NOW they’ve started calling him the next young chess master to come from the City of El Salvador in Misamis Oriental province.
Trying to follow in the footsteps of his townmate Keith Adriane Ilar, who became a full-pledge National Master at the age of 12, 11-year-old Artjhon Bahian topped the 12-under category of the 1st El Salvador City Vice Mayor Mark Willam Tan Rapid Chess Tournament held last Saturday at the City Sports Complex in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental.
The fast-learning Bahian, a Grade 6 pupil of Pedro Sa. Baculio Elementary School, PSB, El Salvador City, delivered a perfect seven of seven performance to pocket the elementary chess rivalry’s P3,000 top purse plus trophy.
Learning the fundamentals of chess only last year under the tutelage of Arena Fide Master Tino Salabsab and Arena Fide Master Resurreccion Gunayan, Jr., Bahian showed great improvement as he finished ahead of more experienced rivals from Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and the neighboring municipalities of Misamis Oriental.
“The boy religiously attended the almost daily chess training of Sir Tino Salabsab, and every Saturday group chess training program with me at PSB Elementary School,” AFM Gunayan told Gold Star Daily.
“What a remarkable quick rise of a future young chess star,” added Gunayan in awe.
Tied at six points each are Bahian’s compatriot Cedrick Gaid, Cagayan de Oro’s Aldrin Visaya, and Brantnel Gayramon, who occupied second to fourth places after the Bucholz tiebreaker was applied.
Gaid and Visaya got P2,000 and P1,000 apiece also with trophies.
Rounding up the top-10 finishers are MisOr's Rena Dalagan, Oro’s Samuel Baloyo, Claveria’s Navi Icalina, Iligan City’s Azrel Jacob Mipranum, Oro’s Xeildean Greg Galendez and El Salvador’s Mateo Xander Tabamo.
