by Marlon Bernardino

Mayor Atty. Rolen C. Paulino in close cooperation with City Sports and Youth Development led by OIC David B. Bayarong, will host the National Age Group Online Chess Championships North Luzon Lega over two days exclusive for NCFP members.

The leg opens with the boys and girls Under-16, U-18 and premier U-20 divisions on Saturday, and the U-8, U-10, U-12 and U-14 categories the next day using the Tornelo chess platform and the 10-minute, five-second increment time control

Two-time Palarong Pambansa bet Elijah Josh V. Opriasa (in photo) of Olongapo City is one of the players to watch in the 2021 Mayor Atty. Rolen C. Paulino National Age Group Online Chess Championships North Luzon Leg this weekend.

“I will do my very best to perform well this coming weekend National Age Group Online Chess Championships,” said the 14-year-old Opriasa, a grade 8 pupil of Columban College in Olongapo City, playing under the guidance of FIDE national instructor Joel Escorial Villanueva.

by Marlon Bernardino.
The Laguna Heroes claimed a historic win as it destroyedthe San Juan Predators in the PCAP Northern Conference Finals through Armageddon tie-breaker Wednesday night in a virtual chess match.

In the second match of the day, the Laguna Heroes and the San Juan Predators were tied 10.5 each after seven boards, but the trio of Grandmaster Rogelio “Banjo” Barcenilla Jr., Grandmaster John Paul Gomez (in photo) and FIDE Master Austin Jacob Literatus saved the day via the Armageddon playoff (3-0) to arrange a titular showdown with Camarines Soaring Eagles.

The Eagles brought down Iloilo Kisela Knights (2-1) in the Southern Conference Finals in another Armageddon tie breaker.

Barcenilla, a 2-time Asian Junior Champion , playing black defeated Grandmaster Oliver Barbosa. Gomez, handling the white pieces, toppled FIDE Master Arden Reyes while Literatus, employing the black pieces, trounced International Master Ricardo de Guzman.

Earlier, the Laguna Heroes backed up by Greatech Philippines, Inc., SDC Global Choice, Jolly Smile Dental Clinic and Rotary Club of Nuvali routed the San Juan Predators, 12.5-8.5, in the first match of the day.

The Northern Conference team ruler Laguna Heroes will look to make history when it shoots for the first-ever PCAP Grand winner against heavyweight the Southern Conference top notcher Camarines Soaring Eagle this coming weekend.

“I can’t explain what I’m feeling now. We’re really happy because we got the win today ,” said Head Coach Arena Grandmaster Dr. Alfredo “Fred” Paez, one of the four co-team owners of the Laguna Heroes that includes Engr. Benjamin Dy, Engr. Jonathan Mamaril and Mr. David Nithyananthan.

“But of course we still need to work later or tomorrow for the upcoming championship this weekend.” added Dr. Fred Paez, who is also the president of the Philippine Executive Chess Association.

“Our matches in the  Northern Conference Finals were all difficult. San Juan is a pretty solid team from upper boards down to lower boards. When WNM Jean Karen Enriquez outscored WIM Fronda in board 3, we got a higher chance to win. The Laguna Heroes team showed great character once again.” added Dr. Paez, who is also the Assistant Executive Director for the Southern Luzon of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines headed by it’s Chairman/President Rep. Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr.

Other members of the Northern Conference team ruler Laguna Heroes were Woman National Master Jean Karen Enriquez,  FIDE Master Jose Efren Bagamasbad, Vince Angelo Medina, Kimuel Aaron Lorenzo and Candidate Master Arjie Bayangat.

Meanwhile, Fritz Bryan Porras, playing black failed to convert his winning position losing to Ellan Asuella and allowing Camarines Soaring Eagles to score a 2-1 victory over Iloilo Kisela Knights in their do or die Armageddon play.

Camarine’s Grandmaster Mark Paragua, handling the black pieces, won his match against 13-time Philippine Open Champion Grandmaster Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. but Iloilo’s National Master Karl Victor Ochoa bested Christian Mark Daluz using the white pieces.

