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FM Christian Mark Daluz Clinches Kamatyas Open Chess Crown

FIDE Master Christian Mark Daluz beat International Master Ronald Dableo in the eighth and final round to capture the open crown while Christian Tolosa ruled the kiddies division in the 12th Edition Kamatyas Rapid Chess Tournament last Saturday, April 20, 2024 at SM Southmall, Alabang Zapote Rd. Las Piñas, Philippines.

In photo above are, from left, International Master Roderick Nava, International Master Ronald Dableo (2nd place), FIDE Master Christian Mark Daluz (champion), FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri (3rd place), International Arbiter Ricky Navalta and National Arbiter Ferdinand Reyes Sr.

Top Boards last round between FIDE Master Christian Mark Daluz versus International Master Ronald Dableo
The seventh seed Daluz, who trailed Dableo by half-a-point after seven rounds, outwitted his second-seeded rival from Philippine Army with the white pieces to fashion out the victory.
Daluz scored 7.5 points to bring home a PHP30,000 cash prize in this 1-day rapid (15 minutes plus 5 seconds increment) tournament, hosted by International Master Roderick Nava and National Master David Almirol.

International Master Roderick Nava (left) and National Arbiter Mark John Centillo
“The event is aimed at developing good thinkers through the understanding of chess strategies and tactics, improving the logical abilities and rational thinking and reasoning of the participants, and instilling a sense of self-confidence, self-worth and camaraderie,” said Nava, number 1 chess blogger in the Philippines.
Daluz defeated Khent Lourence Canas in the first round, Elcid Estaron (2nd round), Leo Aldrin Caraig (3rd round), Arjoe Loanzon (5th round), FIDE Master Randy Segarra (6th round), Romeo Canino (7th round) before beating Dableo in the last round. He split the points with Alfredo Balquin Jr. (4th round).
“I am very happy with my victory, ” said the 21-year-old University of Santo Tomas Entrepreneurship student.
“I would like to thank the University of Santo Tomas for supporting my participation in the 12th Edition Kamatyas Rapid Chess Tournament ,” he added.
Despite the setbacks, Dableo wound up second with seven points, nipping FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri and Balquin Jr. in the tiebreak.
Romeo Canino, National Master Karlycris Clarito Jr.,  Apollo P. Agapay and Davin Sean Romualdez finished the tournament with similar 6.5 points while Jonathan Jota and Kevin Arquero have identical 6.0 points.-Marlon Bernardino-
Photo credit to Kamatyas, Biyaherong Arbiter and Engr. Roger Reyes

Lorenzo Aaron Cantela wins 21st Bangkok Chess Club Challenger

Filipino Lorenzo Aaron Cantela recently won the 21st Bangkok Chess Club Challenger 2024 last Sunday, April 21 in Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa at Hua Hin, Thailand.
Cantela, the pride of Cavite and Masbate successfully finished a 9-round Swiss System tournament with seven wins, one draw and one loss in 90 minutes and 30 seconds increment time control format. Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and standings.
He defeated Terence Legge of England in the first round, Kate Nicole Ordizo of the Philippines in the second round, Vaisnav A of India in the third round, April Joy Claros of the Philippines in the fourth round, Vaibhav  A of India in the sixth round,  Lemmuel Jay Adena of the Philippines in the seventh round and Ritchie James Abeleda of the Philippines in the eight and penultimate round round.
He was beaten by Xu Chang of China in the fourth round. He split the points with Mary Joy Tan of the Philippines in the ninth and final round.
“I’m simply very, very delighted. I am so happy,” said the freshman student of Far Eastern University in Morayta.
“A big boost of confidence for winning this tournament,” added the 20 year old Cantela.
Among those who are supporting his chess campaign here and abroad are FEU chair Aurelio “Gigi” Montinola, president Juan Miguel Montinola, Manila athletics director Mark Molina, Diliman executive director Dr. Armi Cunanan-Yabut, Atty. Jesseboy Remulla Grepo and sportsman Luis Chavit Singson.
“This is part of the advocacy FEU and I are trying to do, produce future champions,” said FEU and national women’s team coach GM Jayson Gonzales. – by Marlon Bernardino

 

First Round of Asian Cities Championship Played in Khanty-Mansiysk

The first round of the team championship of Asian cities took place at the Ugra Chess Academy.

The symbolic first move in the game I. Bocharov – G. Tilakaratne (Colombo – Surgut match) was made by young Elizaveta Mamaeva from Pyt-Yakh. The organizers fulfilled the dream that she voiced at the “Wish Tree”.

