FILIPINO woman national master (WNM) Rowelyn Joy Acedo of Davao City clinched the runner-up honors at the 7th Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy Blitz Chess Tournament, held Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Acedo, based in Dubai, scored seven wins and two losses in the blitz-format competition, which used a three-minute time control with a two-second increment.
She finished with the same score as WGM Mahri Geldiyeva of Turkmenistan, Mariam Javakhishvili of Georgia, WIM Sristi Pandey of India, and Eisa Mohamed Anoud of the UAE, but edged them out for second place thanks to a superior tiebreak quotient.
GM Kateryna Lagno of Russia, who scored 8.5 points, emerged as the champion.
“This is one of the best moments of my career,” said Acedo. “Who would have thought I’d get the chance to play against Grandmaster Kateryna Lagno? I almost forced a draw in a pawn and rook endgame.”
She added, “I want to give a shout-out to my mom for allowing me to play, and to my workmates and friends for cheering me on.”
After a tough loss to Lagno in the seventh round, Acedo rebounded by winning her last two games against fellow Filipina Zyralle Kindipan and WFM Wafia Darwish Al Maamari of the UAE. Marlon Bernardino
