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Pinoy chessers make it

FIDE

THREE Filipino standouts — Michael Concio, King Whisley Puso and April Joy Claros — made it to the tournament proper in the 2020 FIDE World Cadets and Youth Rapid Chess Championships.

Concio, seeded only 12th in the 32-player field with an ELO of 2297, drew his last two games against compatriot IM Daniel Quizon and No.2 seed Amirreza Pour Agha Bala of Iran in the Open 16-under category.

Concio, one of the top stars of the vaunted Dasmariñas City chess team under Rep. Elpidio Barzaga and coach Roel Abelgas, finished in a four-way tie with Pour, Renjie Huang of China and IM Ritchvik Raja of India with 5.5 points in seven rounds.

Concio, however, clinched the top spot by virtue of higher tiebreak score.

Quizon, who lost to Raja in the final round, finished sixth with 4.5 points.

Puso, a prized find from Santa Rosa, Laguna, swept his last two assignments against Daniyal Sapenoc of Kazakhstan and Batsukh Anand of Mongolia to top the Open 12-under class with six points.

Puso edged Xiao Tong of China in the tiebreak.

Claros was the lone Filipina player who advanced to the world stage.

Claros, a high school student of FEU-Diliman, whipped AGM V. Renganayaki of India in the seventh and final round to finish solo second with six points.

The 14-year-old campaigner from Angeles City, who won her first five matches, lost to Laysa Latifah of Indonesia in the sixth round.

Only the top three players from each division of the Asian Zone will advance to the world championship scheduled Dec. 19-23.

The rest of the 16-member Filipino delegation failed to make it past the Asian qualifier.

The more prominent Filipino casualties were WIM Kylen Joy Mordido in the girls 18-under and Al-Basher Buto in the Open 10-under.

Mordido outwitted WCM Asel Lesbekova of Kazakhstan to finish in a tie for second to fourth places with five points out of a possible seven.

Mordido, however, crashed out of the podium and finished fourth after the tiebreak was applied.

Another Filipina standout, Jarel Renz Lacambra, settled for sixth place with 4.5 points.

Buto had another sad story to tell.

The Cainta prodigy dropped his last two games against Sina Movahed and Barad Yeganegi, both of Iran,and skidded to 14th place overall with only 4/7.

In the girls 10-under, Franiel Angela Magpily did her best by winning over Nilufarkhon Imomkuzieva of Uzbekistan and Tian Yiqing of China to finish with 4.5 points and eighth place overall.

The other Filipinos campaigners went out with a whimper.

Open — Paul Matthew Llanillo (3 points, 16th place, boys 18-under); Mark Jay Bacojo (4.5 points, 12th place, boys 14-under); Gian Karlo Arca (4.5 points, boys 12 under, 16th place, 12-under); Jhames Reyes (3.5 points, 22nd place, 10-under); Phil Martin Casiguran ( 3 points , 22th place, 10-under).

Girls — Jerlyn Mae San Diego (3.5 points, 14th place, girls 16-under); Samantha Umayan ( 2.5 points, 24th place, girl 14-under); and Ruelle Canino ( 4 points, 14th place, girls 12-under).

A total of 324 players, including one GM and 14 IMs, from 25 Asian countries saw action in the three-day, seven-round online competition.

The top three finishers in each category will earn the right to represent Asia in the five-day championships scheduled Dec.19-23.

Also seeing action in the year-ending online competition by FIDE are top qualifiers from Europe, America and Africa.