The beginning of the tour was attended by Deputy Governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra Elena Shumakova, Executive Director of the Chess Federation Alexander Tkachev, Director of the Department of Sports of Ugra Sofya Konukh and President of the Ugra Chess Federation Vasily Filipenko.

In general, there were no surprises in the first round: most of the rating favorites won their matches. The men’s team of Tehran (Iran) defeated Penang (Malaysia) with a score of 4:0, and Tula beat Muscat (Oman) with a clean score.

Maxim Novikov from Tula is the second championship participant to win the opening match (the first was Asman Bayantas from Pavlodar). The Russian noted that the fight was “intense and exciting, as is usually the case in the first round.”

“I didn’t expect this opening from my opponent a little, so I had to remember it at the board. I didn’t remember, but then, thanks to my skills, I beat him,” the Tula athlete shared his impressions.

Maxim also said that he worries not only for himself, but also for the team. Moreover, Daniil Manelyuk, who plays on the first board, is one of his students.

13-year-old FIDE Master Mohaved Sina, playing on the second board for Tehran, also spoke about his game:

“I think I got a very good position after the opening, then I began to improve it and gradually got a win, around move 22. Next It was already a one-goal game,” this is how the Iranian chess player described the game.

He also said that he really wants to perform well in order to benefit his team, and that at the Candidates Tournament he is rooting for Hikaru Nakamura. For Mohaved, this is his first visit not only to Khanty-Mansiysk, but also to Russia, and he really likes everything. Interestingly, Sena has already beaten many chess stars: both online and over the board.

The first starting number of the tournament, the Surgut team, won against Colombo (Sri Lanka) with a score of 3.5:0.5. Representatives of Pavlodar (Kazakhstan) defeated El-Mahra (Yemen) with the same result.

The youth team of Khanty-Mansiysk resisted the chess players from Baghdad (Iraq), but lost with a minimal score. On the first board, Bogdan Perchinsky defeated international master Hussein Ali Hussein Al-Ali, and Dinis Sattarov drew with FIDE master Ali Lais Ahmed Alosman.

Iranian chess players from Tehran (Iran) played a draw with their inferior opponents from Sukhbaatar (Mongolia). The defeat of Anahita Zahedifar was balanced by the victory of Melika Mohammadi.

In the longest match of the day, the Moscow team defeated Al-Quds (Palestine) 3:1. The game between Misvad and Gilfanov lasted 138 moves (more than 5.5 hours) and ended in a strong-willed victory for the young Russian.

The team from Kathmandu (Nepal) was free from the game in the first round.

Pairs of the 2nd round:
Surgut – Moscow
Baghdad – Tehran (men)
Tula – Pavlodar
Tehran (women) – Kathmandu
Penang – Sukhbaatar
Al-Quds – Colombo
El Mahra – Muscat
Day off – Khanty-Mansiysk.

Asian Cities Chess Team Championship opened in Khanty-Mansiysk

On April 20, the grand opening of the team championship of Asian cities took place in the Great Concert Hall of the
Ugra-Classic CDC.

Traditionally, the organizers of the competition in Khanty-Mansiysk paid special attention to the creative part of the ceremony. The concert performance began with an opening prologue: the hall was plunged into darkness, and only the silhouettes of the artists were visible on the stage.

Then the creative workshop “Cardigan” presented the “Endemic” collection, combining the motifs of the national costumes of the Khanty and Mansi peoples and modern fashion trends.

The topic of getting to know Ugra was completed with an emotional performance by the dance group “Light It” with the poetic title “Soul of the Taiga”.

After a colorful presentation of the teams with the flags of the participating countries (Iraq, Iran, Yemen, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Oman, Palestine, Russia and Sri Lanka), the presenter read out a welcoming speech from the Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Oleg Matytsin .

Next, the Governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra Natalya Komarova and the Executive Director of the Russian Chess Federation Alexander Tkachev were invited to the stage for a welcoming speech .

Governor of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra Natalya Komarova: “In Ugra, chess is more than a sport. We play chess in kindergartens, schools and the most remote corners of our region. The Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug is a world chess center. Since 2005, we have hosted 18 international tournaments of various levels, including the World Chess Olympiad in 2010. Chess unites people from different countries, and in this regard, I assure the Asian Chess Federation and the Russian Chess Federation that the Yugra region is ready to host a wide variety of competitions. For the young athletes who will play in this tournament, it will be a huge experience.”

