By Lynde Salgados
Correspondent
MINDANAO’S top board players held their grounds as the struggling Surigao Fianchetto Checkmates upset the Southern division frontrunner Philippine Paralympic team to at least keep their flickering hope alive in the second round of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) 3rd Conference hostilities which resume today.
Davao’s National Master Jonathan Tan and Cagayan de Oro’s Lennon Hart Salgados, after giving up the blitz challenge, exacted revenge in the points-rich rapid play beating Fide Masters Roel Abelgas and Sander Severino on boards 1 and 2, respectively.
Their Surigao native teammates FM Vince Alaan and older brother Tyrone also prevailed over National Masters Arman Subaste and Felix Aguilera as the Checkmaters held the Para chessers to a 10.5-10.5 standoff.
In the ensuing Armageddon tiebreaker, FM Alaan lost to FM Abelgas, but NM Tan and Lennon Hart won over FM Severino and NM Menandro Redor as Surigao sneaked past the heavily-favored Para team, 2-1 for their only third win in 15 outings.
“Lennon Hart and NM Tan’s roles in crucial matches were not that easy as they managed to upset FM Severino who is a world chess champion himself,” said Arena Grandmaster Rey Urbiztondo of the wheelchair-riding Silay native chess matador, who ruled 2020.
International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPCA) Online Rapid Chess Championship and become the very first Filipino world champion in the sport.
The Para bets, playing as guests in this Conference, vented their ire against Palawan, 13.5-7.5 to keep the Southern lead at an 11-3 win-loss slate. While Surigao fell in its next outing opposite the 2nd Conference defending champion Iloilo, 7.5-13.5 to land at 10th place with 3 wins and 12 losses.
San Juan, Caloocan, and Pasig share a three-way tie for the Northern division lead at 14-1.
“It’s gonna be a tall order for us to either duplicate or surpass our quarterfinals stint the last conference because we need at least five wins in our remaining nine-game assignments to stay in contention. Ubos taas atong mga pag-ampo ini,” said AGM Urbiztondo, team owner of the Congressman Robert Barbers-backed Surigao Fianchetto Checkmates.
