Arena grand master (AGM)/woman national master (WNM) Rowelyn Joy Acedo of Davao City made the Philippines proud by clinching the 5th Fujairah Endurance Blitz Tournament (below 2000) title, besting 149 other players at the Novotel Hotel in Fujairah on Saturday, January 20, 2024. This marked her first championship in the United Arab Emirates since working as a chess trainer in Dubai in March 2023.
In the final and ninth round, the eighth-seeded Acedo outplayed fellow Filipino Rocky Pabalan, seeded 10th at the start of the tournament, in the event organized by the Fujairah Chess & Culture Club as part of the H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad Al Sharqi Cup 20th International Solving Contest (ISC).
The 27-year-old Dabawenya expressed her joy, saying, "I’m overwhelmed after winning my last round kay championship game sya. I’m so happy kay finally naka champion ra gyud ko (I'm overwhelmed after winning my last round because it was a championship game. I'm so happy because I finally became a champion)," in a Facebook interview with SunStar Davao on Monday afternoon, January 22.
Acedo finished with eight points, beating Filipinos Pabalan and Noili Delloro; UAE's woman candidate master (WCM) Alserkal Rouda Essa, Sultan Al Taher Zayed, Alsheraifi But Hamdan, and Essa Mariam; India's Mehta Aryan; and Oman's Mazin Al Handhali.
Her only loss was to Uzbekistan's Shakhnoza Sabirova in their fifth-round clash.
Acedo, said, "I didn’t expect anything. I’m aiming for the top female kay open tournament man sya. Daghan pud kusog and daghan mga ibang lahi (I was aiming for the top female award since it's an open tournament. There were a lot of strong players from different countries)."
Due to her busy schedule in Dubai, where she works, Acedo rarely competes.
She’s a decorated chess player in the country,
Palestine's Raji Abuazizah, who tallied 7.5 points, copped the runner-up honors while the third, fourth, and fifth places went to seven-pointers Armel Abucejo of the Philippines, Mogomed Isaev of Russia, Delloro and Pabalan of the Philippines.
The top 10 also included UAE's Alhamed Hamdam Edrees, Lebanon's Mohamad Fawaz, India's Taksh Sharma, and the Philippines' Francis Erwin Dimarucut. MLSA