Quezon City A, Pasay chessers dispute national inter-cities crown

Quezon City A, backstopped by Asia’s first Grandmaster Eugene Torre, sealed a return trip to the finals after turning back Pandayan, Meycauayan in a two-game semifinal round Monday in the 2003 National Inter-Cities and Municipalities Chess Team Championship at the second floor, Multi-Purpose Bldg., Philippine Science High School, Agham Road, Diliman, Quezon City.

The defending champion Quezon City A stamped its class over Pandayan in Game 1 of the semis via a 3.5-.5 rout, before completing the task with a 2.5-1.5 score in the second game held in the afternoon.

Quezon City’s bid for a back-to-back title, however, will be challenged by the Pasay City team of GM Bong Villamayor, which swept past Marikina City-MCF in the other semifinal match.

Pasay City nipped Marikina City, 2.5-1.5 in the first game before settling for a 2-2 draw in the second encounter to arrange the title tiff against the Quezon City chessers for the title and the P200,000 top cash pot.

The runner-up, on the other hand, will win P100,000 and the third placer gets P75,000.

After going through the quarterfinals, the Quezon City A chessers emerged a solid favorite over Pandayan despite very little rest against the International Master Mark Paragua-led team, which earned an automatic semis berth after topping the nine-round eliminations.

If ever, Quezon City A appeared sharper, and better prepared.

Torre, the top Board 1 performer, immediately went to work and upended the 18-year old Paragua, a GM candidate, in the first match. And with Rex Ami winning over Roland Salvador, and Julius Sinangote getting past Butch Villavieja, Quezon City was on its way to a runaway victory, as NM Rolando Nolte saw no need to force a win and settled for a draw against NM Emmanuel Senador.

In the second game, Torre again quickly put Paragua on his place, virtually sealing Quezon City A’s return to the finals, as the rest of his teammates drew their matches one after the other.

"Mahirap din dahil dumaan pa kami sa quarterfinals. But this is going to be an exciting finals since matibay din ang Pasay City," said the 52-year old Torre.

Like Pandayan, Pasay City earned an automatic semifinal slot, but the team hardly showed any rust in disposing of Marikina right in the first game, with GM Villamayor scoring a decisive win over IM Chito Garma and NM Ronald Dableo outplaying 16-year-old NM John Paul Gomez.

Jose Manabilang delivered for Marikina in Board 3 with a win over Jerome Balico, but a draw by Oliver Dimakiling and deaf-mute Liolen Tubianosa sealed the win for Pasay City.

In the second match, Villamayor crushed Garma’s faulty approach of the French Winawer and won an unprotected rook destroying Marikina’s slim chances of forcing a reversal. And with Dableo and Dimakiling again settling for draws, Pasay City rolled into the championship round despite Manabilang’s second straight victory in the semifinals.

With the loss, Marikina City dropped into a battle for third place against the Pandayan, Meycauayan team.