Pinoy chessers clinch four golds in Singapore tiff

MANILA, Philippines - Young Filipino chess players bagged four gold medals in the Singapore International Chess Festival Sunday at the Jurong East Sports Complex in Singapore.

Singer-chess player Michelle Yaon of Calamba split the point with Sushmitha G of India to finish with 6.5 points in eight games and complete a wire-to-wire win for the gold in the Girls U-17.

Dennis Gutierrez III of San Fabian, Pangasinan scored a crucial victory over Jiddan Firman of Indonesia to top the Open U-8 division with 8.0 points.

FIDE Master Paulo Bersamina of Pasay capped the country’s domination in the Open U-14 with a victory over Ooi Zhi Yang of Singapore to finish with 8.0 points. He won the gold with a full-point margin over compatriot Jerad Docena of Bohol while Vince Angelo Medina of Far Eastern University-FERN halved the point with Jodi Setyaki Azarya of Indonesia to finish with 7.0 points and capture the Open Under-17 title.

Docena took the silver medal in the Open U-14. Bronze medalists were Marc Christian Nazario of Quezon City (Open U-17), Julius Gonzales of Marikina (Open U-11), Fiona Geeweneth Guirhem of Iloilo (Girls U-11) and Mae Ann Joy Baclayon of Manticao, Misamis Oriental (Girls U-8).

Meanwhile, Grandmaster Richard Bitoon finished tied for second with GM Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia and International Master Nguyen Van Huy of Vietnam in the second ASEAN Campomanes Cup.

They finished with 6.0 points, just behind champion Vietnamese GM Cao Sang’s 6.5 points.

Woman FIDE Master Marie Antoinette San Diego failed to live up to her top billing in the Girls U-14 where she finished with only 5.0 points in the nine-round event, two points behind winner WFM Najiha Hisham Nur of Singapore and a half point lower than compatriot Shania Mae Mendoza.

Veterans Alex Milagrosa and Arlan Cabe needed only a draw against their opponents to hand reigning national champion Mari Joseph Turqueza the title.

However, Milagrosa bowed to GM Eldar Gasanov of Ukraine and Cabe lost to FM Andrean Susilodinata of Indonesia.

Turqueza, who beat Singapore-based Filipino Robert Suleo Jr., ended up third after the tiebreak. Susilodinata won the title, with Gasanov finishing second.