Quizon seizes solo lead in chess final

MANILA, Philippines - San Juan Elementary School’s Daniel Quizon scored 5.5 points to wrest control in the kiddies division while two took charge in juniors play and three shared the lead in the seniors category after six rounds of the 2015 Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship national finals at SM Megamall over the weekend.

The seventh-ranked Quizon toppled Philymn Villajuan and Rheam de Guzman, upended No. 4 Adrian de Luna and sixth seed Mark Bacojo, repulsed Dennis Gutierrez III before halving the point with No. 5 Justine Mordido to show the way in the 12-and-under section. 

De Luna bounced back from a third round loss to Quizon with a sweep of his next three games as the Sta. Barbara Central School standout pooled five points while Bacojo, playing out of Escuela de Sto Rosario stayed in the hunt with 4.5 points heading to the last three rounds  of the 23rd staging of the country’s longest running talent search sponsored by Shell.

Earlier, Melanie Bularan, Shell social investment and social performance manager and GM Eugene Torre made the ceremonial moves kicking off the two-day tournament sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and also graced by Cesar Abaricia, Shell external affairs manager for manufacturing.

Top seed Jerome Aragones dropped two games and took one draw against three wins as he slid to joint fourth with Gutierrez, Mordido, and second seed Ronald Canino with 3.5 points while Billy Ventanilla, Irish Yngayo, Joshua Sanches and De Guzman all had three points, Villajuan and Natasja Balabbo posted two points each and Marian Calimbo, Clyde Saraos and Lorebina Carrasco II scored one point apiece.

Top seed Dale Bernardo of FEU rebounded from an opening round loss to Ahmad Azote with four straight wins then drew with unrated Genesis Borromeo of Dias College in the sixth round as Bernardo and Borromeo shared the lead with 4.5 points in the 13-16 division of the event that gathered the top finishers of the five regional elims, including female players.

Borromeo, the least fancied in the elite 16-player roster, proved his worth early by stunning No. 8 Chris Pondoyo and sprang back from a loss to Julius Gonzales with victories over No. 7 Jayson Danday, fifth ranked Jesca Docena and second seed Daryl Samantila.

Docena, from Wesleyan College of Manila, stayed on track for a crack at the top female crown as she pooled four points for joint third with Samantila, while Gonzales, Azote, Jayson Danday and Adrian Yulo all scored 3.5 points and Pondoyo had three points followed by Tristan Ibaoc, Laila Nadera, Bhing Gimony and Gutierrez, who all had 2.5 points, Vanessa Magno with two points and Frince Ocliasa and Charlotte Paez with one point each.

A tight finish loomed in the 17-20 section with top seed Vince Medina, No. 3 John Ray Batucan and fourth ranked Arvie Lozano crowding the leaderboard with 4.5 points apiece and Mark Labog, McDominique Lagula and Adrian de la Cruz just behind with four points each.