AFTER a big start, the Cagayan de Oro bets dropped from the top-two standing with the top-seeded Johnnel Balquin yielding to Woman International Master Bernadette Galas in the fourth round of the 2021 Philippine National Mactan Open Chess Championships today.

Taking the solo lead is Manila pride Don Tyrone Delos Santos who defeated local boy Anthony Makinano to remain perfect at four points.

The only rose among the thorns in the elite class, Galas’ triumph over Balquin promoted her to second place with 3.5 points to show.

Makinano’s first loss landed him at third spot in a big group of three pointers that included Cagayan de Oro’s Carlo Magno Rosaupan, Jaime Joshua Frias II and Alfredo Rapanot.

“Babaye lage pero International Master man sab ang nagpeldi kang pareng Balquin. I hope dili nako siya (Bernadette) makontra kay bug-at gyod ang pressure pag girl-to-boy ang labanan,” said Frias, who managed to overcome non-master lady opponent Geraldine Mae Camarines going into the fifth round still in progress as of this writing.

Meanwhile, the 17-year-old International Master Daniel Quizon stunned Grandmaster Darwin Laylo to keep the solo lead in the premier 2021 Philippine National Chess Championship Grand Finals also held at the Solea Hotel and Resort in Mactan, Cebu.

The Dasmariñas City, Cavite-born Quizon clashes with the country’s lone woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna in the fourth round, hoping to sustain a three-game roll also made at the expense of International Masters John Marvin Miciano and Joel Pimentel.

Quizon’s third-round triumph after 49 moves of the Ruy Lopez was huge, considering that Laylo won the competition twice in 2004 and 2006.

Youthful Paulo Bersamina and fellow IM in veteran campaigner Ricky de Guzman shared the second spot with 2.5 points each.

GM Rogelio ‘Joey’ Antonio Jr, the oldest participant at 59 and the winningest with 13 national open jewels under his name, improved at 1.5 points in the company of IMs Jan Emmanuel Garcia and Ronald Dableo, and WGM Frayna.

Seeking for his 14th crown, Antonio lost to Bersamina in the opener of the 12-man round-robin affair organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) which stakes a berth to the national squad bound for the 2023 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Thailand.

The FIDE-rated over-the-board contest also dangles a P80,000 top purse for the champion.