Monday, April 02, 2007 Iloilo boys shine in Bacolod kiddie chessfest
THREE young Iloilo City pawnpushers figured prominently at the 2nd JRR Dizon Memorial Age Group Chess Tournament for Elementary Boys which concluded recently in Bacolod City.
The three are siblings Ralph Renzo Otero and Lanz Renuel Otero of SPED Sto. Domingo Elementary School and Jan Hermo Baron of Jaro Elementary School. Ralph Renzo and Jan Hermo were sponsored to the Iloilo City Government, while the 8-year old Lanz Renuel was sponsored by his father Wilson.
The tournament, won by Miguel Lahoz of De La Salle Greenhills, was conducted at the University of St. La Salle from March 24 to 25.
Ralph Renzo finished the 86-player, seven-round Swiss event, in second place half-a-point behind Lahoz who scored an undefeated 6.5 points. He actually tied for 2nd to 5th places with top seed Jerich Cajeras, George Teodorico and Roel Vergara but took the runner-up trophy via superior tiebreaks. Baron, who won the event's October edition last year, scored 5.0 points and finished in a tie for 7th to 13th places but was officially in 9th place after tie-breaks. In the next score group was Lanz Renuel who tied for 14th to 20th, but officially placed 14th after the tie-breaks.
Baron was particularly unlucky. Although losing his second round game to an unheralded Bacolod player after a first round win, he racked up four successive victories and was on the threshold of a higher finish when he forced a drawish last round game against Lahoz and was punished for the audacity with a loss.
On the other hand, Ralph Renzo's biggest win came at the expense of Cajeras in Round 4 before drawing with Lahoz in Round 6. Cajeras, a protégé of NM Nouri Hamed, was the 2005 and 2006 Palaro gold medalist. Lanz Renuel could have placed in the top 10 had he won his last round game which was drawn.
Lahoz took home the champion's trophy and the P3,000 top prize, while Ralph Renzo settled for a silver medal and the P1,500 second cash prize.
The tournament was organized by the JRR Foundation and the Chess Players Federation of Negros, with tournament director Jessie Sanchez managing the competition. (Boy Espejo Jr.)
