A PAIR of talented kiddies from Mindanao shared the spotlight in the ongoing Ozamiz Chess Festival when they scored a draw against Grandmaster Eugene Torre and International Master Richelieu Salcedo III last Friday’s simultaneous chess display at the City Auditorium in Ozamiz City.
The seven-year-old Levon Ysrael Reyes from Zamboanga City was winning with black in an Accelerated Dragon tiff after he reached a favorable endgame ― with one pawn up ― against Asia’s first GM and Hall of Famer Torre.
But a slight inaccuracy when he missed a brilliant Bishop move had Reyes allowing Torre to escape with a hard-earned draw after 35 moves.
“Drawing Torre who is a universal chess figure is such a historic feat,” said Levon’s father Professor Rey Reyes.
“His analysis had quite improved because we trained hard under lengthy time control. That’s what we’re lacking in the country today the standard chess tournaments are disappearing,” added Reyes.
A 12-year-old boy from Pagadian named after the chess opening Ruy Lopez also shocked IM Salcedo with his two engine-like moves in a row that rewarded him with a draw.
“Those two successive moves he made were unbelievable. I didn’t see it coming they were geniusly [sic] executed,” Salcedo said.
Facing the toughest field of assignments in randomly held simultaneous games that also featured GMs Rogelio Antonio and Darwin Laylo, International Masters Rolando Nolte, Roderick Nava and Angelo Young, the veteran IM Ronald Bancod suffered the only two losses of the day at the hands of Caraga Region veteran Rogelio Antonio and 12-year-old National Master Keith Adriane Ilar from El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental.
Local chess fans capped the day with rock star-like worship as they swarmed GM Torre and company for autographs and group pictures.
