CAGAYAN de Oro has produced yet another qualifier for this year's national championship of the 18th Shell Youth Active Chess.
Twelve-year-old Tristan Frech Ibaoc, a grade 5 pupil of Corpus Christi Grade School, became the fourth Shell finalist from the City of Golden Friendship after he emerged first runner-up in kiddies division of the just-held Cebu leg.
The first three qualifiers were Alfredo Rapanot (Batangas leg), Richelieu Salcedo III and Lennon Hart Salgados who both hurdled the challenge in Bicol region during the Naga leg.
"Hapit ni qualify ang duha n'ya ka igsoon sayang wala na tuloy-tuloy," candidate master Lyndon Lumancas, who accompanied the Ibaoc brothers in Cebu, told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
Nine-year-old Kennard Troy Ibaoc could have grabbed the third place in the 14-under rivalry, but he lost in the final round.
Keith Duval Ibaoc, 15, started 5 of 5 in the junior division before he lost steam in the final day of action at the University of San Carlos North Campus gym, yielding to the top-seeded Christian Fiel of Argao, Cebu.
Lumancas said they experienced travel glitch aboard Southern Gothong line when they left for Cebu on Friday.
It reportedly took until midnight before MV Doña Rita, which was scheduled to leave at 8 p.m., could move on.
"Nisangit ang angkla sa barko mao nga apektado ang tulog sa mga pasahero kay di man gyod malikayan ang kabalaka," Lumancas, said.
Shell Active chess will swing to Mindanao, taking its first stop in Cagayan de Oro for the first Mindanao leg on Sept. 11-12 at the fully-airconditioned City Tourism Hall before capping its nationwide regional eliminations in Davao City on September 25-26.