LUCK continues to smile at Fide Master Ellan Asuela who sustained his chess domination in Mindanao by winning the latest Fide-rated event in Cagayan de Oro held, over the weekend, at the Barangay Nazareth gym.
The 35-year-old Asuela, who won every chess battle in the locality apart from topping the December 2022 Kasparov Chess Foundation Asia-Pacific Absolute Challenge in Singapore, went to the tiebreaker to finish first in the Individual Open of the 4th Congressman Rufus Rodriguez and 1st Vice Mayor Bebot Rodriguez Rapid Chess Tournament sanctioned by the world’s governing chess body Fédération Internationale des Échecs (Fide).
“I think I’m just lucky because I suffered a defeat at the hands of a non-master opponent (Eutemio Coquilla) before pulling off a comeback in the last two rounds and was barely up in the tiebreaker over Johnnel Balquin and FM Nelson Villanueva. Ma s’werte pa rin,” the Bacolod City pride Asuela, who relocated to Cagayan de Oro in July 2022, told Gold Star Daily.
Asuela’s lone conqueror Coquilla, who started with a perfect six-of-six performance, got ambushed subsequently by Jonathan Docot and Balquin in the last two rounds that also saw the resurgent of another Ilonggo master in Villanueva.
Locked at seven points, Asuela, Balquin, and Villanueva, however, equally divided among themselves the pooled prizes of P22,000 for the top-three winners as Docot placed solo fourth with his 6.5-point total worth P3,000.
“Sayang akong six-game streak. Pang-champion na unta naserohan pa gyod ang tigulang nga walay practice sa last two rounds,” later said Coquilla in half jest.
Rounding up the top 12 finishers out of 107 total participants are Rodney Opada, Coquilla, Rhynan Arce, Bryan Jose, Jones Maghuyop, National Master Levi Mercado and FM Kevin Creamer from Switzerland, and Marian Calimbo who all tallied six points after the eight-round Swiss System tourney.
