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by Marlon Bernardino
Jirah Floravie Cutiyog reigned supreme in the 1st Kagawad Wilson Fauni Rapid Invitational Chess Tournament held 6th April 2024 at the Imus National High School Covered Court Bucandala 3, Imus City, Cavite, Philippines.

Cutiyog  scored a perfect 6.0 points against male opponents.

Cutiyog, a grade 9 student from Bethel Academy of General Trias City defeated Roger Abisan in the sixth and final round.
Her other victims were Thleser Nunez in the first round,  Renato Agra in the second round , Genesis Jahk Andres in the third round, Deorico De Paz Jr. in the fourth round, and Yuri Lei Paraguya in the fifth round.

It shall be recalled that Cutiyog also won the 6th IACG (Inter-Agency Chess Group) Invitational Chess Tournament held at the Robinson Place Imus last March 23.

Cutiyog saw action in the 2023 World Youth Chess Championship held in Montesilvano, Italy last November. Among those who are supporting her chess campaign here and abroad are Mayor Luis Ferrer IV, Vice Mayor Jonas Glyn Labuguen, Cavite Sixth Dist. Rep. Antonio Ferrer, Sports Head Rodolfo Commandante Jr., Bethel Academy of General Trias Cavite and Arena FIDE Master Ederwin Estavillo.
Maryss Annxeniel Caldoza of Imus went on to place second overall with 5.5 points after beating Castelgandolfo Yray in the sixth and final round.
Caldoza defeated Charles Ivan Dionisio, Nichael John Gabato Albaracin, Danny Tan and Mark John Corral in the first and four rounds, respectively.
She snapped her four-match winning streak when he had a draw against Abisan.
Cutiyog and Caldoza are both top players of the star-studded Ederwin Estavillo Chess Academy. -Marlon Bernardino-

The Dasma Cavite Spartans routed its rivals to share the lead with San Juan Predators in the first conference of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) online tournament held through Chess.com Platform on Saturday, April 6, 2024.
The Dasma Cavite Spartans first trounced the Isabela Knights of Alexander, 20-1, then hammered the Manila Load Manna Knights, 15-6, to hike their win-loss tally to 5-1 along with San Juan Predators on top of the Northern Division standings.

International Master Michael Concio Jr., Grandmaster Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr., International Master Daniel Quizon and FIDE Master Roel Abelgas prevailed in their respective two matches to steer Manila in blitz, 5-2, and rapid, 10-4.
Concio defeated International Master Paulo Bersamina and FIDE Master David Elorta in their blitz and rapid showdown, as did Antonio who blanked International Master Chito Garma.
Quizon also scored back-to-back wins against Ryan Dungca and Genghis Imperial, respectively.

Abelgas (photo above), on the other hand, routed Imperial and Dungca.
Abelgas is playing under the guidance of Dasmariñas City mayor Jenny Barzaga and rep. Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga.

Other members of the team were Kevin Arquero, Woman International Master Kylen Joy Mordido, Woman International Master Marie Antoinette San Diego, National Master Raymond Salcedo, National Master Carlo Magno Rosaupan, Alfredo Rapanot, Jayson Visca and Kevin Mirano.
Earlier, Cavite blasted Isabela, 20-1, where they swept their blitz event, 7-0, and dropped only half point in the rapid, 13-1.
Trailing Manila with 5-2 marks, followed by defending champion Pasig City King Pirates (4-2), Cagayan Kings (3-3), Isabela Knights of Alexander (3-3), Rizal Batch Towers (2-4), Quezon City Simba’s Tribe (1-5) and Olongapo Rainbow Team 07 (0-7).
Meanwhile, Toledo-Xignex Trojans and Camarines Soaring Eagles continued to pace the Southern Division with identical 5-1 records followed by Davao Chess Eagles and Iloilo Kisela Knights, which share similar 4-2 marks, Surigao Fianchetto Checkmates (4-3), Tacloban Vikings (4-3), Negros (2-4), Mindoro Tamaraws (0-6) and Arriba Iriga (0-6).
8-time Illinois USA champion International Master Angelo Abundo Young displayed his brilliant form halving the point with International Master Barlo Nadera and carried the fight for Toledo-Xignex Trojans. Toledo bested former solo leader Camarines Soaring Eagles, 13-8.
Toledo beat Camarines, both in blitz, 5-2, and rapid, 8-6.
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

The Dasmarinas Cavite Spartans defeated the heavily-favored former champions, the San Juan Predators on April 3, 2024 in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) All Filipino Conference.

They crushed the Predators, 13.5-7.5, in a hard-fought duel. The Spartans  won the blitz round, 5.5-1.5, and they continued in the rapid round, 8-6.

GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. (above) GM elect/IM Daniel Quizon and FM Roel Abelgas powered the Dasmarinas Cavite Spartans.

The 13-time Philippine Open champion Antonio swept IM Ricardo de Guzman in their blitz and rapid showdown, as did Quizon against FM Narquinden Reyes and Abelgas against Narciso Gumila.

