BATANG Pinoy champion Janin Dhrey Querequere from Balingoan, Misamis Oriental recently added the National Palaro among her treasured chess jewels.
Querequere was not around to defend her elementary title in the 2nd Ozamiz Open Chess Tournament held July 9-10 at the AYA Hotel and Residences in Clarin, Misamis Occidental.
For qualifying in the Palaro, Querequere missed the opportunity to wage a title-retention bid in Ozamiz that staked a whooping P60,000 top purse being seized by another Balingoan pride Quarl Maverick Vera Cruz.
“Dako ang premyo sa Ozamiz pero awayonon pa. Qualifying in the Palaro alone and even more succeeding to become a gold medalist is such a great blessing from Above. Dako kaayong honor ang ma Palaro unya mag gold pa gyod. We can't ask for more,” Janin’s father and coach Dhoreylotter ‘Onin’ Querequere told this writer.
Playing in tandem with Jasaan native Mary Janelle Tan representing the Northern Mindanao Regional Athletic Association (NMRAA), the Misor duo took the team silver in the standard event. But Querequere’s four wins and three draws in seven rounds were enough for her to claim the gold in the standard individual board of the 2024 Palarong Pambansa chess rivalry held in Cebu City after the culmination of the cash-rich Ozamiz chessfest.
This, after she surpassed the title contenders Khana Ventolero (five points) from Region XI, Princess Magallanes (five points) from Region IX and edged out her closest pursuer and fellow 5.5 pointers Hannah Segara from Region IX in the Bucholz tiebreaker for Querequere’s first ever Palaro gold.
Querequere also took a couple of bronze medals in the team and individual categories of the Blitz event. Her teammate Tan settled for a silver in the standard team category and a bronze in the blitz team competition.
Thus, Querequere followed in the footsteps of International Master Richelieu Salcedo III among the few chess talents in Misamis Oriental who managed to conquer the Palaro challenge, though the Inobulan, Salay native Salcedo won his Palaro gold representing the National Capital Region.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people behind my daughter's success. It’s been a roller coaster ride since we started to focus on her chess career in 2020. Those sleepless nights, struggles, defeats, financial constraints, disappointments and breakthroughs. We, parents and athletes, sacrificed a lot for training, tournaments, long-distance rides, and other restraints. We even lose family ties with some cousins and relatives, for we have dedicated our time to be better each day,” said Querequere’s father.
“But the best part is we have persons who believed in our players, and never failed to support and cheer for us. Most of them were strangers at first but became friends and brothers. They supported us wholeheartedly, and never even wanted something in return, if not with them, we wouldn’t get this far,” he added, citing Balingoan town mayor Aaron Paul S. Unabia, Paglaum MisOr Sports, and private individuals Jessie Villasin, Tatang Pabibo, Daniel Gomez and Alberto ‘Butchouy’ Vera Cruz, among the others.
