UNLUCKY tiebreak denied Gingoog chess talent Karl Augusto Xander Sayson the championship the first time he joined the Golden Chess Friends’ monthly chess tourney in Cagayan de Oro City.
Everybody then thought Sayson would bring home the bacon after he defeated El Salvador City’s Cassey Miguel Tabamo in the final round.
But after the four-way tiebreaker, including fellow six-pointers Ashlanie Pandi and Joel Lawrence Hoy of Cagayan de Oro, it was Tabamo who emerged victorious.
“I was (happier) to take down Tabamo and even the score, although the result was a bit disappointing,” Sayson told Gold Star Daily.
This month’s edition of the GCF VII Students Fide Rated Chess Championship held, over the weekend, at the 5th Floor Play Park of SM Downtown Premier, finally propelled the promising Gingoognon to the place he well deserved.
The 15-year-old Sayson, a grade 10 student of Gingoog Institute Christian College, yielded just a draw to score 6.5 points in seven rounds to clinch the secondary crown of the prestigious tourney sponsored by Engr and Mrs Marbas.
“I was disappointed then, but winning this month’s championship was more than compensating,” said a beaming Sayson.
He’s actually a cousin of National Master Allan Sayson from Iligan City, who was once a member of the Philippine team at the World Chess Olympiad.
The 12-year-old elementary champion Quarl Maverick Vera Cruz from Balingoan town, who gatecrashed the GCF High School rivalry in May where he ended up as a champion, racked up five-straight wins to put him within sight of a back-to-back title run against much older opponents.
But a draw with Tagoloan’s LJ Getubig and Sayson in the last two rounds landed Vera Cruz at solo second place with six points.
Another Gingoog bet Lynel Francis Miguel Codera from Christ the King College finished in a tie with LJ Getubig and Cagayan de Oro’s David Rey Ancheta at 5.5 points to share third to fifth places.
Sayson got the P3,000 top purse plus the championship trophy, while Vera Cruz and Codera received P2,000 and P1,000 each plus medals.
Fourth-placer LJ Getubig and fifth-placer Ancheta ran away with P800 and P500 apiece also with medals.
Completing the top-16 finishers among over 100 participants from Northern Mindanao are Lyn Getubig, Paul Andrew Romanda, Ashlanie Pandi, Kirby Lyster Endrina, and Joel Lawrence Hoy at five points; and Joseph Alexis Dela Rama, Lara Dalagan, Princess Danielle Louise Domo, Jeshua Lagunay, Janrick Lagunay and Symond Ridge Fernandez at 4.5 points.