Executive Director of the Russian Chess Federation Alexander Tkachev: “I congratulate everyone on the start of this historic event – the first team championship of Asian cities in Russia. In addition, this is the first official competition held in our country, which is included in the FIDE calendar. I express my sincere gratitude to the leadership of the Asian Chess Federation for making this decision and, of course, to the leadership of Ugra and, in particular, Natalya Vladimirovna Komarova for the fact that the region agreed to host this competition. Although we had no doubts about who to entrust with holding this tournament. I am confident that the event will be held at the highest level.”

A video message from the Asian Chess Federation to the participants and organizers of the tournament was sent by the President of the Asian Chess Federation, Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan.

After the greetings from the officials, the concert program continued. The Dance Academy and Light It groups presented chess numbers.

Then the main judge of the competition, international referee Merdad Pakhlevanzade, was invited to the stage to conduct the color draw. He called the captains of the teams of Surgut (the rating favorite) and Tehran (the current champion): the Iranian representative was holding two boxes with figures in his hands, and the Russian had to point to one of them. Ilya Ilyushenok drew a white pawn, which allowed him to further choose a color from the proposed options. Here the Ugra native has already pulled out a black piece, which means that in the first round the Surgut team will play black on the first board.

The opening ceremony ended with a vocal and choreographic number telling that chess is an art. The art of choice.

It should be noted that before and after the ceremony, the interactive studio of the OTRK “Yugra” worked in the CDC “Ugra-Classic”, where officials and participants of the competition were invited for short interviews.

The first games of the Asian Cities Team Championship will be played tomorrow, April 21, at the Ugra Chess Academy. The game starts at 15:00 local time (13:00 Moscow time).

Gerald Lumberio Wins Tigaon Rapid Chess Tpurnament

Gerald Lumberio emerged as the champion in the National Master Gerald Ferriol and Jessie Villasin Open Rapid Chess Tournament dubbed as GMG chess cup last Saturday at the Tigaon Sports Complex in Tigaon, Camarines Sur, Philippines.
Lumberio pocketed the P7,000 purse and the trophy for winning the 15 minutes rapid chess tournament.
He had an impressive campaign after tallying 7.5 points in the Swiss system competition.
Andrew Casiano went on placing second overall with 7.0 points. Casiano’s second place finish earned him P5,000, while the third place went to Recarte Tiauson with similar 7.0 points to earn P3,000.
Fourth to Fifth placers were Rodel Lasala and Bince Rafael Operiano who scored 6.5 points apiece to receive P2,000 and P1,000, respectively.
The sixth to 15th placers who got 6.0 points each were Noel Leron (sixth), Jayve Relleve (seventh), National Master Glennen Artuz (eight), Leo Niel Almonte (ninth), James Ryan Fernandez (tenth), Richard Morales (eleventh), Rudy Pesimo (twelve), Jaymark Reasol (thirteen), Marvid Zuniga (fourteen) and Harold Allianza (fifteen).-Marlon Bernardino-

Cavite Beats Mindoro in Professional Chess Association of the Philippines

The Dasma Cavite Spartans outplayed Mindoro Tamaraws in the ongoing Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) Season 4 first conference tournament last Saturday, April 13, 2024 being held through Chess.com Platform.
Gunning for another strong finish before the playoffs begin, the Cavite Spartans had a statement by decimating Mindoro Tamaraws, 16.5-4.5.
The Cavite Spartans capped off its huge start with a 6.5-0.5 score in the blitz category courtesy of impressive performances from Grandmaster Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. (in photo above), Kevin Arquero, FIDE Master Carlos Edgardo Garma, Melizah Ruth Carreon, National Master Carlo Magno Rosaupan and Alfredo Rapanot.
Arquero bested Ryan Agbunag in Board 1, Garma toppled Richard Allen Sicangco in Board 2, Carreon crushed Cylliz Kaessa Merilles in board 3, Antonio subdued Cesar Cunanan in Board 4, Rosaupan defeated Jeffrey Pascua in Board 5 and Rapanot dealt Alvin dela Cruz in Board 7.
Mindoro’s only score came when Ronald Berdera forced a draw against Cavite’s Kevin Mirano in Board 6.
The Cavite Spartans also dismantled Mindoro Tamaraws in the rapid, 10-4, with two pointers each from Arquero, Garma, Antonio, Rosaupan, and Rapanot.
“GM Joey Antonio, FM Carlos Edgardo Garma, NM Carlo Magno Rosaupan, Kevin Arquero, Alfredo Rapanot and  Melizah Ruth Carreon played very well and won the match,” said coach Benjie Bercadez.
However, Cavite suffered a close 9-12 defeat to Davao Chess Eagles in the second game.
The Dasma Cavite Spartans improved to 152 points built from a 8-2 win-loss record and is still the second-best team in the Northern division behind front runner San Juan Predators with 9-1 slate and with 147.5 points.
At third place is Manila Load Manna Knights with 8-2 slate and with 145.5 points followed by fourth place Pasig City King Pirates with 8-2 slate and with 143 points.
San Juan wiped out Iloilo Kisela Knights, 15-5-5.5, and Mindoro Tamaraws, 20-1, Manila trounced Surigao Fianchetto Checkmates, 15.5-5.5, and Arriba Iriga, 20.5-0.5., while Pasig clobbered Toledo-Xignex Trojans, 14.5-6.5, and Iloilo Kisela Knights, 11-10.
Toledo-Xignex Trojans, meanwhile, bounced back, beating Olongapo Rainbow Team 07, 16-5-4.5, to show the way in the Southern division.
Toledo had 8-2 win-loss record and with 141 points followed by Camarines Soaring Eagles with similar 8-2 win-loss record and with 130 points.
PCAP, the country’s first and only play-for-pay league, is headed by President-Commissioner Atty. Paul Elauria, Chairman Michael Angelo Chua and Treasurer Atty. Arnel Batungbakal.-Marlon Bernardino-