The Camarines Soaring Eagles and the Iloilo Kisela Knights split the score 11.5-9.5, 10-11, in their first two matches to force an Armageddon play.

“Congratulations to team Camarines for clinching the Southern division title; wishing you the best moving into the conference final this weekend. Congratulations  as well to Iloilo Kisela Knights for fighting like a real champion – never giving up till the end. Giving all your best is all that matters most. Continue learning and improving – we’ll be back next conference. To all the fans and partners, thank you for your continued support.” said Iloilo Kisela Knights Team Owner Leo Sotaridona.

by Marlon Bernardino.
It will be a tough battle between the Laguna Heroes and Camarines Soaring Eagles when woodpushers from the Northern Conference winner and Southern Conference ruler clash in the Grandfinals of Professional Chess Association of the Philippines on virtual chess match through chess.com this weekend.

Supported by Greatech Philippines, Inc., SDC Global Choice, Jolly Smile Dental Clinic and Rotary Club of Nuvali, the Laguna Heroes will lean on the services of 2-time Asian Junior Champion Grandmaster Rogelio “Banjo” Barcenilla Jr. (in photo), Grandmaster John Paul Gomez and FIDE Master Austin Jacob Literatus who brought down Grandmaster Oliver Barbosa, FIDE Master Arden Reyes and International Master Ricardo de Guzman of San Juan Predators during the Armageddon tie breaker last Wednesday.

The Laguna Heroes and the San Juan Predators were tied 10.5 each after seven boards in the second day of the match to force an Armageddon playoff for the Northern Conference Finals.
The Laguna Heroes, earlier defeated San Juan Predators, 12.5-8.5, in the first match of the day.

Other members of the Northern Conference team ruler Laguna Heroes were Woman National Master Jean Karen Enriquez,  FIDE Master Jose Efren Bagamasbad, Vince Angelo Medina, Kimuel Aaron Lorenzo, Candidate Master Arjie Bayangat, Engr. Benjamin Dy, Engr. Jonathan Mamaril, Mr. David Nithyananthan and head coach Arena Grandmaster Dr. Alfredo “Fred” Paez.

Camarines Soaring Eagles, on the other hand topped the Southern Conference Finals after beating Iloilo Kisela Knights, 2-1, in another do or die Armageddon play.

Grandmaster Mark Paragua and Ellan Asuela provided the crucial wins by beating 13-time Philippine Open Champion Grandmaster Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. and Fritz Bryan Porras, respectively.

National Master Karl Victor Ochoa defeated Christian Mark Daluz to prevent a possible shut-out for Iloilo Kisela Knights.

The Camarines Soaring Eagles and the Iloilo Kisela Knights split the score 11.5-9.5, 10-11, in their first two matches to force an Armageddon playoff.

Other members of the Engineer Jojo Buenaventura owned Camarines Soaring Eagles team were Ezraline Alvarez, Virgenie Ruaya, Raul Fernandez, National Master Carlo Lorena, National Master Ronald Llavanes and Virgen Gil Ruaya.

MANILA, Philippines – The road to the crown is never easy.

Rick Olivares (Philstar.com) – March 29, 2021 – 12:41pm

Jaymiel Piel eyes National Age Group chess crown
by Marlon Bernardino
Jaymiel Piel, co-champion in the recently concluded 2021 Marinduque National Age Group Chess Championships Boys Under-12 Southern Tagalog qualifying leg last Sunday, has a more ambitious dream—to win Under-14 crown this weekend dubbed as Mayor Atty. Rolen C. Paulino National Age Group Online Chess Championships – Northen Luzon Leg.

The young chess genius from Ternate, Cavite and grade 4 pupil of Maragondon Elementary School tallied 5.5 points in seven outings, to create a three way-tie for first with Ivan Travis Cu of San Juan City and Gabriel Ryan Paradero of Pasig City.

After the tie break point was applied, Cu took the title, Paradero settled second while Piel ended up third.

