FIDE Master Sander Severino and lawyer Cheyzer Crystal Mendoza led Team Philippines to an outstanding performance, ruling the blitz division of the Asian Chess Championship for Players with Disabilities, held Thursday in Tagaytay City.
Severino dominated the men’s blitz event, finishing clear first with 4 points in five rounds behind three wins and two draws. John Franz De Asis and Henry Roger Lopez also ended with strong scores, but De Asis secured the silver medal after edging Lopez on tie-breaks.
In the women’s blitz competition, Mendoza captured the gold medal with 3.5 points, while Cheryl Angot followed with 2.5 points to clinch silver. Aiganym Kambarova of Kazakhstan took bronze after prevailing over Jean-Lee Nacita on superior tie-breaks.
Filipino players also asserted their dominance in the rapid event, where Arman Subaste, Menandro Redor, and Israel Peligro swept the podium, bagging gold, silver, and bronze, respectively.
In the standard division, Bernardo battled to a draw with Kazakhstan’s Alimzhan Ayapov, resulting in a five-way tie for first place with 3 points. Joining them in the logjam were Henry Roger Lopez, FM Sirojiddin Zaynidinov, and Axadxon Kimsanboyev of Uzbekistan.
On the women’s side, Kyla Jane Langue and Thi Hong Nguyen of Vietnam also ended in a deadlock, splitting the point in Round 4 to share the lead with 3.5 points apiece.
The championship is organized by the Tagaytay Chess Club, in cooperation with the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and the Philippine Para Chess Association, under the auspices of the Asian Chess Federation and FIDE. The tournament offers direct FIDE titles, trophies for champions, and medals for the top three competitors across visually impaired, physically impaired, and hearing-impaired divisions.
“Our para chess athletes are living proof that with hard work and passion, greatness knows no boundaries,” said National Para Chess officials.
