Monday, June 20, 2011

ASEAN age-group: Pinoys fighting 3rd overall in Tarakan

Journal Online (www.journal.com.ph)
Publiches: Monday, June 20, 2100
Written by: Ed Andaya

TARAKAN, Indonesia -- The  Philippines finished a fighting  third overall at  the close of the 12th ASEAN + age-group chess competitions at the Indoor  Telaga Kramat  Stadium here Sunday.

The Filipinos brought  home a  total of  61 medals  -- 17 golds, 19 silvers and 25 bronzes  -- at the conclusion of the  prestigious, 10-nation competition which featured the best and the brightest young  players in the region.

Perennial  powerhouse Vietnam bagged the  overall title with 101 medals, including 51 golds, 21 silvers and 29 bronzes in the annual event  divided into three categories: standard, blitz and rapid.

Host Indonesia settled for runner-up honors with  64 medals on 17 golds, 25 silvers and 22 bronzes.

“Overall, the Filipino players did  very well.  They competed well and made the country proud with  their  performances against the best players in the region,” said newly-appointed National Chess Federation of   the Philippines  (NCFP) executive- director GM Jayson Gonzales  in his report to NCFP  president/chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay, Jr.

Gonzales, also the head of the delegation,  said  the Filipinos’ exceptional  showing in the week-long event  shows that the NCFP grassroot development program is on  right track “with more young and  talented players  coming up.”

On Sunday, the Filipinos   added  six  more gold medals -- four individual and two team  -- in the rapid style competitions  held in this  oil-producing  island province  in eastern Borneo.

Jerad  Docena  finally made  his  presence felt   and  captured  the  gold medal in the boys 14 under  category with a total of  six  points  out of a possible  seven in the boys 14-under category.

Docena,  one of three chess-playing  siblings from Bohol,  swept his first five matches against   Harleff  Hanif of  Malaysia,   Lee Huu Thai of Vietnam,  Lu Chan Hung of Vietnam,  Cuhendi Sean of Indonesia and  Tran Minh Hoang of Vietnam  and drew  the remaining  two  games to clinch the crown.

Austin Jacob  Literatus  of Davao City  finished in a tie for  fourth to seventh places with five points, while Giovanni  Mejia wound up  eighth to  ninth places with 4.5 points.

Also  winning the gold medals are  Cherry Ann Mejia and  Janelle Mae Frayna in the girls 16 under  division;  Julius Gonzales in the boys 10 under; the girls 16 under team and the boys 10 under team.

Mejia finished strongly with five straight victories,  including her two final-day assignments   against  Nguyen Thi Tuy  of Vietnam  and  Anggraemi Nadia of Indonesia to finish with 5.5 points  in the girls 16 under.

Frayna, who rose to prominence by ruling the  National Girls Championship in  Davao City last month,  matched  Mejia’s seven-round output of 5.5 points despite drawing her last two matches.

Gonzales , who  also won the gold medal in the blitz competition, finished with four wins and three draws for  5.5 points to share first place with  Pham Quang  Minh of Vietnam.

Dennis Gutierrez  and Jeremy Solano Jr. finished  ninth and 20th,  respectively.

The silver medal winners were Marie Antoinette  San Diego in the girls 12 under;  Richelieu Salcedo in the  boys 20 under; the boys  10 under  team and  the girls 14 under team.

San Diego, the pride of  Dasmariñas, Cavite who won the gold medal in the standard competition,  finished with  four wins and three draws  to  settle for second behind  WFM Dita Karenza of Indonesia.

San Diego, a high school freshman at First Uniting Christian  School, won over Yunita Febby of Indonesia,  Aliya Asman Nur of Malaysia, Nguyen Hong Ngoc  of Vietnam and  Fisabililah  Ummi of indonesia and  drew with   Nguyen Thi Minh of Vietnam, Dong Kang  Lin  of Vietnam and  Karenza.

Samantha Glo  Revita, silver medalist behind San Diego in the standard side of the event,  finished in fifth to eighth places with 4.5 points.

Salcedo,  a prized find  from Misamis  Oriental, who bagged one of two golds for the country in the standard  chess competition,  finished in  a three-way tie for second to  fourth  places with five points in the boys 20 under bracket.

Bronze medalists were  Irish Yngayo of Davao City  in the girls 8 under;  Paul Robert Evangelista in the boys  16 under; Sjhanie Mae Mendoza in the girls  14 under;  the girls 8 under team, the boys 12 under team, the boys 20 under team and the girls 20 under team.

Yngayo  finished  with four points behind   only Tran Vuong Mai of Vietnam and  Theresa Diajeng  of Indonesia.

It was Yngayo' s second medal   in the week-long  competitions after winning the silver in the blitz  competitions.

Evangelista, on the other hand, wound up  with 4.5 points, a full point behind  the  Vietnamese pair of Tran Tuan Minh and  Pham Hoa Nam.

Mendoza, who bagged the silver rmedal in the  standard  chess event, finished with 4.5 points on two wins and five draws  for the bronze medal. Mendoza’s compatriots,   Mira Mirano and Ella Grace Moulic finished ninth and 12th,  respectively.

In  other results,  Daryl Unix Samantilla finished with five points,  Haince Patrick de Leon had   four points and  Tristan Frech Ibaoc had  2.5 points in the boys  12 under; and  Ronald Canino  and Dennis Gutierrez III  finished with 3.5 points  apiece  and  Lord Khulene de la Cruz  wound  up  with 2.5 points. In the  boys 8 under.

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