Antoniio will represent the country in the FIDE World Senior Chess Championships in Europe later this year.

Also delivering for Cavite were Kevin Arquero, NM Raymond Salcedo and a draw by IM MIchael Concio Jr. in the blitz portion. Cavite is coached by Benjie Bercadez.

Arquero shocked two-time Asian Junior champion GM Rogelio “Banjo” Barcenilla, Salcedo dealt Narquingel Reyes and Concio split the point with Karl Victor Ochoa.
WIM Kylen Joy Mordido defeated WIM Jan Jodlilyn Fronda in the rapid portion.

Meanwhile, Patrick Bonifacio (above) and Joel Delfin spearheaded the Dasma Cavite Spartans  into a 20-1 victory against guest team Pasig Grassroots.
Bonifacio bested Andrew San Antonio in the blitz round while Delfin drew with San Antonio in the rapid round.

Manila Load Manna Knights widened their lead further to 5-0 slate in the northern division. They beat Olongapo, 18-3, and the defending champion Pasig City King Pirates, 11.5-9.5.

Cavite’s wins against San Juan improved their record in the northern division to 3 wins with one defeat which is worth 59.5 points. San Juan is at the third place with 3 wins and one loss, followed by the Isabela Knights of Alexander at fourth with their 3-2 (win-loss) record.

Pasig City King Pirates slipped to fifth in the Northern Conference with a 2-2 mark, the same output of Cagayan Kings at sixth.

Also crucial are all six points taken from the Lady player Michella Concio, and the homegrown board of Freddie Talaboc and NM Almario Marlon Bernardino Jr.to  help Quezon City Simba’s Tribe into a 13.5-7.5 victory over Olongapo and jumped at seventh place with a 1-3 win-loss record.

Concio trounced Manilyn Cabungcag, Talaboc won by default over NM Gefer Imbuido and Bernardino nipped Andy Villanueva, both in blitz and rapid portions.

In the Southern Conference, Camarines Soaring Eagles maintained the lead with 4-0 slate behind Toledo-Xignex Trojans (3-1) and Iloilo Kisela Knights (3-1).
They beat Negros, 15-6, thanks to heroic wins of GM Darwin Laylo, WIM Bernadette Galas, IM Barlo Nadera and NM Ronald Llavanes in the blitz and rapid portions.

Laylo nipped Edsel Montoya, Galas blanked Cecille Reginaldo, Nadera smashed Alfredo Dumalag while Llavanes outpointed Theseus Benitez and Vincent Balena.
Camarines Soaring Eagles Team are headed by Owner Engr. Jojo Buenaventura.

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

Mel George Faitriz Cadano won the “Ang Buhay at Batas” FIDE Rapid Chess Tournament 1599 Below held 31st March 2024 at the Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence (PACE) headquarter in Mindanao Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines.

Cadano finished with 5.5 points, the same output of  Joie Presente.but won the tie break.

“I am very happy with my victory,” said Cadano, who earlier beat Zeyus Kyle Del Mundo (Round 1), Kyle Jhazmin Clarito (Round 2), Aiker Paz (Round 3), Jan Renzo Ochave (Round 4), and Clarence Ong (Round 5), respectively before halving the point with Espino .
Espino, on the other hand, settled for over-all third with 5.0 points.
Four players tied for fourth to the seventh places – Jean Antonette Brade, Jane Tatad, Paul Matthew Jamon and Ericson Puso after finishing with 4.5 points each. However, Brade’s higher tie break points earned her fourth place.
Those who made it to the top 11 after scoring 4.0 points are Jan Renzo Ochave, 11 years odl and country’s youngest National Master (NM) Nika Juris Nicolas, Jared Lopez, and Clarito.

In photo, 11 year old and country’s youngest National Master Nika Juris Nicolas received her certificate and medal from National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) CEO/FST GM Jayson Gonzales. She will represent the country in the World Cadet Rapid & Blitz Championships on April 25-29, 2024 in Durres, Albania.

Meanwhile, Christian Mendoza (9.5 points) won the blitz category followed by second place Ricardo Batcho (9.0 points), third place Alfredo Balquin Jr. (8.0 points), fourth place Allen Joshua Zambrano (8.0 points) and Ervil Villa (8.0 points).
Batcho also won the 1899 Below blitz event last Saturday, March 30, 2024 while Carl Daluz topped the 1899 Below rapid event.

The “Ang Buhay at Batas” FIDE Rapid Chess Tournament 1599 Below and 1899 Below divisions were organized by National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) CEO/FST GM Jayson Gonzales, supported by Atty. Nikki de Vega and Atty. Krisanto Karlo Nicolas. – Marlon Bernardino-

IM Daniel Maravilla Quizon of the Philippines and IM Mohammad Fahad Rahman of Bangladesh shared first place in the Hanoi GM 3 international tournament which ended March 31st at the Hanoi Old Quarter Cultural Exchange Center in Hanoi, Vietnam. Visit chess-results.com for round by round results.

