THE completely blind Geronimo Torres and the partially blind Mark Christian Evangelista, both with perfect scores, led the winners in the 2021 Philippine Sport Commission-Pilipinas Para Games (PPG) Online Chess Tournament concluded last Sunday afternoon via Tornelo format.
Torres forced the resignation of Gerald Faustino in the final sixth round in a hopeless pinned Bishop position to remain spotless in ruling the B1-Men’s category. While the 1691 Evangelista bested a 16-man field that included the higher-rated Abraham Peligro (1750), playing undefeated in five rounds to top the B2-Men’s class of the nationwide competition for people with disabilities.
Joining them in the PSC-backed tourney’s crowning glory are the physically-impaired John Franz De Asis and distaff counterpart Aime Dumagpi, and the completely blind and partially blind women chessers Yolanda Pespes and Siena Mae Requiron.
De Asis, after racking up five-straight wins, held Eric Abanco to a draw in just the middlegame for a 5.5-point total and assure himself of the PI-Men’s coveted crown contested by 45 participants with 18 NCFP-rated men in tow.
Abanco and Jordaine Tupaz settled for second and third places after edging fellow five-pointers Alexis Elinon and Joseph Gregana in the Bucholz tiebreaker.
This, as the physically handicapped Aime Dumagpi ― with only a single opponent in sight ― defeated twice Clarence Oreña, two-zero to claim the P1-Women’s top prize.
Pespes, on the other hand, finished in a three-way logjam with fellow four-pointers Kyla Jane Langue and Abigail Magno but prevailed in the tiebreaker to secure the B1-Women’s diadem.
The unrated Requiron, meanwhile, topped the B2-Women’s division with a four of five performance.
Requiron yielded to Shirley Abogado but won over Marilou Lucero, Daryl Ann Higanto, and the rated pair of Regina Abogado (1664) and Alibelle Magno (1153).
The top three winners in each category are B1-Men’s Geronimo Torres (gold), Kenneth Namisato (silver), Emmanuel Closas Jr (bronze); B1-Women’s Yolanda Pespes (gold), Kyla Jane Langue (silver), Abigail Magno (bronze); B2-Men’s Mark Christian Evangelista (gold), Ireneo Melchor Pizzaro Jr (silver), Abraham Peligro (bronze).
Also, B2-Women’s Siena Mae Requiron (gold), Regina Abogado (silver), Marilou Lucero (bronze); P1-Men’s John Franz De Asis (gold), Eric Abanco (silver), Jordaine Tupaz (bronze), and P1-Women’s Aime Dumagpi (gold) and Clarence Oreña (silver).
All of the top-three finishers received P30,000, P20,000, and P10,000 cash prizes plus stuffed toy freebies.
The three-day event was inspired by the success of the country’s Para pawnpushers on the international stage, producing a first-ever Filipino world champion in the 2020 International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPCA) titlist Fide Master Sander Severino and a fourth-place finish in the team competition of the recent 4th World Chess Championship.
“We are here to empower the Para athletes, promoting their rights to participate and compete,” said the multi-tasking organizer cum tournament director, National Master James Infiesto.
He acknowledged PSC chairman William ‘Butch’ Ramirez for making the success of the Para Games for amateur grassroots talents across the country possible.
“We are launching this project in a continued effort to address our need for a truly comprehensive grassroots sports development program for our para-athletes, and continuously harness their full potential,” said PSC Oversight Commissioner for para-athletes Arnold Agustin.
