By Lynde Salgados
Correspondent
ARENA Grandmaster Rey Urbiztondo scored a monumental upset on Wednesday night, even as the Mindanao chessers failed to arrest their skid halfway through the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines’ season-ending 3rd Conference.
As the Surigao Fianchetto Checkmates lost twice to foreign guest squads Penang, Malaysia, and Singapore, its team-playing owner Urbiztondo had the most consoling reward when he outplayed International Master Chan Peng Kong in 30 moves of a Trompovsky opening.
Handling white, Urbiztondo developed his pieces well to create a King-side attack in the middlegame against the 1999 Singaporean champion and eight-time member of its national team to the World Chess Olympiad.
It was all forced moves for IM Chan in a desperate effort to defend his vulnerable King-side fortress as he could not avoid an inevitable mate after a lethal Queen check on the 30th.
“Tsamba lang kay peldi pud ko earlier sa akong favorite opening ug linya sa Pirc sa taga Malaysia nga IM pud. Imbis na mobalik nako KIA (King’s Indian Attack) kay reverse sa akoa Pirc ug KID, naka upset man noon sa IM from Singapore,” Urbiztondo said of Chan, who is also a three-time Asean 50-above champion.
Wednesday’s double-header in PCAP’s second-round elimination also saw the end of Surigao ace Lennon Hart Salgados’ weeks-long winning streak at the hands of Singapore’s Ashvin Sivakumar on board 2.
Salgados, who pounced on Malaysia’s FM Evan Timothy Cap in blitz, 1-0 and split the points in rapid, 1-1, held Sivakumar to a blitz draw before falling down in their rapid match, 0-2.
Overall, the 2nd Conference quarterfinalist Surigao Checkmaters lost to Penang, 4-17, and later Singapore, 5-16 to remain with only 2 points to show in 13 outings.
“Actually, three position na balik-balik perpetual check for a draw pero akong gipugos. Dili pa gyod kaya sa team good experience gihapon,” Salgados told Gold Star Daily.
