Tuburan backs hometown chess prodigy in ASEAN tilt

CEBU, Philippines - The local government of Tuburan under the flagship of Mayor Democrito "Aljun" Diamante, Jr. has thrown its full support to Cebuano chess prodigy Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano in his upcoming stint in the 15th Association of Southeast Asian Nations Age-Group Chess Championships set from June 3-12 at Sands Cotai Central in Macau, China.

"Kyle (Sevillano) is our hometown pride and he deserves all our support in his pursuit for glory on the inetrnational stage.  Actually, it's not just Kyle because Tuburan has always been supportive to our young athletes who have shown great potentials to excel in their respective fields," said Diamante in a press conference the other night at Pino! Restaurant.

"I hope this little help of ours could further motivate him to perform better in the tournament and hopefully bring honor not only to Tuburan and the province of Cebu, but also to the entire Filipino nation," added Diamante.

The 14-year-old Sevillano earned a ticket to the prestigious ASEAN tilt to be staged in the tiny Chinese territory next week after ruling the 16-under category of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines-organized 2014 National Age-Group Championships two months ago in San Antonio, Quezon Province.

Grateful of the support given to him, the incoming senior at the University of San Carlos-Basic Education Department vowed to give his all-out best in the 10-day joust that will surely draw not only the best and brightest developmental players from the Southeast Asian region but also from non-ASEAN countries like Japan, South Korea, India, China and Russia.

"I'm so thankful for the support they've given me. I promise to give my best shot in the competition and if possible, win the championship," said Sevillano.

The Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association, on the other hand, wishes Sevillano the best of luck.

"First of all, I would like to thank Mayor Diamante for his support not only to Kyle but also to Cebu chess in general," said CEPCA President Jerry Maratas. "To Kyle, we wish him the best of luck. We're extremely confident that he would fare well in his forthcoming Macau stint."

Aside from Sevillano, three other promising Cebuano pawnpushers in John Jerish Velarde, Alphecca Gonzales and Casey Manlosa also claimed berths to Macau for topping their respective age-groups during the national qualifying event. (FREEMAN)