Pascua stays perfect in nat'l junior chess

MANILA, Philippines - FIDE Master Haridas Pascua continued to hold sway in the 2012 National Age Group and National Juniors Chess Championships yesterday at the Event Center in Tanauan, Batangas.

The pride of Mangatarem, Pangasinan beat Jan Francis Mirano of Aklan in the fifth round to remain perfect with 5.0 points, a full point ahead of his closest pursuers in the junior men’s division.

Defending champion FM Mari Joseph Turqueza of Quezon City kept Pascua in sight with a victory over Franz Robert Grafil of Valenzuela. He shared second place with Bacolod bet Joel Pimentel Jr., who was held to a draw by Vince Angelo Medina of Cavite.

The champions in the junior men’s and women’s will represent the country in the 2012 World Junior Chess Championships in Athens, Greece.

There were slight changes on top of the standings in age group competitions.