Chess Piece
Bobby Ang
2016-2017 UAAP Chess Team Tournament (Juniors)
Feb. 4-April 2, 2017
4th Floor, Henry Sy, Sr. Hall,
De La Salle University,
Taft Avenue, Manila
Final Ranking
1. FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY (FEU), 42/48, 24 match points
Bd01 NM John Merill Jacutina 10/10, Bd02 NM John Marvin Miciano 10/10, Bd03 Jeth Romy Morado 9/10, Bd04 Darry Bernardo 4/8, Bd05 Istraelito Rilloraza 4/5, Bd06 Dale Bernardo 5/5. Team Captain: Tristan Jared Cervero, Head Coach: GM Jayson Gonzales, Asst. Coach: NM Alexander Milagrosa.
2. NATIONAL UNIVERSITY (NU), 29.5/48, 18 match points
Bd01 Laurence Magura 8/11, Bd02 Jayson Danday 5.5/11, Bd03 Antonio Almodal 7.5/12, Bd04 Brylle Gever Vinluan 8.5/12, Bd05 Jeffu Dorog 0/1, Bd06 WFM Allanney Jia Doroy 0/1. Team Captain: Antonio Almodal III, Team Coach: Jose Aquino, Jr., Team Managers: Samson Go / Manny Go
3. UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS (UST), 29/48, 16 match points
Bd01 Samson Chhiu Chhin Lim 6.5/10, Bd02 Dennis Gutierrez III 6.5/8, Bd03 Emanuel Van Paler 3/7, Bd04 Daniel John Lemi 6.5/11, Bd05 Anatoly Pascua Jr 1/5, Bd096 Mark James Marcellana 5.5/7. Team Captain: Mark James Marcellana, Team Coach: Peter Lim.
4. UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST (UE), 19.5/48, 9 match points
Bd01 Lee Roi Palma 5.5/12, Bd02 Queenie Mae Samarita 0/2, Bd03 Nel Richmond Miranda 4/12, Bd04 Edrian Flores 4.5/12, Bd05 Jamaica Marie Lagrio 5.5/10. Team Captain: Nel Richmond Miranda, Head Coach: John Perzeus Orozco, Asst. Coach: Robert Gene Mariano.
5. DE LA SALLE-ZOBEL (DLS-Z), 19.5/48, 8 match points
Bd01 Glesit Marie Tatoy 0/7, Bd02 Christopher Kahlil Kis-Ing 7.5/12, Bd03 Hans Jeremy Reyes 1/8, Bd04 Jethro Dino Aquino 9/12, Bd05 Lynux Louie Ansay 2/7, Bd06 Davenslop Dlp Co 0/2. Team Captain: Davenson Dlp Co, Team Coaches: WIM Jan Jodilyn Fronda / Franz Robert Grafil, Team Manager: Faith Dimakiling.
6. ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY (ADMU), 16.5/48, 6 match points
Bd01 Isaiah Espino 0/4, Bd02 Kailo Enrique Bigcas 0/6, Bd03 Haince Patrick De Leon 8/12, Bd04 Elijah Derek Pilien 2.5/10, Bd05 Michael Olladas 4/12, Bd06 Jaime De Veyra Jr 2/4. Team Captain: Haince Patrick De Leon, Team Coaches: Ildefonso Datu / IM Emmanuel Garcia, Team Manager: Paco Rivera.
7. ADAMSON UNIVERSITY (AdU), 12/48, 3 match points
Bd01 Christian Hernandez 1/8, Bd02 Jalen Rhey Lacambra 3/9, Bd03 Henry Li III 3/10, Bd04 Erick Spencer Valdez 1/9, Bd05 Jose Daniel Abucejo 2/7, Bd06 Jarel Renz Lacambra 2/5. Team Captain: Christian Hernandez, Team Coach: Ali Guya.
