Sebastian, Bacojo post semis wins in National Chess Championships

MANILA, Philippines – Mhage Gerriahlou Sebastian and Mark Jay Bacojo reigned supreme in the semifinals of the National Chess Championships at the PACE in Quezon City to lead the march to the finals, where they will have a chance to a book a ticket to next year’s Bangkok Southeast Asian Games.

Sebastian, 19, survived a first-round defeat to LJ Getubig by scoring seven points in the last eight rounds including six victories to top the women’s section and make the finals tentatively scheduled this December also at the PACE.

There, the former national junior girls champion will battle against the national women’s team of Janelle Mae Frayna, Jan Jodilyn Fronda, Ruelle Canino, Shania Mae Mendoza and Bernadette Galas that captured the Category B gold in last month’s 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.

Also making the finals were Allaney Jia Doroy, Vic Glysen Derotas, Cherry Ann Mejia and Bonjoure Fille Suyamin, who finished tied for second to fifth spots with 6.5 points each.

Bacojo, 18, for his part, split the point with International Master Ricky de Guzman in the last round and then edged Vince Angelo Medina and Alexis Emil Maribao in tiebreaks when they wound up tied for first with 6.5 points to snare the open crown.

Bacojo, Medina, Maribao and de Guzman barged into the finals along with Phil Martin Casiguran where they will face a tough field of newly minted GM Daniel Quizon, GM John Paulo Gomez, and IMs Pau Bersamina and Jem Garcia, all part of the men’s team that went into Olympiad battle in Budapest.

Also invited and expected to join the finals set October 23 to November 1 in Alicia, Isabela are GMs Darwin Laylo and Joey Antonio.