by Marlon Bernardino
Sonsea Eda Agonoy of the Philippines won the 32nd North American Open Chess Tournament held at the Bally’s Las Vegas Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA on December 30, 2022.
The Bacarra, Ilocos Norte native Agonoy collected 6.5 points on account of six wins and a draw to bag the 5,000 US dollar top purse.
The pride of Novaliches, Quezon City Agonoy posted six wins and a draw against Darren Wang of the United States in the seventh and final round enroute to the coveted title in the Under 1500 section.
“I just wanted to play fast today and make some good moves,” said the San Diego, California based Agonoy. “I was playing with no pressure.” he added.
Wang figured in a triple tie for second places with fellow six pointers Hengrui Zhang and Odbayar Yondon to each receive 1,600 US dollar for their efforts.