year-old compatriot from Barangay Bonbon, Antonio Chavez Jr. of City High School finished a full point behind Salgados. But Chavez also went on to defeat Cubero (his early conqueror) in their tie-breaking match to grab the second place. Cubero, dubbed a "giant killer" in previous open competitions, settled for the third place honor.
"Coincidence lang siguro kay wala `mi nagsabot pero parehas `mi naka-t-shirt og pula during the tournament. Fighter `ning mga bataa ingon pa nila," Chavez said in half jest.
The day-long chessfest, held at Lapaz I basketball court, was jointly organized by the Lapaz I Civic Organization (LCO) and Lapaz I Sports Committee (LSC) through the efforts of LCO president Mila Z. Abesamis, LSC chairman Leonilo Q. Bacas and LSC vice chairman Jeffrey S. Ugat.
Event overseers Jude Padilla and Nito Labial, however, apologized to the winners for not giving yet the entire part of the cash prizes.
"Tu-a pa man gud sa ospital ang nag follow-up sa among solicitation sa City Hall for the cash prizes so, sa registration lang una namo gikuha ang pasi-una nga bahin sa mga premyo. Manghinaut lang `ta nga mahatag sa City Hall among gipangayo for this sports development program dinhi sa Lapaz I," Labial explained. (LLS)
(December 27, 2005 issue)
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