FULL-time chess coach Rodney Opada came to compete for fully-aware that his newly-born child would turn two-month-old right on the day of the GCF V- Fide Rated Chess Championship last April 8 at the Ayala Centrio Mall, Cagayan de Oro City.

"Siya ang naa sa akong hunahuna, maong gihimo nakong motivation ug inspiration nga mag-champion gyod sa April edition sa GCF monthly chess tourney. Luckily, nitunong sab akong mga tira," said the 38-year-old Opada, referring to his daughter Ashley Nicole with current partner, Jeanelyn Butalid.

The solid-playing Opada, who quit his supervisory job with a security agency to focus on chess, yielded just a draw with the 21-year-old Adrian Othniel Patricio Yulo in seven-round skirmishes to finish with a remarkable 6.5 points.

FOR MY NEWLY-BORN. In this final round match, Rodney Opada (at left) overcomes the last stumbling block for his title run in the 65-year-old retired DepEd employee Mario Arroyo. Photo by Lynde Salgados

He went home P3,000-richer in bagging the championship trophy for the combined College and Open category of the rapid tourney organized by the Golden Chess Friends of businessman Benoni Wabe and sponsored by the Prodigies Inc. Manpower Service Provider.

"Ang iyang passion sa chess ug dedication pagka-amahan nihimo niyang bangis ibabaw sa 64-square-board," tournament director Naphtali Wabe said of Opada.

The ageless pair of Mario Arroyo, 65, and Cleto Vasquez, 60 had threatened to go all-out for the top podium after their crucial wins over the young rivals that saw them posting a similar 5 points.

But Arroyo and the newly-minted executive champion for Mindanao Leg Vasquez went down in defeat against the eventual winner Opada and second-running Yulo, respectively, on boards one and two in the final round.

BEST JUNIOR FINISHER. The 21-year-old Adrian Othniel Patricio Yulo (looking confident at left) dispatches veteran foe Cleto Vasquez in the last round to snare the runner-up prize. Photo by Lynde Salgados

Yulo and Christian James Aquino, both GCF champions in the previous episodes, scored six and 5.5 points apiece to claim the second and third prizes worth P2,000 and P1,000 plus medals.

Emerging fourth in the tiebreaker, Vasquez led a big bunch of five-pointers that included Engr Paul Omongos, Arroyo, James Pada, Bryan Jose, and Lyndon Lumancas.

Arroyo's fifth-round victim Aljie Cantonjos completed the top-10 finishers after the latter got the better tiebreak results over fellow 4.5-pointers Ace Joshua Caralde and Marvin Maribojoc.