Mark Jay Bacojo and Mhage Gerriahlou Sebastian ruled their respective divisions in the semifinals of the National Chess Championships held recently at the Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence (PACE) in Quezon City, giving them a chance to earn slots in the national team which will see action in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
Bacojo, 18, settled for a draw with International Master Ricky de Guzman in the ninth and final round to finish with 6.5 points, forging a three-way tie for first with Vince Angelo Medina and Alexis Emil Maribao.
Bacojo, however, won in the tiebreaks.
Bacojo, Medina, Maribao, Phil Martin Casiguran and De Guzman marched to the finals against a field that includes Grandmasters Daniel Quizon and John Paul Gomez, and IMs Paulo Bersamina and Jan Emmanuel Garcia -who also competed at the Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.
The 19-year-old Sebastian, on the other hand, scored seven points in the women's division to join Allaney Jia Doroy, Vic Glysen Derotas, Cherry Ann Mejia and Bonjoure Fille Suyamin in the finals tentatively set in December at the PACE.
The five qualifiers will be up against Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna, WIMs Jan Jodilyn Fronda and Bernadette Galas, Woman FIDE Master Shania Mae Mendoza and Ruelle Canino, who bagged the Group B gold medal at the Olympiad.
GMs Darwin Laylo and Joey Antonio are also invited to join the finals scheduled from Oct. 23 to Nov. 1 in Alicia, Isabela. The champion will get PHP120,000. (PNA)
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