FOUR players deserved to be declared as the new monthly champion in the high school division of the GCF V-Fide Rated Chess Championship on April 8 at the Ayala Centrio Mall, Cagayan de Oro City.

This, after the Misamis Oriental pair of Cassey Miguel Tabamo and Karl Augusto Xander Sayson and the Cagayan de Oro tandem of Ashlanie Pandi and Joel Lawrence Hoy all, finished with six points in the seven-round Rapid tourney that attracted a total of 63 junior competitors.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT. Cassey Miguel Tabamo (at left) loses in this final round match with the third-running Karl Augusto Xander Sayson, but his perfect six-of-six start and superior tiebreak are but enough to propel Tabamo to the GCF’s crowning glory. Photo by Lynde Salgados

In fact, everybody thought that the Gingoog City bet Sayson would bring home the bacon after he defeated Tabamo on board one in the final round.

But after the smoke of battle cleared, the El Salvador City native Tabamo ― who is now based in Malaybalay City ― found his luck in the Bucholz tiebreaker to join the elite group of monthly champions in the prestigious event organized by the Golden Chess Friends and sponsored by the Prodigies Inc. Manpower Service Provider.

“After a perfect 6 of 6 performance, draw lang iya kelangan nasilat pa sa last round. Maayo gani s’werte iyang tiebreak,” his El Salvador coach Engr Resurrecion ‘Jun’ Gunayan said of Tabamo, who will turn 14 on April 16.

With overwhelming tiebreak points of 35.5, Tabamo went on to bag the P3,000 top purse and the championship trophy.

Tabamo’s fellow six-pointers Pandi (31 BH), Sayson (30.5 BH), and Hoy (27.5 BH) occupied second to fourth places to go away with P2,000, P1,000, and P800, respectively.

TIE FOR FIRST TO 4TH. The second-running Ashlanie Pandi and fourth-placer Joel Lawrence Hoy (next in the second row) in this bit of Fide-Rated GCF tourney for the high school division. Photo by Lynde Salgados

“I only rely on self-study with a handful of available chess books in my possession apart from playing online chess. I hope to do better the next time around,” the Gingoog high schooler Sayson later told Gold Star Daily.

He’s actually a cousin of the now unheard National Master Allan Sayson from Iligan City, who was once a member of the Philippine team at the World Chess Olympiad.

Completing the top 15 finishers at five points are John Mark Primor, Paul Andrew Romanda, Mary Stephanie Dacut, Chergaets Andres, Nico Tabacuan, Terrence Daigon, Luiz Penthius Orillo, John Dale Salabsab, Kyla Marie Capili, and Nash Andrew Bondoc.