“I hope to do well in this weekend event,” said the 10-year-old Piel, who spearheaded Sharp Kids Diamond Under 12 Philippine chess team alongside Arnel Mahawan Jr. of San Rafael, Bulacan winning the Worldwide U-12 East A Team Battle last March 10, 2021.

Piel also placed third behind eventual champion Paradero and second placer Vhea Ashley Silvano of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental in the LS Online Friday 118th Chess Arena last March 26, 2021.

Piel also finished second behind eventual winner Ryien Bahita of Canlaon City, Negros Oriental  last January 13, 2021 in the LS Online Wednesday 87th Chess Arena.4

Piel also placed second to tournament champion Tyrone Tabernilla of Imus in the Chessme8 BigMinds Youth Under 16 last Januray 25, 2021.

chess

Indian A team won the Championship convincingly with a score of 15 Match points out of possible 18. They beat Kazakhstan 3 -1 and Indonesia 3 -1 and Lost to India B team 1 ½ – 2 ½ to get the honor. Basak Souhardo (above left) playing Board 4 for India had an excellent performance for India scoring 8 ½ points out of 9 games and International Master Bharath Subramanian (above right) also outstanding on Board 1 to score 8 points out of 8 games. India led the event from the beginning and finally earned the Gold Medal with the Championship Trophy and other awards.

Iran Girls Team A won the Girls division, prevailing in a tie with Mongolian Girls Team I, at 15 points each but with a tie break score of 26 against Monglia’s 24.5.

Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher attended the online awards ceremonies together with Sri Lanka Chess Federation president Luxman Wijesuriya, Hong Kong Chess Federation president K.K. Chan, ACF Arbiters Commission Chairman Mahdi Abdulrahim and Sri Lanka Arbiters.

The Silver medal for boys went to Iran Chess Team. Iran Team A played positive Chess from the beginning and ended up with 14 match points out of 18 possible to win the Silver Medal. They beat Palastine 4-0, Malaysia Avengers 3-1 and Mongolia Team I 3-1 in last 3 rounds. They even got a draw with winners, India in the 5h round. Movahead Jena scored the highest, 7 ½ points to Iran.

Iran Girls Team beat Sri lanka A 2 ½ – 1 ½ , India B 3-1 and Bangladesh 3 ½ – ½ in last three rounds. Though the 3^rd place of both events were won by India B and Mongolia Girls Team II respectively, they were not entitled for the awards on the regulations stipulating one trophy per country.

The Malaysia Avengers scored 12 match points to win the Bronze Medal. They beat Oman A 4-0, Palestine3 ½ ,  Bangladesh 3-1, Indonesia 3-1, Sri Lanka A 3-1, drew with Philippines 2-2, Kazakhstan 2-2 and lost to India A and Iran A 3-1.

Sri Lankan Girls A team Gets the Bronze!

Sri Lanka Girls A team was having excellent performance on first two days where they beat five countries and drew with the winner Mongolia. Unfortunately they lost two consecutive matches to Iran Girls A team and Mongolia A Girls A teams in 7^th and 8^th rounds. They recovered well in the last round by winning against Kazakhstan in the last round 3-1 to win the Bronze Medal. The Captain of the team Sanudula Dahamdi played a responsible role for Sri Lanka Girls by scoring unbeaten 8 points out of 9 games with victories against the top two teams, Mongolia Team I and Iran Team B. This is the highest achievement of a team of Sri Lanka received so far.

The Asian Nations Cup for under 14 Years (Open and Girls) was organized by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka on behalf of the Asian Chess Federation on 27th, 28th and 29th of March 2021 at the Chess.com platform. As usual the event was in two categories, Open where Boys and Girls can participate and a separate event for Girls only. A team comprised of 4 players and a reserve and a country was allowed to field 2 teams in each section.

More than 50 teams from 20 Asian Countries participated in the event. Bahrain, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Maldives, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Thailand, UAE and Sri Lanka contested for the supremacy.