Quizon and Rahman tallied 7.0 points apiece to achieve GM norms. Actually, Quizon took the title by virtue of a higher tie break points. With the feat, Quizon pocketed the top purse worth P120,000

The 19-year-old Quizon is a top player of the star-studded Dasmariñas Chess Academy under the watchful eyes of coaches FM Roel Abelgas, Grandmaster Darwin Laylo and CM Chester Caminong.

Among those who are supporting his chess campaign here and abroad are Mayor Jenny Barzaga and Rep. Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga Jr. It shall be recalled that Quizon won the Philippine National Chess Championship at the Marikina Community Convention Center last January 7.

Kazakhstan Chess Federation invites all Chess Federations to participate in the International Chess Tournament “Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial – Aktobe Open 2024” from May 24 (day of arrival) to June 3 (day of departure) 2024 in the city of Aktobe, Kazakhstan

Download  Aktobe Open 2024

Under the Patronage of H.H Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan Chairman of Abu Dhabi Sport Council, the Organizing Committee has the honor of inviting players to take part in the 30th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival, an annual event which includes numerous FIDE registered tournaments. It will be held in Abu Dhabi the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, from 14th until 25th August 2024.

Visit https://adchessfestival.abudhabichess.ae/

Christian Mendoza ruled the GMG Youth Open Rapid Chess Championship held last Saturday, March 23 at the 3rd floor Robinsons Mall, Galleria, Ortigas corner Edsa, Quezon City, Philippines .
Mendoza tied for first-second and third places with Chester Neil Reyes and Ariel Santander at 6.0 points each. The 10 minutes plus 5 seconds increment time control event was hosted by Thailand based Coach NM Gerald Ferriol and organized by Bayanihan Chess Club. With the highest tie break points, Mendoza took the title, Reyes wound up second while Santander finished third.
Rounding up the top 10 winners were Dustin Mackenzie Herrero (5.5 points),  Jerick Faeldonia, (5.5 points) John Laurence Donguines (5.5 points), Robert Christian Palisoc (5.5 points), Alexis Jade Saballe (5.0 points), Joshua Roque (5.0 points), and John Miguel Legaspina (5.0 points).

WNM Antonelle Berthe Racasa (above photo) was the Kaizel Chess Club top participant in the one-day tournament.

Ayesha Janelle Guanzon was the top lady player while six-year-old Almario Marlon “Baby Uno” Bernardino (below) was the youngest participant.

Final Standings:
6.0 points—Christian Mendoza, Chester Neil Reyes, Ariel Santander
5.5 points—Dustin Mackenzie Herrero,  Jerick Faeldonia, John Laurence Donguines, Robert Christian Palisoc
5.0 points—Alexis Jade Saballe, Joshua Roque, John Miguel Legaspina, Matthew Gunnar Gotel, Julie Gelua Jr., Ayesha Janelle Guanzon,  Jason Medina

Michael Palma of the Institute of Electronic Engineers of the Philippines (IECEP) won the individual men’s tournament in the PTC World Engineering Day Rapid Chess Tournament.

In photo at the opening ceremony of PTC  (Philippine Technological Council) World Engineering Day over-the-board chess tournament last Sunday, March 24th at Koten Enterprise in Pasay City, Philippines are, seated from left, GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr., Shimmer and Shield Car Coating CEO/President Jeff Bugayong and Asia’s First GM Eugene Torre; standing from left, IIEE National Past President Engr. Allan Anthony Alvarez,  IECEP  National Director and PTC WED 2024 Chess Event Chairman Engr. Donald Lapiguera and IIEE National VP Internal Alberto Herrera Jr.

Palma edged International Master Jose Efren Bagamasbad of the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers (PIChE) in the tie break as they both scored 5 wins and a draw with each other for a total score of 5.5.

The top female chesser was Jellie Ann Magro of the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) while Lorenze Angelo Guerra was honored as the top student and Elmer Claveria as the top player with disability.

The team chess event was ruled by IIEE. PSME is 2nd place followed by IECEP as 3rd place.

Earlier, Asia’s first grandmaster and Hall of Famer Eugene Torre (right) and GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. led the ceremonial moves to officially open the Philippine Technological Council (PTC) rapid chess tournament held at Koten Enterprise in Pasay City last Sunday, March 24. The game was part of the country’s celebration of World Engineering Day.

The opening ceremony was also graced by IIEE National Past President Engr. Allan Anthony Alvarez, Koten Enterprises Company Inc. Sales and Marketing Manager Malou Doles, Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) National Past President Engr. Roger Reyes, PTC World Engineering Day 2024 chess event chairman Engr. Donald Lapiguera, IIEE National VP Internal Alberto Herrera Jr. and Shimmer and Shield Car Coating CEO/President Jeff Bugayong.
The tournament arbiter was National Master Almario Marlon Quiroz Bernardino Jr. Torre was also recognized by the group as presented by Bugayong in his speech.