SECOND-SEEDED Samantha Umayan of Davao City captured the gold medal in girls under-14 event of the just-concluded 2019 National Age-Group Chess Championships Visayas Leg at SM Seaside Cebu.
Umayan, who is a Grade 7 student at Far Eastern University (FEU) Diliman, tallied 5.5 points after seven rounds in the 19-player category.
Five-pointers third-seeded Krisen Yochabel Marie Sanchez and top- seeded Edelyn Vosotros who placed second and third, respectively.
The Dabawenya defeated Francheska Jeen Rafailes, Ferrose Joy Rafailes, Nicole Mae Mangubat, Jasmine Atienza and Krisen Yochabel Marie Sanchez in thei first five rounds but lost to Vosotros in the penultimate round.
Umayan, however, settled for a truce with Christine Faith Tabungar in the final round of the event organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) as qualifying for the national finals.
She booked an outright ticket to the nationals wherein slots to the annual Asean+ Age-Group Chess Championships are up for grabs.