The Events was held on the Swiss System for teams in 9 rounds. Time control was 15 minutes for each player per game with 10 second increments for each move he plays. All precautions for preventing cheating were thoroughly activated. Players were allowed to use laptop/ Desktop computers only and they had to play along in a room facing a wall. A camera/Webcam was compulsory and they were informed to open their cameras and microphones in a zoom meeting in all times when they play. All players were required to share their screens in zoom. The arbiters were carefully observing the players while playing through this zoom meeting. All games were sent to experts for checking. The Chess Federation of Sri Lanka has offered medals and Trophies for the winners while a DGT Chess clock is awarded for the members of the winning teams.

A live streaming of the total event was arranged through the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka Youtube Chanel with commentaries by Grand Master Dymitro Komrov of Ukarine, Grand Master Pravin Thipsay of India and Sri Lankan National Chess Champions, Dulan Edirisnghe, Minul Doluweera, Harshana Thilakarathne and Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage.

Visit chess-results.com for round by round team and individual results.

It was the first hybrid chess Zonal in Asia, conducted by the Zone President Paul Spiller and Oceania Chess Confederation under the auspices of FIDE and the Asian Chess Federation. Players could use traditional boards to think over their moves before uploading on their laptop. Full standard time control applied. All were under the watchful eyes of Local Chief Arbiters and overall Zonal Chief Arbiter Dr. Peter Tsai and Deputy Chief Arbiter IM Leonid Sandler.

GMs Anton Smirnov and Temur Kuybokarov, both of Australia, ended up in a tie after the round robin. Watch the coverage of the exciting tie-break on Twitch.

Chief Arbiter Dr. Peter Tsai sent the following report. Chief Technical Arbiter was David Esmonde and games were played on AuNix platform. More than 20 arbiters supervised 8 players. Many hours of Zoom meetings were held before the event. It was the first online armageddon game in hybrid chess. Top two Australian Grandmasters competed and more than 90 percent were decisive games.

2021 Oceania 3.6 Championship
Hybrid - 20/03/2021, 28/03/2021

 Cross Table

 Pos   N NAME                 Elo   T  Fed   Pts  |  1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8         Prizes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1   3  Smirnov,Anton        2597  GM AUS   6.5  |  *   ½   1   1   1   1   1   1      Eq 1st US$1,750
  2   4  Kuybokarov,Temur     2530  GM AUS   6.5  |  ½   *   1   1   1   1   1   1      Eq 1st US$1,750
  3   6  Croad,Nic            2316  FM NZL   5.0  |  0   0   *   1   1   1   1   1      3rd    US$1,000
  4   7  Prudente,Elmer       1991  CM GUM   3.5  |  0   0   0   *   ½   1   1   1      4th    US$500
  5   5  Sikivou,Taione       1830  CM FIJ   2.5  |  0   0   0   ½   *   0   1   1  
  6   8  Dabuae,Thubalkain       0     NRU   2.0  |  0   0   0   0   1   *   1   0  
  7   2  Resture,Fred         1797     SOL   1.0  |  0   0   0   0   0   0   *   1  
  8   1  Salvadora,Angelo     1730     PLW   1.0  |  0   0   0   0   0   1   0   *

2021 Oceania Zonal 3.6 Playoff
GM Anton Smirnov  (AUS)
GM Temur Kuybokarov (AUS)

                           Time Control                             Round        White          Score        Black
                   25 min + 10 sec from move 1                        8        Kuybokarov      0.5:0.5      Smirnov
                                                                      9         Smirnov        0.5:0.5     Kuybokarov
                   10 min + 10 sec from move 1                       10        Kuybokarov       0 - 1       Smirnov
                                                                     11         Smirnov         0 - 1      Kuybokarov
                    5 min + 3 sec from move 1                        12         Smirnov        0.5:0.5     Kuybokarov
                                                                     13        Kuybokarov      0.5:0.5      Smirnov
    Armageddon (W: 5 min B: 4 min) + 2 sec increment after 60        14        Kuybokarov       1 - 0       Smirnov

by Marlon Bernardino.
Jeremy Marticio, a grade 9 student at Pulo National High School in Cabuyao City, Laguna dominated the 2021 Marinduque National Age Group Chess Championships Southern Tagalog qualifying leg held online over the weekend at tornelo.com.

