WINNING the P25,000 Winner-Take All Online Tournament was such a breeze for our very own arena grand master (AGM) Rowelyn Joy Acedo.
The 25-year-old former De La Salle University varsity chess scholar and bemedaled UAAP player demolished Euro gaming consultant and sportsman Kim Zafra, 15-3, in their nine-game showdown via lichess.org recently.
But the road to her recent feat was tough, as she had to hurdle rated woodpushers and national team members in the Women's Invitational elimination tournament held on February 7, 2021. She, however, still emerged champion amid the nervousness of experiencing the 6.1 magnitude earthquake at that time.
The Dabawenya champion from Buhangin, Davao City, registered 13 points in the 16-round 17-player Swiss System chess format competition, besting next two placers woman candidate master (WCM) Christy Lamiel Bernales and woman international master (WIM) Jan Jodilyn Fronda.
She, thus, gained the right to clash against Zafra who turned out to be an easy prey.
Joy has indeed sustained her winning form all these years since she started as an age-group player then became a junior campaigner, collegiate athlete, and now as a young professional.
She loves chess and is passionate about it. Naturally, the sport also loved her back.
Aside from being an online English teacher, she is also a chess coach of chess.com and one of the coaches of the Rising Phoenix Chess Academy headed by IM Joel Banawa.
I can't help but be proud of Joy, having chronicled her chess career ever since she started competing in the annual Shell National Youth Active Chess Championships and Araw ng Dabaw Age-Group Chess Championships.
She never stops learning and training. She competes nightly in bullet tournaments. There's no stopping her it seems.
Joy just continues to shine.
Congrats, Joy! Cheers to more victories!