NEWLY-minted National Master Keith Adriane Ilar proved that, at only 12 years old, he's now the top junior chess player in Northern Mindanao.
Becoming the youngest male chess master in the region after topping the recent National Age-Group tourney in Dipolog City, the fast-rising Ilar dominated the combined elementary and high school division of this month’s edition of the Golden Chess Friends tourney that went outside Cagayan de Oro City for the second time around.
Dubbed as “GCF VIII-1st Cong. Jose Manuel ‘Joeman’ Alba FIDE Rated Chess Cup 2023” and uniquely held at the New Building of Sumilao Municipal Hall in Bukidnon last Sunday, the seven-round Rapid event was won by the El Salvador City pride Ilar in style.
In doing so, the elementary six-grader racked up five-straight wins to set up a “prove yourself” challenge against a pair of senior high school opponents in the last two rounds.
Against the graduating Corpus Christi stalwart David Rey Ancheta, who is a former National Shell Active kiddies chess champion and Palarong Pambansa campaigner, Ilar took the upper hand in a complicated middlegame that was rewarded several exchanges later.
In the seventh and final round, Ilar outlasted Liceo de Cagayan University’s Ashlanie Pandi to claim the P5,000 top purse and the championship trophy undefeated.
“Paspas ang development sa bata. Dili ma deny nga usa na gyod siya ka full-pledged chess master,” Misamis Oriental scout and trainer Johnnel Balquin said of Ilar, who was actually born in Don Carlos, Bukidnon before his parents moved to El Salvador City.
As Ancheta took the runner-up prize of P3,000 via tiebreaker, his six-point output was duplicated by Oro compatriot Jan Calvin Abesamis, Tagoloan’s LJ Getubig, Davao City’s Nathan Segara and Cagayan de Oro's Lila Alyssa Seriña.
Quite noticeable were JC Abesamis, who’s still in elementary but yielded just a point as he whitewashed John Chon Tambeling in the final round, and the 12-year-old Seriña, another newly-crowned Woman National Master, who just competed in Thailand.
Facing the much older Sara Dalagan at the outset of the day-long tourney, Seriña brilliantly maneuvered her King to the right squares on every endgame move she made to Zugzwang the opposing White King, and won a seemingly drawish position where both players were left with three pawns each.
The defending GCF high school champion Karl Augusto Xander Sayson from Gingoog City lost to Ancheta in the last round but occupied the seventh place with better tiebreak results over fellow 5.5-pointers Ace Joshua Caralde, Juan Ryu Bagonoc, Joel Lawrence Hoy, Pandi and Lyn Getubig who shared eight to 13th spots among 159 participants.
The sponsoring Bukidnon 1st District Congressman Jose Manuel F. Alba and Sumilao Mayor Jose Antonio A. Villo have promised GCF organizer Benoni Wabe to help him bring the youth chess tourney to Talakag, Bukidnon.
“While himoon natong yearly na kini nga event sa Sumilao, ato pud kining i-share puhon sa Talakag municipality through our good friend there in Mayor Vergito Factura kay maayo kini nga diversion sa mga bata nga nalulong na sa ML ug lato-lato karong panahona,” Alba said in half jest during the closing ceremony.