The 15-year-old Marticio, whose stint here is being supported by Mayor Mel Gecolea, Sports Director of Cabuyao City Mr. Jerome Paul Lualhati and PECA president and Laguna Heroes Coach/Team Co-Owner Dr. Fred Paez, collected 5.5 points on five wins, one draw and one loss in seven outings, the same output of John Dave Lavandero and Hyo Seong Kim to rule the Boys Under 16 division.

This 2-day event (March 27 to 28, 2021) was co-sponsored by Marinduque Board Member Engr. John Pelaez and Engr. Verlie Quindoza and organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines headed by it’s Chairman/President Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr.

Marticio was proclaimed champion due to a better tie break of 30.5 points against runner-up Lavandero with 28.5 points and third placer Hyo with 28.5 points.

Marticio scored victories over Jacob Del Rosario in the first round, Kenneth Sibulangcal in the second round, Phil Martin Casiguran in the fourth round, Allan Gabriel Hilario in the fifth round and John Lance Valencia in the seventh and final round.

His only loss was at the hands of John Dave Lavandero in the third round and only draw was with Zeus Alexis Paglinawan in the sixth round.

Finishing 4th to 10th places were Zeus Alexis Paglinawan (5 pts.), Arena Grandmaster Christian Gian Karlo Arca (5 pts.), Cedric Daniel Macato (5 pts.), Khent Darylle Delig (4.5 pts.), John Lance Valencia (4.5 pts.), Gabriel Umayan (4.5 pts.) and Phil Martin Casiguran (4 pts.).

India and Mongolia in the lead!

Sri Lankan Girls A team also Shining!

Indian A team got the lead after the 6^th round of the Online Asian Nations Cup 2021 (Under 14 Yrs Open) Chess Championships conducted at the Chess.com platform. India beat Hong Kong 4-0, Malaysia Avengers 3 -1, Mongolia Team I 3 ½ – ½ , Philippines 2 ½ – 1 ½ , Kazakhstan 3 -1 and drew with Islamic Republic of Iran 2 -2 to reach 11 match points out of 12 possible.

Mongolian Girls Team 1 also in the same performance after they drew 2 – 2 with Sri Lanka A team in the 6^th rounds to achieve 11 points out of possible 12 points. Mongolia Women Team 1 beat Kazakhstan Team II 3 -1, Iran Girls A Team 3 ½ – 1/2 , India B 3 ½ – 1/2 and India A 3 -1 in the first 5 rounds.

On behalf of the Asian Chess Federation, the Asian Nations Cup for under 14 Years (Open and Girls) is organized by the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka on 27th, 28th and 29th of March 2021 at the Chess.com platform. As usual the event will be in two categories, Open where Boys and Girls can participate and a separate event for girls only. A team should comprise of 4 players and a reserve and a country is allowed to field 2 teams in each section.

More than 50 teams from 20 Asian Countries are participating in the event. Bahrain, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Maldives, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Thailand, UAE and Sri Lanka are competing for the supremacy.

Malaysia Avengers, Philippines and Kazakhstan are in the 2^nd spot of the Open section with 9 match points being ranked 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th on the tie breaker. Malaysian Avengers beat Oman 4 -0, Palastine 3 ½ – ½ , Bangladesh Green 3 -1, Indonesia 3 – 1, drew with Philippines 2 -2 and lost to India A 1 -3 while Philippines beat Bahrain 4 – 0, Kazakhstan 3 ½ – ½ , Bangladesh Green 2½ – 1½ ,Iran 2½ -1 ½ and lost to India A 1 ½ – 2 ½ to reach 9 points. Kazakhstan beat Bangladesh Red 4-0, Thailand Team A 3 -1, India B 3-1, Kazakhstan Team II 2 ½ – 1 ½, drew with Indonesia 2 -2 and lost to India A 1-3 to equalize the 2^nd place.

