Bersamina grabs solo lead in National Open Chess tourney

MANILA, Philippines — International Master Paulo Bersamina racked up two straight victories, including one against Olympiad teammate Daniel Quizon, to seize the solo lead at the start of the Philippine National Open Chess Championship Grand Finals in Alicia, Isabela Friday.

The pair of wins catapulted Bersamina straight to the top with a perfect score of two points in this 11-round event giving out not just a ticket to Southeast Asian Games set in Thailand next year but the top purse worth P120,000 courtesy of host Alicia Mayor Joel Amos Alejandro.

In the first round, Bersamina outplayed Quizon in the opening of their Center Counter duel, won the exchange and later the game in just 23 moves and then destroyed Vince Angelo Medina’s Sicilian Defense in 40 moves in the second round that launched his campaign.

Bersamina hopes to sustain his early surge and hopefully nail his very first national title.

Trailing by half a point were IMs Jem Garcia, who turned back GM Joey Antonio, and Ricky de Guzman, who split the point with GM John Paul Gomez in 62 moves of a French, and qualifiers Samson Chu Chin Lim and Alexis Maribao, who fought to a 35-move standoff of a Petroff Defense.

The 11-round meet, organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines headed by Butch Pichay and in partnership with host Alicia Mayor Joel Amos Alejandro, was ushered in hours before.

Aside from a SEA Games ticket, a top purse worth P120,000 from the total cash pot amounting to P388,000 will be up for grabs with P90,000 going to the eventual second placer and P60,000 to the third placer.

Coinciding with the tournament, which is dubbed as the “Battle of the GMs,” is the National Youth and School Chess Championships for Under 11, 13, 15 and 17 boys and girls and the Philippine National Children Chess Championships for Under8 and 10 participants.