HOST Cagayan de Oro defended turf in the 1st Lumbia Mindanao Open Chess Championship Rapid Team Tatluhan 2022 concluded last Sunday at the Barangay Gym of Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City.
The homegrown troika of Team Donzel 07’s Johnnel Balquin, Lyndon Lumancas, and Roland Sajetarios collected a total of 11 match points in six rounds to snare the P50,000 top purse and the championship trophy.
It was the underrated Sajetarios, however, who starred in Donzel 07’s trek to the top as he impressively outplayed Genesis Apog in the final round to cap his perfect six-of-six performance on board three.
The Barra, Opol resident Sajetarios’ immaculate record also offset the inconsistency of his teammates who almost squandered a sure win in their final battle with Cebu’s Xignex Digital Solution.
Struggling with an inferior position with black and stung by Apog’s early debacle, Cebu’s Ronald Ganzon intentionally placed an unguarded Rook along the path of Balquin's Queen in a desperate move.
And swindle he did succeed after Balquin overlooked it and touched another piece, thereby losing his precious Queen.
“Wala ko nag-expect nga iyang ipakaon ang Rook nga libre. Abi ko’g sa c6-square niya gibutang nailad ko,” Balquin said.
But Balquin’s misfortune was compensated on board two tussles when it was Bonn Rainauld Tibod’s turn to blunder a Queen against Lumancas in a panic time situation.
“Nabahog iyang Queen pero hapit ko na-drop maayo na lang ako nasiplatan ang time nga one second na lang ako pa na-punch. Dili nako gakakita ang pang checkmate nga tira,” said Lumancas, who in panick saw his opponent as the first one to flag down.
Team Lumbia, made up of retired Airforce man Allan Cantonjos, newly-elect Fide Master Christian Gian Karlo Arca, and Jezreel Lopez held Maritima Chess Club 2 to a draw, 1.5-1.5 to match the 9-point output of Xignex and El Dumadag-Manila.
But Lumbia’s slight edge in the tiebreaker propelled the wards of the father-and-son tandem of Barangay Chair Alexander Torralba and Barangay Administrator Aerol Torralba to a runner-up finish worth P30,000.
Ganzon’s Xignex and El Dumadag-Manila (Jerry Areque, Allen Mirano, Justine Flint Misa) finished third and fourth, respectively, to receive P20,000 and P10,000 also with trophies.
R-Suico-CDO, comprised of Randolph Christopher Dalauta, Bryan Jose, and Arian Belly Calido, got P5,000 after topping a bunch of 8-pointers that included Maritima (NM Carlo Magno Rosaupan, Saipuding Ambol, Mardonio Fuentes), RCM Cebu Niños (NM Elwin Retanal, Dennis Navales, Ronnel Cantonjos), Nemesis 4 ( NM Levi Mercado, Reynaldo Gempero Jr, Rogelio Canoy), Malaybalay City Chess Club (Jeriel Manlimbana, Anatolio Penados, Ronald Ompoc), and Aaqillah (Ellan Asuela, Abdul Halil Abdullah, Bobby Salomon) with P3,000 take home apiece.
