Lim paces early winners in MCC chessfest

Second seed Samson Lim started his campaign on a bright note as he beat Dante Panti in 41 moves of a Caro-Kann Tueday to lead the winners at the start of MCC non-master standard (90 minutes) chess tourney held at the lower second floor of St. Francis Square in Mandaluyong City.

Also hurdling their early round assignments were Rodolfo Mendoza, Joel Cocjin, Larry Jimenez, last month champion Edralen Chua and 13-year old Mari Joseph Turqueza who scored an upset win against top seed Joselito Oliveros.

Half point behind were Ray Hipolito, Methodius Maslang, Rodolfo Pates, Vernon Perea, Dario Enriquez, Wilson Co, Amando Labarda, Ruben Medina, Alfredo Chay and Ed Garrovillas of JRU.

Late entries will still be accepted until 6 tonight. The top two finishers will advance to the finals — a round-robin format — along with the other monthly winners. The overall champion will receive a free ticket to any Asian country courtesy of Skylight Tours and Travel.

Meanwhile, the Codiñera Ladies and Open section will be held on Oct. 7 and 8, respectively. For details, call 826-8560 and 0916-852-1069.