Imperial Wins Tarlac Blitz Chess Championship


Candidate Master Genghis Katipunan Imperial won by tiebreak the CAFE Milya blitz chess championship dubbed as Valor Chess Exhibition IIEE-Bayanihan Mini Tour held April 9, 2024 at the CAFE Milya Coffee Shop in Luisita, Tarlac City, Philippines.

In photo, Asia’s First GM and World Chess Hall of Fames Eugene Torre (left) congratulates Candidate Master Genghis Katipunan Imperial,
Imperial, one of the leading players of PCAP’s Manila Load Manna Knights, tied for first-second places with Alfred Miranda of Paniqui, Tarlac 7.5 points apiece in the blitz, five minutes time control event.
With the highest tie break points, Imperial took the title while Miranda finished second
This event is made possible by Five V Technologies, Phelps Dodge and chess avid supporters Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineer (PSME) Foundation President Roger Reyes, Mr. Vincent Travis Chua and the CEO of Shimmer and Shield Car Coating Jeff Bugayong.
Rounding up the top 10 winners were Paul Tabago (3rd); Roman Noel Jr.(4th); Zyluj  Gacutan (5th); Allan Pelias (6th); MJ Olidan (7th); Alexander Ledesma (8th) Aaron Santiago (9th); Ezekiel Roxas 10th).


Meanwhile, Roman Nool Jr. (above left), 13 years old, the only player able to draw with Asia’s First GM Eugene Torre out of 13 players in a simultaneous chess exhibition.
Last April 10, three schools were visited and provided with two solar street lights each as part of IIEE Oplan Dagitab Bigay Liwanag program.  The IIEE are represented by IIEE National Immediate Past President Lyndon Bague, National Vice President Alberto Herrera Jr., National Secretary Joseph Darren Solicar, Metro Manila Incumbent and former Governor Frederick Calamlam and Arwin De Jesus, Western Visayas Governor Allan Biton, Former Governor and Committee Chairman of Job and Career Opportunity Edgar Ebuen. Tarlac Chapter incumbent and immediate president Jhude Estrada and Analyn Fernandez, Branding committee team Allan Alvarez, Menandro Lim, Ervin Fernandez, Lea Pueca and Eric Fernandez.-Marlon Bernardino-

12 Kamatyas Invitational Rapid Chess Tournament Slated 20th April

The 12 edition of Kamatyas Invitational Rapid chess tournament gets underway on Saturday, April 20, 2024 at the SM Southmall, Alabang Zapote Rd in Las Piñas City, Philippines.
The event offers at least P80,000 in cash prizes hosted by International Master Roderick Nava (photo above) and National Master David Almirol of Kamatyas Chess Club.
“The goal of the event is to help our young chess players here in Metro Manila in particular, and also in the Philippines in general. We want them to become globally competitive not just in this sport but also in their daily lives,” said IM Nava.
“Everything is set. Everything is going just fine and we are ready to host the event on Saturday, April 20,” added IM Nava.
The Open division, 15 minutes plus 5 seconds increment time control format will offer P30,000, P10,000, P7,000, P5,000 for the first, second, third and fourth placers, respectively, while the fifth to 10th placers will receive P2,000 each. 11th to 15th placers will earn P1,000 each.
The kiddies champion will receive P5,000.-Marlon Bernardino-

FM Poh Yu Tian of Malaysia Wins 4th Mini Penang Chess Open

FM Poh Yu Tian of Malaysia won the 4th Mini Penang Chess Open held 8-12 April 2024 at the St. Xavier’s Institution in Penang, Malaysia. Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and final standings.