Most Valuable Player: NM John Merill Jacutina FEU; Rookie of the Year: Dennis Gutierrez III UST
Board 1 Gold NM John Merill Jacutina FEU; Silver Laurence Magura NU; Bronze Samson Chhiu Chhin Lim UST
Board 2 Gold NM John Marvin Miciano FEU; Silver Dennis Gutierrez III UST; Bronze Christopher Kahlil Kis-Ing DLS-Z
Board 3 Gold Jeth Romy Morado FEU; Silver Haince Patrick De Leon ADMU; Bronze Antonio Almodal NU
Board 4 Gold Jethro Dino Aquino DLS-Z; Silver Brylle Gever Vinluan NU; Bronze Daniel John Lemi UST
Board 5 Gold Istraelito Rilloraza FEU; Silver Jamaica Marie Lagrio UE; Bronze Michael Olladas ADMU
Board 6 Gold Dale Bernardo FEU; Silver Mark James Marcellana UST; Bronze Jaime De Veyra, Jr. ADMU
FEU really ran away with this one. With top boards John Merill Jacutina and John Marvin Miciano both posting 10/10 perfect scores the Baby Tamaraws outdistanced the field with 12.5 points between them and their closest pursuer — an unheard-of winning margin. Last year with basically the same team the Morayta-based chessers had won with a margin of 5 points from UST and we had marveled at their dominance. This year the dominance was of a different magnitude.
National Master John Merill Jacutina has participated in various Age Group Championships both national and regional and even regularly plays in adult tournaments. You will remember that early this year he finished in the middle of the standings in the Zone 3.3 Championship (basically Southeast Asia + Japan + Mongolia). He even upset Singapore’s IM Goh Wei Ming with a well-planned attack:
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Jacutina,John Merill (2041) — Goh Weiming (2457) [A09]
Zonal 3.3 2017 Tagaytay City PHI (3.9), 27.02.2017
1.Nf3 d5 2.c4 d4 3.e3 Nc6 4.d3 e5 5.a3 a5 6.Be2 Nf6 7.exd4 exd4 8.0–0 Be7 9.b3 Nd7 10.Nbd2 Nc5 11.Re1 Ra6 12.Bf1 Bg4 13.Ne4 Bxf3 14.gxf3 0–0 15.f4 Rb6 16.Rb1 Bd6 17.f5 Nxe4 18.Rxe4 Qf6 19.Qh5 Ne5 20.Be2 c5 21.a4 Nd7 22.Bd2 Ra8 23.Kh1 h6? 24.Rg1 Kh8 25.Qh3 Bf8 26.Bg5 Qd6 27.Rh4 Qe5 28.Bf3 Kh7 29.Bd5 Rf6 30.Qg2 Qd6 31.Bf4 Qb6 32.Bxf7! Ra6
[32…Rxf7 33.Rxh6+! Black has to give up his queen, otherwise 33…gxh6 34.Qg8#]
33.Bd5 Qxb3 34.Rg4 g5 35.fxg6+ 1–0
Sixteen-year-old National Master (NM) John Marvin Miciano of Davao City is the current Under-20 Philippine champion. In the National Age-Group Chess Championships held last May at the Robinsons Galleria Cebu Miciano was actually qualified to play in the Under-18 Championship but he wanted to challenge himself and signed up for the stronger Under-20 competition. That he won it nevertheless is a testament to his talent and promise.
Miciano also played in the Zone 3.3 Championship last February and scored his biggest victory so far against a highly regarded International Master.
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Miciano,John Marvin (2273) — Nguyen Van Hai (2353) [C19]
Zonal 3.3 2017 Tagaytay City PHI (9.14), 05.03.2017
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Qc7 7.Nf3 Ne7 8.h4 Bd7 9.a4 Nbc6 10.Qd2 b6 11.h5 h6 12.Bd3 Na5 13.Kf1 c4 14.Be2 0–0–0 15.Ba3 Bc6 16.g4 Kb7 17.Qf4 Nc8 18.g5 Bxa4 19.Ra2 Be8 20.Rg1 hxg5 21.Nxg5 Rd7 22.Nh3 Rh7 23.Bf8 f6 24.exf6 gxf6 25.Qxc7+ Kxc7 26.h6 Ne7 27.Nf4 Kd6 28.Bh5 Bxh5 29.Nxh5 Rd8 30.Rg7 Rxf8
[30…Rxh6 31.Bxe7+]
31.Rxh7 Nac6 32.Ra1 e5 33.dxe5+ fxe5 34.Ng3 Ke6 35.Kg2 Ng6 36.Rh1 Nce7 37.Rg7 Kf6 38.Nh5+ Kg5 39.h7 Kh6 40.Rxe7 Nxe7 41.Nf4+ 1–0
I just wanted to point out these two players to our BW readers. These two are high school students playing against the best players in the region. And they are competing on even terms.
Jacutina tends to play more solidly as White and riskily as Black. Here is one of his cliffhangers.
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Palma,Lee Roi — Jacutina,John Merill [A66]
2016–17 UAAP Chess (JUNIORS) Henry Sy Sr. Hall UE vs FEU (10.2), 19.03.2017
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 e6 4.Nc3 exd5 5.cxd5 d6 6.e4 g6 7.f4
Many Black players go into the Benoni only after White has committed to Nf3, precisely to avoid this line as it is too sharp.
7…a6
The sharp 7…Bg7 8.Bb5+ Nbd7!? (8…Nfd7 is saner but of course some people don’t like it as it withdraws a previously developed piece) 9.e5 has been analyzed down to 9…dxe5 10.fxe5 Nh5 11.e6 Qh4+ 12.g3 Nxg3 13.hxg3 Qxh1 14.Be3 Bxc3+ 15.bxc3 a6 16.exd7+ Bxd7 17.Bxd7+ Kxd7 and while objectively both sides should have chances the practical results are overwhelming in White’s favor.
8.e5 Nh5?! 9.Nf3 Bg7 10.Be2 Bg4 11.Qa4+ Nd7 12.Ne4
[12.e6! fxe6 13.dxe6 Bxe6 14.Ng5 is I think the best way to proceed]
12…dxe5 13.Nd6+ Kf8 14.fxe5?
The problem with going into these crazy positions is that you have to really grab your opportunities as they come up. Best was 14.Nxf7 Kxf7 15.Ng5+ Ke8 16.Bxg4 b5 17.Qe4 White’s attack is decisive.
14…Bxf3 15.Nxf7 Kxf7 16.Bxf3 Bxe5
Unbelievably it is Black who is winning now.
17.Bxh5 gxh5 18.0–0+ Kg7 19.Be3 Qe7 20.Rae1 Rhf8 21.Bf4 Qd6 22.Bxe5+ Nxe5 23.Qb3 Ng4 24.Qxb7+ Kg8 25.g3 Rxf1+ 26.Rxf1 Rf8 27.Re1 Qf6 0–1 <D>
Final position.
John Miciano usually prefers to build up first before going on the attack, but when it does it is usually lethal.
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Lemi,Daniel John — Miciano,John Marvin [B40]
2016–17 UAAP Chess (JUNIORS) Henry Sy, Sr. Hall UST vs FEU (2.3), 05.02.2017
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Bb4
Svidler: I’ve looked at this line when I was a kid and decided that it was pretty bad for Black (and it’s probably true).
6.Bd3
The recommended way to play against Black’s opening is 6.e5 Nd5 7.Bd2 (or 7.Qg4 right away:) 7…Nxc3 8.bxc3 Be7 9.Qg4 White has the initiative
6…Nc6 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.0–0 e5 9.Bg5?!
Not a fan of this move which does not have a point and allows Black to get in a kingside offensive. Lemi should have put the question on the Black bishop with 9.a3.
9…h6 10.Bh4 Be7 11.Qe2 d6 12.h3 g5 13.Bg3 h5 14.Ba6 Bd7 15.Rfd1 h4 16.Bh2 Qb6 17.b3 g4 18.Na4 Qc7 19.hxg4 Bxg4 20.f3 Bd7 21.Rd2 Nh5 22.Rad1 Rd8 23.Bc4 Rh6 24.Qe3 Rg6 25.f4 Bg4 26.Rf1 Rg7 27.Qc3 f6 28.fxe5 dxe5
Not 28…fxe5? 29.Rdf2 with the very dangerous threat of 30.Bf7+ Kd7 31.Nc5+! Kc8 (31…dxc5 32.Bxe5) 32.Bxh5 dxc5 33.Bxe5 winning.
29.Rff2 Rxd2 30.Rxd2 Nf4 31.Bxf4 exf4 32.Kf1 Qe5 33.Qxe5 fxe5 34.Be2 h3 35.Kg1 Bxe2 36.Rxe2 f3 37.Rf2 fxg2 0–1
Hopefully these two teenagers continue their rapid development, as the country is in grave need of heroes.
Bobby Ang is a founding member of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and its first Executive Director. A Certified Public Accountant (CPA), he taught accounting in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) for 25 years and is currently Chief Audit Executive of the Equicom Group of Companies.
bobby@cpamd.net
