GENERAL SANTOS CITY—International Master Ronald Dableo,
David Elorta and Henry Roger Lopez all won with the black pieces in the ninth and final round to grab the Top 3 places with identical eight points in the individual event of the 2nd Manny D. Pacquiao Random Chess Championship at the SM Mall here late Wednesday.
But it was Dableo, coach of both the men’s and women’s varsity chess teams of the University of Santo Tomas, who took the title due to a superior tiebreak over Elorta and Lopez.
Dableo beat eighth-round solo leader Fide Master Austin Jacob Literatus.
Elorta, of Sta. Ana, Manila, downed Joel Pimentel, while Lopez, a paraplegic, scored the biggest upset in toppling GM Joey Antonio.
Dableo, Elorta and Lopez split the combined 1st to 3rd place cash prizes of P100,000 and won P33,333, each.
NM Hamed Nouri, Literatus and Marc Christian Nazario all finished with 7.5 points and won P11,000 each, while NMs Jerad Docena and Leo Mercado, Pimentel, Merben Roque, GM Darwin Laylo, Angelo Vince Medina, Alfredo Rapanot, Kevin Arquero, Francis Glenn Panes all had seven points and each will take home P6,000.
Also given prizes were the winners in several categories, with 9-year old FM Alekhine Nouri as top elementary student, Joh Marvin Miciano as top high school student, WIM Janelle Mae Frayna as top female player and Ibrahim Alawi as top senior. All won P2,000 each.
The top three players in General Santos were also awarded cash prizes. Sheider Nebato emerged as the top GenSan player and won P3,000; Elias Banguiran was the second best GenSan player and won P2,000, while Jeazzir Kline Surposa was the third best GenSan player and won P1,000.
Tournament organizer and MP Chess Players Organization head GM Eugene Torre led the awarding of the prizes.