THE name Nika Juris Nicolas is fast becoming popular in Philippine chess.
The young chess prodigy from Pasig City brought honor to the country after securing a bronze medal in the Six Days Budapest chess tournament, Under-2250 category, held recently in Budapest, Hungary.
Nicolas, who was awarded the National Master (NM) title in 2023 at just 10 years old, remains the youngest and first-ever female chess player in the Philippines to achieve the distinction.
In Budapest, the 12-year-old Nicolas tallied an impressive 4.5 points from four wins, two losses, and one draw in the seven-player round-robin standard tournament. Her performance highlighted not only her sharp tactical play but also her exceptional skills against older and more experienced opponents.
She scored victories over Bora Yagiz of Turkey (Round 2), Andras Bacsi of Hungary (Round 4), Tamas Titusz Torok of Hungary (Round 6), and Viktoria Kuehn of Germany (Round 7). Her only setbacks came against FM Donat Daroczi of Hungary (Round 1) and FM Miklos Halak of Hungary (Round 3), while she split the point with Canada’s Michael Yip in Round 5.
Halak emerged as the tournament champion with 6.0 points to claim the gold medal, while Daroczi finished second with 5.5 points for the silver.
Despite entering as the youngest player and only seventh seed, Nicolas defied expectations with her podium finish—an achievement celebrated by her family and supporters.
“3rd Place! Congratulations Baby Nika for the bronze finish in the Six Days Budapest Sept 2025 Under-2250! Despite being the 7th seed and the youngest player therein, you endured and even secured a podium finish. More importantly, you gained 65 rating points! Let’s celebrate and eat pizza today as you will face another grueling tournament tomorrow. Amazing Baby Nika,” wrote her proud mother, Atty. Nikki De Vega, who also serves as legal counsel of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), in a Facebook post.
Nicolas is a proud product of the NCFP’s grassroots chess development program spearheaded by its chairman and president, Hon. Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr., in partnership with the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee.
