Buenavista, Pascua rule chess tiff

Twelve-year-old John Robin Buenavista and nine-year-old Haridas Pascua beat their respective rivals in the final round to rule their age-group divisions and earn the first two of the 12 final slots during the semifinals for the selection of the members of 2003 US-bound Milo Checkmate team Sunday at the Greenhills Shopping Center.

Buenavista of Notre Dame of Greater Manila humbled Ryan James Cruz in 23 moves of the Four Knights variation and copped the under-12 title with a perfect score of five points.

Pascua of Mangatarem, Pangasinan, who outplayed Emmanuel Elijah Songcuya III in 57 moves using the Sicilian closed variation, finished with 6.5 points after seven rounds, to rule the under-10 division in this round robin age-group events organized by Checkmate Phils. under Metropolitan Chess Club.

In the junior bracket, 17-year-old Marlon Alzona of Pasig, who settled for a draw against 14-year-old Sean Bancod in five moves of a Queen’s Pawn game, bagged the title with 4.5 points and gained the third final slot. Bancod, who ousted Jed Pornobi in 45 moves of an English opening, finished second with 3.5 points for a berth in the finals.

In the under-8 group, Jan Nigel Galan of Valenzuela City and Aurelio Isaac Doctor III of Las Piñas shared top honors on identical 3.5 points and grabbed the fifth and sixth slots.

Rounding off the 12 semifinalists who will advance to the finals are Joshua Kirk Ver and JC Marquez (under 12); Songcuya, Christy Lamiel Bernales, MJ Turqueza and Antoni Angelo Seloterio (under 10).

They will face the members of the first Milo Checkmate squad, which went to US last July, in the finals Jan. 3-5.