The Philippines’ Kaye Lalaine Regidor and Apple Rubin each delivered a golden performance in the just-concluded 22nd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Vientiane, Laos, over the weekend.
Regidor, a World Under-15 silver medalist in Greece last year, defeated top seed Nguyen Binh Vy of Vietnam in the ninth and final round to rule the girls’ blitz event for 16-year-olds with 6.5 points.
Rubin, a native of Toledo, Cebu, for her part, dominated the girls’ blitz section for 14-year-olds by scoring 8.5 points out of nine, capping her performance with a clinical win over Vietnamese Do Ha Trang.
Also securing a bronze in blitz was John Curt Valencia in the Open Under-12 category.
The achievements of Regidor and Rubin averted a golden shutout for the Filipinos, who finished with only a silver medal and a couple of bronzes in the individual standard event of this annual tournament.
The silver medal was won by Iana Angela Sotaridona (G14), while the two bronzes were claimed by Khana Kathrine Ventolero (G10) and Royce Caleb Garcia (Open U8-10).
The young Filipino pawnpushers’ trip to Laos was supported by National Chess Federation of the Philippines president/chairman Butch Pichay. / Radyo Pilipinas 2 Sports