Bersamina rules Asean rapid chess

MANILA, Philippines - After earning an outright International Master title with his triumph in the under-20 standard play, Paulo Bersamina completed a sweep of his two other events in the Asean+ Age Group Chess Championships that ended Wednesday in Macau.

Fide Master Bersamina of the Letran Squires posted six points after seven rounds to beat Vietnamese rivals FM Dang Hoang Sun (5) and Nguyen Phuoc Tan (4.5) and annex the rapid chess crown.

Not done yet, the 15-year-old whiz made it three-for-three as he ruled the blitz competitions with his eight-point output in nine outings, winning over compatriot National Master Marc Christian Nazario (7) and Dang (7).

Bersamina led a 16-gold, 13-silver and 8-bronze harvest for the Philippine delegation in the 22-nation chessfest.

Veteran Edmundo Gatus likewise scored a grand slam in the Seniors 50 category, adding the rapid and blitz to the standard title he earlier won. Gatus tallied 6.5 points in nosing out GM Wong Meng Kong (5) and Malaysian Ismael Ahmad for the rapid plum and had 8 points in pocketing the blitz diadem at the expense of Singaporean IM Chan Peng Fong (7) and Ahmad (7).

Shania Mae Mendoza (girls’ U-16) and WIM Bernadette Galas (girls’ U-18) capped their respective campaigns with their second gold medals.

Mendoza followed up her conquest in standard chess with a triumph in rapid, where she beat fellow Pinay Ella Grace Mollic via tiebreak at six points and Vietnamese WFM Vu Thi Dien Ai (5). Vu, however, foiled Mendoza’s bid for a triple crown as she edged the Phl bet via tiebreak for the blitz tiara.

For her part, standard chess champ Galas won again in rapid, logging six against Vietnamese WFM Dao Thi Lanh Anh’s 5.5 and WFM Huynh Ngoc Thuy Lin’s 5.5. But she settled for bronze in blitz, 1.5 point short of countryman Michelle Yaon’s winning 8.

Rhenzie Kyle Sevillano (boys’ U-16 rapid), Michael Concio (boys’ U-10 rapid), and Daryl Unix Samantila (boys’ 16-under blitz) also shone for Phl in the last two days of competition. WNM Jan Jodilyn Fronda, who had netted a WIM title by topping the girls U-20 standard hostilities, and Precious Day Yecla, who reigned in the girls’ U-8 standard, accounted for the other mints.