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Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Cebu players grab limelight
The way things are going, Region 10 is fast becoming Carlos Moreno III’s favorite playground.
The Cebuano veteran chess player grabbed a piece of the limelight Monday after sharing first place in the Region 10 elimination in Ozamiz City for the RP team that will compete in the 27th World Chess Olympiad in Turin, Italy.
Moreno, who also reigned as champion in last year’s Region 10 elimination for the RP team to the Southeast Asian Games, capped his stirring comeback after a first-round hiccup with a masterful win over Cagayan de Oro City’s Joseph Maestrado in the seventh and final round to up his tally to six points.
The two-time Mandaue Open champion wrapped up the game in only 22 moves after Maestrado’s sloppy middlegame play in their Queen’s Gambit Declined encounter.
Tiebreak
Cebu-based Michael Pinar, former top player of the University of San Jose-Recoletos chess team who hails from Mindanao, matched Moreno’s score after stopping Jeriel Manlimbana in the final round, while Johnnel Balquin likewise posted six points after beating fellow Cagayan de Oro bet Silverio Abasolo.
However, after the tiebreak scores were determined, it was Balquin who came out on top with Pinar and Moreno at second and third, respectively.
The three, who each received P5,000 from the combined first, second and third prizes worth P15,000, will lead the Region 9 qualifiers to the national finals in Manila, which will start on Thursday.
The National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) decided recently to scrap the semifinals and directly stage the finals from Thursday to Monday.
However, only three RP team spots will be at stake in the national finals as the NCFP gave automatic slots to players with a Fide rating of over 2500.
This means that Grandmasters Mark Paragua, the Philippines’ highest-rated player and the only Filipino in the top 100 with a 2617 rating, Eugene Torre and Joey Antonio – who are the only players with a rating of over 2500 – are assured of spots in the RP team. Torre is rated 2543, while Antonio is 2539.
Qualifiers
Cebuano players Allan Salientes and Rodrigo Alejandre, meanwhile, also qualified to the Manila tournament after beating their final-round opponents to join seven others who scored five points each. Salientes beat Noli Cabillas in the final round, while Alejandre outplayed Antonio Chavez Jr.
The Cebuano players had to settle for a prearranged draw among themselves in the first round after they failed to make it in time for the opening matches on Saturday because of hitches during their travel to Ozamiz.
The rest of the qualifiers are Abe Agar, Mardonio Fuentes, Bryan Jose, Maestrado, Johnny Carzano, Abasolo, Lyndon Lumancas, Rodolfo Calonia Jr. and Nelman Lagutin.
The Cebuanos’ trip to Ozamiz City was supported by sportsman Chester Cokaliong and chess patron Rey Feliciano. (JCT)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 5, 2006 issue)
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