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Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Former champs fall
* As five young hopefuls make it to the finals
"DOG eats dog" became the order of the day as the top dogs crashed out of contention--one after the other -- on Saturday's matches of the 3rd Class B "Handicapping" Knockout chess tournament in this city at Divisoria Chess Plaza.
Condrado Mahinay, Loloy Torres, William Reintegrado and Starksy Maestrado -- all former Class B champions -- had an early exit in the exciting event of nerves, wits and speed.
Mahinay was defeated by Torres who, in turn, apparently yielded to Popoy Tanoy.
Maestrado found his match with Antonio Chavez Jr. who also eliminated occasional Class A visitor Jemuel Calo.
Reintegrado was booted out by Vitaliano Dalauta as well as the once-vaunted Onie Abejuela in the hands of Jeffrey Chan.
Even former junior standouts Emmanuel Crisologo and Patricio Daniot and comebacking Fr. Vic Arellano did not survive the tough grinds.
Daniot was added to the elder Dalauta's list of hapless victims while Crisologo of Xavier University college men's varsity team got ambushed by the 15-year-old Randolph Dalauta, now in his final year at Corpus Christi high school, who also succumbed to the lightning-quick Calo.
"Wala kay mapili nga kontra labi na sa Super B nga category kay patas lang ang strength. Abi gani nako'g maka-survive si Fr. Arellano kay usa siya sa mga kusog dinhi sa una," said Jokorn Maestrado, assistant to chief arbiter Leo Dinglasan of the sponsoring Divisoria "Doc" Chess Club.
Arellano, virtually unheard in local chess community since he made it to the Palarong Pambansa over a decade ago, was able to outplay Daniot in the opener but lost steam in the next two games.
For the umpteenth time, the triumph of the youth was evident halfway of the knockout tourney as exactly half of the top-10 finalists are from elementary and high school levels.
Leading the cast are the 12-year-old Corpus Christi bet Lennon Hart Salgados, his 15-year-old bosom buddy Chavez, vast-improved Francisco Porras III (12), Elias Balase (16) and the 10-year-old Alyssa Jamaca, the only female qualifier from Class B bracket.
Joining them for another round of no-tommorow contest are veteran rivals Choy Dalauta, Totong Salcedo, Nick Dawal, Raul Tan and Abdul Basare.
The 16-under ruler of the 2006 Quezon Circle Chess Festival in Quezon City, Manila, Salgados bucked a first-game loss to Tanoy to stay in hunt for the P2,000 top purse.
"Tabla na lang iyang (Tanoy) gipangita suwerte lang nga naka-rally pa," Salgados said of his breathtaking 2-1 escape after he strung up victories over one-time Cebu's top junior Julius Albina and experienced Shell Active chess campaigner Jeffrey Chan.
As Super B entries, the threesome of Salgados, Chavez and Dalauta will give 3-2 odds to all of their Minus B opponents.
"Pressure gihapon kaayo ni nga tapada kay katulo namo pildehon ang B- nga mga finalists," Chavez told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
(June 27, 2006 issue)
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