In the Girls section Sri Lanka A team took the outright 2^nd place with 10 match points being unbeaten, 4 wins against Kazakhstan, New Zealand, Bangladesh, India B and two draws with leading Mongolian team and India A Team. The 3^rd place is shared by the Mongolian 2nd team and the Iran Team with 9 match points. Mongolia 2^nd team beat Oman 4-0, Malaysia Avengers 3-1, Kazakhstan 3 ½ – ½ , Sri Lanka B 3 -1, drew with IR Iran A 2-2 and lost to India A 1 -3 while IR Iran A beat Sri Lanka B 4-0, Malysia Avengers 3-1, Lebanon 4 -0, India A 2 ½ – 1 ½ , drew with Mongolia B 2-2 and lost to Mongolia Team I ½ – 3 ½ .

The Events is held on the Swiss System for teams in 9 rounds. 15 minutes is given for a player per game with 10 second increments for each move he plays. All precautions for prevent cheating are thoroughly activated. Players are allowed to use laptop/ Desktop computers only and they should play alone in a room facing a wall. A camera/Webcam is compulsory and they have to open the camera and microphone in a zoom meeting at all times when they play. All players are required to share their screen in zoom. The arbiters are carefully observing the players while playing through this zoom meeting. All games are sent to experts for checking.

The Chess Federation of Sri Lanka has offered medals and Trophies for the winners while a DGT Chess clock is awarded for the members of the winning teams. The Sri Lanka teams are selected by the CFSL online Youth (Open and Girls) Chess Championships 2021 held in last two months.

A live streaming of the whole event is arranged through the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka Youtube Chanel with commentaries by Grand Master Dimitry Komarov of Ukarine, Grand Master Pravin Thipsay of India and Sri Lankan National Chess Champions Dulan Edirisnghe, Minul Doluweera, Harshana Thilakarathne and Ranindu Dilshan Liyanage.

Visit chess-results.com for round-by-round pairings and results.

Standings after Round 6  (Open)

Standings after Round 6 (Girls)

Stay Safe! Enjoy Chess!

Luxman

by Marlon Bernardino,
Filipino whiz kid Ivan Travis Cu defeated Joemel Narzabal in the seventh and final round to rule the 2021 Marinduque National Age Group Chess Championships Boys Under-12 Southern Tagalog qualifying leg held over the weekend on online tournament at tornelo.com.
The 12-year-old Cu, a grade six pupil of Xavier School, ended up in a three way-tie for first with Gabriel Ryan Paradero and Jaymiel Piel in this 2-day event (March 27 to 28, 2021), co-hosted and co-sponsored  by Marinduque Board Member Engr. John Pelaez and Engr. Verlie Quindoza, organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines headed by it’s Chairman/President Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. thru the initiative of NCFP Assistant Executive Director Southern Luzon Dr. Alfredo “Fred” Paez.
Cu, the former Singapore National Age group runner-up place, emerged with the highest tie break score to claim the crown.
Paradero ended up second while Piel finished third.
The San Juan City resident Cu scored victories over Yash Ansell Cayabyab in the first round, Yosef Immanuel Morada in the second round and Pat Ferdolf Macabulos in the third round before beating Narzabal in the seventh and last round.
He split the point with Vincent Ryu Dimayuga in the fourth round,  Gabriel Ryan Paradero in the fifth round and Oshrie Jhames Reyes in the sixth round.
Rounding up to the top 10 finishers were Reyes (4th), Macabulos (5th), Davin Sean Romualdez (6th), Jian Carlo Rivera (7th), Dimayuga (8th), Narzabal (9th) and Aaron Francis De Asas (10th).

In photo are, from left, Chooks-to-Go founder/BAVI president boss Ronald Mascariñas, Filipino whiz kid Ivan Travis Cu of San Juan City and National Chess Federation of the Philippines Chairman/President Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr.