CAMIGUIN Island’s lone entry Jonard Labadan and Corpus Christi ace David Rey Ancheta ruled their respective categories in the 2017 Barangay Carmen Pre-Fiesta Chess Tournament concluded last Sunday at Carmen covered court in Cagayan de Oro City.
Labadan surprised the locals after dominating the executive division, while Ancheta topped the kiddies division anew despite losing a piece in his last-round assignment.
Labadan finished solo first with 4.5 points in five rounds, including an easy win over Pastor Canlas in the last round.
Ismar Irenick Estrella, who settled a quick draw with Labadan in the penultimate fourth round, could still catch up with him at the top had he won his last round assignment.
Rico Marabe and Oscar Cardenas tied in second place with a similar 4 points. But Marabe claimed the second prize by virtue of superior tie break points.
Labadan took home the P5,000 top purse, while Marabe and Cardenas received P3,000 and P2,000, respectively.
Ancheta, on the other hand, wiggled out from the jaws of defeat and held the much younger Santiago Lumancas 1V to a draw in the seventh and final round.
A Palarong Pambansa qualifier last year, Ancheta was enjoying a middlegame advantage when he blundered a piece.
Ancheta, however, found a way to force a draw en route to another titular win with his 6.5/7.0 performance.
“Morag pang-championship `to nga away kay kinsa modaug nila mao ang champion pero natabla man mao nga si Ancheta nidaug (It seems to be a championship game since the one who will win becomes the champion but they tied, that’s why Ancheta won),” said tournament arbiter Silverio Abasolo.
Siblings Rhea and Ruelle Canino of Barangay Kauswagan, Lance Magloyuan and Lumancas shared the second place with 6 points each.
But the complexity of the Bucholz tiebreak had the elder Canino, Rhea taking second place with Magloyuan and Lumancas at third and fourth places.
