Jerish John Velarde Wins 1st Philippine Hybrid Chess Club Championship

Fourteen-year-old Jerish John Velarde of Marie Ernestine School in Cebu won the 1st Philippine Hybrid Chess Club Championship with a perfect score of 5 points in the 5-round weekend Swiss on Tornelo. Velarde played for the Barracks Chess Club.

In photo above, Jerish Velarde thinks at a traditional board before making his move on the laptop which is allowed in hybrid chess.

The time control was 60 minutes to finish with 30 seconds increment per move starting from move 1. Here is the critical position after Black’s Rh3 in the last game where Jerish, playing White, exchanged his Queen for two Rooks by playing Rxh2! and went on to promote his g-pawn.

Jave Mareck Peteros, 16 of the University of San Carlos in Cebu, finished runner-up with 4.5 points. A 3-way tie followed with Junsen Audric Maranan, John Cyrus Borce and Fletch Archer Arado sharing 3rd to 5th at 4 points apiece.

Borce and Arado together won the club championship for the Zamboanga Hermosa Chess Club.

Forty six players from 17 clubs competed in the tournament including the Malaysian Brainy Chess Academy, here below sending greetings from across the sea.

IA Reden Cruz was Chief Arbiter together with Deputy Chief Arbiter Rudy Ibanez and Arbiters Michael Pagaran, Susan Neri and Margie Narcilla. Club Arbiters were FA Abubakarmartin Abdullah and National Arbiters Joel Villanueva, Cyamir Jill Villanueva, Angel Orijuela, Jasmine Zyrelle Navarez, Ronald Truno Solon, Rustum Tolentino, Rafael Cayanan, Francisco Gabriel Prevandos, Gerouel Pidlaoan, Salvador Tardecilla, Alberto Vera Cruz, Jerel John Velarde, Mark Anthony Dulatre and Mohd Faris Ismail.

Here are the final standings. The top 10 received prizes and certificates. Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and club and individual standings. The tournament was sponsored by W.J. Villadiego Customs Broker.