By Lynde Salgados
Correspondent
REMEMBER that little kid from Inobulan, Salay town who brought so much pride and honor to Misamis Oriental province in big chess competitions such as the Batang Pinoy Games, Palarong Pambansa, and Milo Little Olympics?
Well, that boy ― Richelieu ‘Jongjong’ Salcedo III fondly called then as ‘Mang Kepweng’ for his penchant to wrap a cheap bandana around his head during crucial games ― is now a grown-up 30-year-old enlisted officer of the Philippine Air Force with the rank of Airman First Class.
Salcedo joined the airforce through direct recruitment accorded to the country's top athletes after his senior varsity days are over with the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws alongside Cagayan de Oro compatriots Antonio Chavez Jr., Lennon Hart Salgados, and Alfredo Rapanot who also became soldiers.
Before that, Salcedo fulfilled his father Totong’s wish of becoming a full-fledged International Master (IM) ― a meaningful chess title he deservedly earned ― after winning the 20-under boys crown of the Asean Age-Group tourney in Vietnam at the time when the elder Salcedo was still alive.
Just recently, IM Salcedo made noise again when he finished ahead of many-time Philippine champion Grandmaster Rogelio Antonio Jr., to top the Fr. Vic Arellano 60th Birthday online chess tournament on Monday, September 11.
IM Salcedo (98.25 TB) and GM Antonio (96.25) actually scored an identical 12 points in the company of Chhin Lim ( 95.5) and Fide Master Sander Severino (91.25). But after the Bucholz tiebreaker, Salcedo prevailed on top of the three others en route to pocketing the P1,000 top purse.
Salcedo’s only loss was inflicted by the country’s Paralympics star Severino, the first Filipino world chess champion.
“I’m very thankful (for) quarantine mode for I finally had the chance to play in a long while as we’re always pre-occupied being frontliners in the fight for Covid-19 virus. In fact, I almost lost to the youthful Ronald Canino of Cagayan de Oro right in our first-round match that also ended in a draw. I’m quite rusty for the games though lucky for the obvious reason,” Salcedo said.
Rounding up the top-10 finishers are Ronald Hermida (10.5 pts/83.25 TB), Johnnel Balquin (10.5/79 TB), Sherwin Tiu (9.5 pts/76.25 TB), Ronald Llavanes (9.5/71.25 TB), Cmlorena1961/Incomplete Profile (9/60.5 TB) and Tyrone Turon (9/59 TB).
