Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Corpus stalwarts in sweeping finish
CORPUS Christi players swept through the kiddies and juniors division titles of the highly successful 1st Ace Hardware Youth Chess Challenge Open tournament, which ended Sunday at the Inilog Grill, Cagayan de Oro City.
Chezter Jayson Coquilla racked up three straight wins, including a seventh and final round victory over female compatriot Alyssa Joshua Jamaca, to pocket the 14-under kiddies title.
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Lennon Hart Salgados, Northern Mindanao's lone finalist to this year's National Shell Youth Active junior championship, completed Corpus Christi's title romps off when he nipped fellow 4.5-pointer Alfredo Rapanot Jr. in the tiebreaker to claim the 20-under junior crown.
For his 6.5 points effort in 7 rounds, Coquilla got the P700 top purse, a beautiful trophy, a gold medal and the keenly desired 1001 Questions & Answers World of Knowledge book (worth P1,500) courtesy of Time Life/Filway.
The 15-year-old Salgados, the 2007 National Shell kiddies titlist, received P1,000, the championship trophy, a gold medal and another P500 plus FCD (Fighting Chess Defenders) medal for being the top 16-under performer.
Rapanot and third-placer Charles Joseph Laya brought home P700 and P500 apiece also with trophies and medals.
It was actually a rampaging finish for Corpus Christi hopefuls in the kiddies class as the darkhorse bet, Christian Mario Pabillore strung up impressive wins over Clamder Tion, Alexander Ray Sumania and Jan Eduard Amper to claim the runner-up honor worth P500, a trophy and a medal.
Pabillore, the latest addition to the FCD disciples in the company of Salgados and Antonio Chavez Jr. -- the scoring machine of 2008 UAAP champions Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws -- also emerged as the top 12-under player. Pabillore earned another P100 and a mini cup for his feat.
Carol Anne Chua of Merry Child School, meanwhile, bagged the third-place trophy and P300 cash. More than that, Chua alongside Jamaca established themselves as the males' scare throughout the two-day chessfest.
"I have a premonition that female chessers would soon dominate the youth events in the locality. The girls (especially Chua and Jamaca) were at par with the boys until tremendous pressure caught on them in the final rounds," said tournament director Lorenzo "Jun" Cuizon.
Ace Hardware's local store manager Rod Madrelino came to grace the awarding ceremony. Madrelino vows a more exciting Ace Hardware chessfest in the summer, even as the organizing Metro Cagayan de Oro Chess Club (MCCC) expressed gratitude to Inilog Grill owner Dr. Renato Naranjo, Nelson Verdote of Time Life/Filway, Goldcrest Marketing, Stan Flora, Boboy Sabal, Jovencio Pangilinan, Dodoy Ibaoc, Lawrence Pastrano and Jigs Jaraula of the City Mayor's Office for supporting the tournament.
The kiddies' top-25 finishers (out of 62 contestants) were Coquilla, Pabillore, Chua, Jan Eduard Amper, Jamaca, Ven Christian Salcedo, Harold Taganas, Kenneth Norman Honculada, Edcel John Amper, Annerose Manilhig, Lendrix John Salgados, Gereson Otto, Renz Andy Cabunoc, Joshua Salcedo, Lloyd Anthony Neri, Michael Go, Vincent Salcedo, Leuvin Paul Salgados, Adrian Othniel Yulo, Sumania, Tion, Lynyrd Aleksei Corrales, Julie Anne Opema and Arjay Lorenz Layawan.
The top-10 juniors were Salgados, Rapanot, Laya, Sittie Halia Sabo, Teddy Acedo, David Patrick Rosas, Jayson Nabatlao, Chiza Gaabucayan, Jessie Opena and Israel Franklin Alterado.
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (October 15, 2008 issue)
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