Wednesday, October 03, 2007 Corpus Christi: Overall champs in COSAA chess
CORPUS Christi in Macasandig lives up to its billing as the new powerhouse in inter-school chess competition after sharing the spotlight with host Xavier University in dominating the event at the close of the Cagayan de Oro School Sports Association (Cosaa) Meet on Sunday.
Corpus Christi's finish was spectacular that its board players claimed six of the total 8 Triangular Meet slots at stake in elementary and secondary chess rivalries.
Lennon Hart Salgados and Shian Tigulo were both undefeated on board one as they anchored the Corpus Christi's title wins in secondary boys and girls divisions.
Lennon's teammates William Joseph Cayaba and Nicholo Villanueva also bagged the individual golds in their respective boards 2 and 3, while Patricio Villanueva got the silver on board 4.
"Na-impress ko sa performance ni Nicholo. He was extra-careful and dominant in winning all his matches," Salgados said of his soft-spoken buddy now on his last year in high school.
Playing alongside Tigulo with an equally unblemished records also worth a gold were Caroline Go (brd. 2) and Lichelle Van Salgados (brd. 3). They got much support from Leby Igloria and Sheryl Tee in also retaining the secondary girls crown.
Cosaa chess arbiter, Engineer Roger Golez Jr. said the champions on boards 1 and 2 will automatically advance to the forthcoming Triangular Meet at Don Gregorio Pelaez Sports Center.
Joining Salgados, Cayaba, Tigulo and Go to the final selection for the city's best bulk of athletes that will represent in the regional meet are Corpus Christi's elementary chessers Alyssa Isaiah Jamaca and Tristan Ibaoc.
In the only match that was extended for another day, the 12-year-old Jamaca decision her much younger counterpart from Rosevale, Julie Anne Opema (2-1) in the tiebreaking match to win the gold on board one. XU's Rianne Golez prevailed on board 2 to also advance.
XU's Grade Schoolers of Chezter Jayson Coquilla, Kenneth Norman Honculada, Joseph Parba and Lloyd Neri hang on to repeat as elementary boys champions, but not after a cliffhanger bout with their CCS rivals.
Only Coquilla, however, from XUGS boys thus earned a berth to the triangular meet after the vast improved Tristan Ibaoc defeated Honculada on second board.
Virtually playing hopelessly in an endgame duel where he was left with a piece down, Coquilla banked on a reckless routine by the older Keith Ibaoc who blitzed his way (though still has 25 minutes remaining on his clock) to overlook a criminal passed pawn that did him in.
"Tira-tira na lang ko adto kay King ug pawns na lang nabilin sa ako siya naa pay Bishop," Coquilla said in disbelief.
Punctuated by the separate victories of Parba and Neri over Christian Mario Pabillore and Joshua Lumancas on the lower boards and XUGS completely doused off cold waters to Corpus Christi's upset bid in elementary boys championship.
