Sevillano shocks top foes, leads Shell final

MANILA, Philippines - Kyle Rhenzi Sevillano humbled top seed Felix Balbona and four other higher-ranked rivals to find himself the bewildered solo leader in the juniors’ boys division while Jean Karen Enriquez and Gladys Hazelle Romero forged a tie in the girls class at the start of the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championships grand finals at SM Megamall Event Center last Saturday.

The least fancied player among the 10 finalists, Sevillano, who dominated the Mindanao elims, surprised Balbona with the black right in the first round then toppled No. 6 Timothy So Kua, second ranked Aljie Cantonjos, No. 7 Jerome Villanueva and third seed Allan Pason to post a one-point lead over Candidate Master Jan Nigel Galan halfway through the round robin tournament sponsored by Pilipinas Shell.

The 14-year-old Sevillano is out to match GM Wesley So’s feat in the annual event held to further boost the sport and discover future stars, seeking the juniors crown after winning the national kiddies plum last year.

Galan, whom Sevillano will face in the eighth round, beat Cantonjos, Pason, No. 4 Jeazzir Surposa and fifth seed Vince Medina before bowing to So Kua in the fifth round for second with four points.

The finals gathered the top 32 players from five regional elims of the 21st staging of the annual nationwide event. The national Shell Active Chess series is  a legacy project that signifies Shell’s support to nation-building through youth development.  Among Shell’s other advocacies are environmental management, sustainable mobility and road safety.

Villanueva rebounded from a fourth round loss to Sevillano with a victory over No. 8 Mark Labog to seize solo third with 3.5 points while So Kua pooled three points and Balbona, who also lost to Pason in the third, struggled with 2.5 points.