IN bated breath, the home crowd was expectant in watching Nazario Ubanan of Cagayan de Oro dueling with Jayson Salubre of Panabo, Davao del Norte in the seventh and final round of the Golden Chess Friends’ cash-rich tourney in Bukidnon.

And why not?

Ubanan (six pts) was half a point ahead of Salubre (5.5 pts) entering the finale of the combined College and Open division rivalry.

Handling the white pieces, Ubanan needed just a draw to bring home the top prize of P10,000 and the championship trophy.

But a decisive weak move by Ubanan in their endgame melted the eagerly-waiting audience’s expectations, including that of the chess-playing Sumilao Mayor Jose Antonio Villo who witnessed when Salubre pounced on the precious chance in taking the full point and the victory.

“I think he (Ubanan) has the better position when they reached the endgame, pero lahi iyang gitira ni pabor na dayon ang momentum kang Salubre,” arbiter Lorenzo Cuizon told Gold Star Daily after the GCF VIII-1st Cong Jose Manuel ‘Joeman’ Alba FIDE Rated Chess Cup 2023 was concluded last Sunday at the New Building of Sumilao Municipal Hall in Bukidnon.

HAWK-WATCHING. No less than Sumilao town mayor Jose Antonio Villo, in a blue polo shirt, joins the crowd in witnessing the sixth-round match-up between Nazario Ubanan, at left, and Cassey Miguel Tabamo. Ubanan survives but loses steam in the final round. Photo by Lynde Salgados

The defeat relegated Ubanan to fourth place after the tiebreaker among the four six-pointers including second-placer Cassey Miguel Tabamo, third-running Fide Master Ellan Asuela, and fifth-finisher Romeo Canino.

The Malaybalay City pride Tabamo, who’s still in high school and the youngest Open division challenger, bounced back after his penultimate round loss to Ubanan by defeating Arena Grandmaster Julius Dan Augustine Ablin of Iligan City in the seventh and final round.

The black-wielding Asuela continued his dominance over Balquin as Canino turned back the challenge of Randolph Dalauta.

Tabamo, Asuela, Ubanan, and Canino got P7,000, P5,000, P3,000, and P2,000 each. While solo sixth-placer Bryan Jose of Talakag, Bukidnon received P1,000 also with a medal with his 5.5-point effort in seven rounds.

ALL WINNERS of the combined College and Open division hostilities strike a pose with the Sumilao Open Chess Tournament sponsors and organizers last Sunday in Bukidnon. Photo by Lynde Salgados

Rounding up the top-14 finishers among close to 100 Open division participants are Cleto Vasquez, Balquin, Basilio Pandan, AGM Lyndon Lumancas, National Master Levi Mercado, Aljie Cantonjos, Dalauta, and Ronald Ompoc with similar five-point results.

The GCF’s founding head Benoni Wabe has single-handedly commended the youthful Tabamo for his guts in gate-crashing the Open division hostilities.

“Kining mga bata nga adunay kaisog ug katakos nga makigharong sa mga hamtong na ang dako gyod ang purohan nga mo-asenso sa ilang chess career,” Wabe later told Gold Star Daily.