INTERNATIONAL arbiter James Infiesto took home the silver medal in the 2018 Alphaland Philippine Executive Chess Tournament held at the Alphaland Place, Ayala Avenue in Makati City over the weekend.
The feat earned him a slot to the grand finals set later this year.
Infiesto tallied 5.5 points in the seven-round Swiss System format chessfest to grab the runner-up honors out of 53 executive participants from all over the country. But fellow-5.5 pointer Benjamin Esquejo edged him via superior tie-break to secure the title.
Other 5.5 scorers Ali Guya, Joselito Cada and Emmanuel Asi took the next three spots.
Infiesto, in a Facebook chat, said he didn't even expect to be on the winner's podium considering almost all of the participants were former chess champions.
"I did not expect to be a co-champ with four wins and three draws. Getting the second place after tie break with a difference of .5 is good enough for me to win a trophy and a slot sa grand finals," said Infiesto.
He added that Davao City will be hosting the eighth leg, expecting a lot of Luzon executive players to compete.