Friday, August 08, 2008 Tolentino to spearhead Goldcrest in chessfest
FRESH from sharing first place with Grandmaster Buenaventura "Bong" Villamayor in the Palawan Open, National Master Rustum Tolentino is back in Cagayan de Oro to play in a team chess tourney starting Friday in Barangay Patag.
The youthful Tolentino, a resident of barangay Balulang who finished high school at MOGCHS (Misamis Oriental General Comprehensive High School), will anchor Goldcrest team in the two-day Patag chessfest.
"Yes, Tumtum will play for us. He will be joined in by Lennon Hart (Salgados), Rapanot (Alfredo Jr.) and Loloy (Torres) on boards 2, 3 and 4," said Roly Tan, one of the proprietors of Gold Crest Marketing Incorporation.
Coincidentally, Tolentino and the 14-year-old Salgados are both national Shell Youth Active champions with the former winning the junior crown, some five years ago.
Salagados won last year in Manila.
"Tolentino used to play in Manila and in the Middle East. Madasig sab `ta nga ato siyang makita balik nga modula dinhe (it's inspiring to see him back play in his native place)," his local chess contemporaries were one in saying.
No less than Barangay 23 chairman, Jaime Joshua Frias II leads the B-23 Tigers' own quest for the P12,000 top purse in Patag chessfest.
The chessfest will also feature the promising kiddie chess players in the city such as the Ibaoc brothers (Keith, Tristan and Keenard), Kenneth Norman Honculada, Alyssa Isaiah Jamaca, Chezter Coquilla and Mario Christian Pabillore, among others. (LLS)
