Woman national master (WNM) Samantha Babol Umayan of Davao City moved a step closer to the Philippine women’s national chess team after placing second in the PSC–NCFP Selection National Chess Championship pre-finals that concluded Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence (PACE) in Quezon City Sunday, January11, 2026, finishing with five points after six rounds.
Umayan, an 18-year-old BS Psychology sophomore at Far Eastern University, settled for the silver medal in the women’s division, trailing only FEU teammate LJ Getubig, who topped the field with 5.5 points. Another Getubig sister, Lyn, placed third with 3.5 points, giving the Tagoloan-based siblings a sweep of the podium.
The pre-finals determine which players advance to the grand finals on Jan. 21, where the top three finishers will earn slots on the national team.
“After po nitong pre-grand finals may grand finals pa po kami this Jan. 21. Kung sino po yung mag-top three, sila po yung magiging part ng national team (After these pre-grand finals, we will have the grand finals on Jan. 21. Whoever finishes in the top three will become part of the national team),” Umayan said in a Messenger interview with SunStar Davao.
Umayan, who hails from Buhangin, opened the tournament with back-to-back wins before absorbing her only loss, against LJ Getubig in the third round. She rebounded with three straight victories to finish with five points and secure second place on tiebreaks.
Umayan said making the national team has long been her goal.
“Yes po Ma’am, national team po talaga since sobrang dami pong benefits and yung honor na din po of being part of the national team (Yes, ma’am, making the national team is really my goal because it comes with so many benefits and, above all, the honor of representing the country),” she said.
She described her opening-round match against Joyce Rianna Rueda of Minalin, Pampanga as her toughest.
“Losing na po ako dun, material down, and nagkamali lang siya sa dulo due to time panic kaya I was able to save the game (I was already losing, down in material, but she made a mistake near the end because of time pressure, which allowed me to save the game),” Umayan said.
She also cited her loss to LJ Getubig as a difficult test.
“Parang medyo tagilid na po talaga position ko sa game namin sa start pa lang and nagtuloy-tuloy yung advantage niya kasi puro mali din yung mga tinira ko (Parang medyo tagilid na po talaga position ko sa game namin sa start pa lang and nagtuloy-tuloy yung advantage niya kasi puro mali din yung mga tinira ko),” she said.
With the grand finals looming, Umayan said she remains focused on breaking into the final three and earning a place on the national squad — a milestone she said every Filipino chess player dreams of reaching. MLSA