Fifty one players participated from six countries, namely England, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Philippinesa, USA and host Malaysia.

National Master Gerald Ferriol of the Philippines ended with a bang as he finished second overall. Ferriol scored a crucial win and draw in the last two rounds to wrap up his campaign with 6.5 points on five wins, three draws, and one loss, the same output of eventual 3rd placer Jamison Edrich Kao of Hongkong and 4th placer Arena International Master Chee Sian Sebastien Chua of Malaysia.

Ferriol, a chess instructor in Chiang Mai, Thailand, beat compatriot 8-time Illinois, USA champion International Master Angelo Abundo Young in the eighth then halving the point with Chua in the ninth and final round.

FIDE Master Yu Tian Poh of Malaysia defeated Maximiliano Marrhuimawan of Indonesia in the last round to finish undefeated with a perfect 9.0 points in the FIDE week-long standard tournament, organized by Atty. See Swee Sie and Madam InHooi Teh of Penang Chess Association.

The 15-year-old Poh pocketed 2,500 Malaysian Ringgit; Ferriol earned 1,500 Malaysian Ringgit; Kao got 1,000 Malaysian Ringgit while Chua received 900 Malaysian Ringgit.

Marrhuimawan won 800 Malaysian Ringgit for finishing fifth with superior quotient in the group of 6.0 pointers that included FIDE Master Chuin Hoong Ronnie Lim of Malaysia, Looi Xin Hao of Malaysia, Simanihuruk Nathanael Dieudonne B of Indonesia and Feng Wei Ferris Lim of Malaysia.

Young (second from right) won the top veteran award while WCM Jia-Tien Chua of Malaysia took top lady award

14-Year-Old Vatsal Singla Wins 6th Holi Cup International FIDE Rating Tmnt

The 6th Holi Cup International Open FIDE Rating Tournament was held from 31nd March, 2024 to 4th April, 2024 at Orbit Resort, Udaipur Rajasthan. Chess In Lake city organized the event. The tournament attracted a otal of 607 players from all over the India including four players from United States of America, Canada , Russia, Denmark, There were 473 International FIDE rated players.

Vatsal Singla of Delhi won the tournament with 8 points out of a possible 9 rounds to clinch the title and win the cash prize of Rs. 1,11,000 INR and Coveted Trophy. Runner up was Arpan Das of West Bengal who won Cash prizes of Rs. 71,000 INR & Trophy. Rachit H Gurnani of Maharashtra won cash prize of Rs.1,01,000 in rating category (1651 to 1900). Ranjit Pratap from Tamil Nadu won cash prize of Rs.1,00.000 in rating category (1401 to 1650 ). A total of 92 cash prizes with 79 trophies were given to winners in different rating & age categories.

Inauguration of the tournament was done by Chief Guest IAS Ms T Shubh Mangla Commissioner, Nagar Nigam Jodhpur, Other dignitaries present were Shri Jayandra Chaturvedi , Shri Tushar Mehta (Chief Patron, Chess in Lakecity) Shri Rajeev Bharadwaj, President Chess In Lakecity, IA Rajendra Teli, Vice President Rajasthan State Chess associations & IA Deepak Chavan  Chief Arbiter & IA Vikas  Sahu Secretary, Chess In Lakecity.

Prizes were distributed by the hand of Chief guest of the function Shri Ronak Jain, President Charter Account Association Udaipur, Special guest Shri Mukesh Mandloi Secretary, Kota district chess Association , Mr. Sunil Soni Secretary, UICC Indore and Chief Patron Lakecity Tushar Mehta, IA Rajendra Teli, Vice President Rajasthan State Chess Associations  & IA Vikas Sahu Secretary Chess In Lakecity present in the Closing ceremony.

 

The team of Arbiters was headed by Chief Arbiter by IA Deepak Chavan and he was ably assisted by Dy. Chief Arbiter IA Sunil Soni & IA Rajendra Teli. Anti Cheating Arbiter IA Neelesh Kumawat, IA Anupam Bhattacharjee,  Pairing Arbiter: IA Varun Kumar, Sector Arbiters: FA Manish Chandalia, FA Bhawesh Pandiyar, FA Shardul Tapase ,

Match Arbiters FA Krishna Shah, SNA Mukta Sahu, SNA Kushal Patel, SNA Kamal Kishor Saini SNA Vishwajeet Vikram, SNA Aanchal Dhakar, SNA Shubham Bhandari worked hard to make the event a grand success.

Tournament Report By IA and NI Vikas Sahu