Biag, So advance to Shell grand finals

Top seeds Ivan Gil Biag and Wesley So played true to form in the Southern Luzon leg held at the Batangas Provincial Sports Complex over the weekend to make it to the grand finals of the 2003 Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship.

The 14-year old Biag, a third-year high school student at the Philippine Christian University-Dasmariñas, scored an aggregate 6.5 points to rule the junior division, while So, a student at Jesus Good Shepherd School in Imus, swept all seven games to top the kiddies side of the tournament, also sponsored by McDonald’s and Super Ferry.

Biag and So will be competing in the grand finals set on Sept. 26-28 at the SSS Bldg. in East Ave., Quezon City together with Christopher Manguiat and Eric Malayba, who finished second in the juniors and kiddies divisions, respectively.

Manguiat, a native of Lipa City and a student at Batangas State University in Malvar, had the superior tiebreak score among a group of six-pointers to finish behind Biag, while Malayba, also of Lipa, also finished with six points out of a possible seven.

All four finalists received cash prizes and medals from Shell’s corporate and business events manager Ma. Victoria Medina and Provincial Assistance for Community Development (PACD) sports unit head Joselito Castro and his assistant Cris Olan, who represented Batangas Gov. Hermilando Mandanas.

In the opening ceremony held last, Aug. 30, Gov. Mandanas graced the opening ceremony and performed the ceremonial moves with Medina. Gov. Mandanas encouraged players to do their best in the tournament in a speech warmly received by the more than 160 participants, their parents, coaches and guests.