CHRISTAIN GIAN KARLO ARCA and Franchesca Largo provided a clear glimpse of the future of Philippine chess as they topped the premier Under-18 (U-18)division of the National Age Group Chess Championships grand finals in Dipolog City over the weekend.
Mr. Arca, just 14 years old, showed he can hang with the big boys as he ruled the U-18 open section by edging top seed Mark Jay Bacojo, with both finishing with 10.5 points apiece after 11 rounds, though Arca clinched via tiebreaker in this weeklong tournament bankrolled by Dipolog City Mayor Darel Dexter Uy.
It was another feather in the cap for Mr. Arca, who topped the semis edition of this same age class last month, the boy’s U-14 section of the Eastern Asian Youth Chess Championship in Bangkok, and the GM Balinas youth tilt last year, that reinforced expectations that he will be a future board number one for the country.
The 17-year-old Ms. Largo, for her part, swept all her 13 games to run away with the girls’ U-18 crown.
Other winners were Jersey Marticio and Tyrhhone James Tabernilla (U-16), Kaye Lalaine Regidor and Keith Adriane Ilar (U-14), Mar Aviel Carredo and Zhaoyu Capilitan (U-12) and Mary Janelle Tan and Steve Zacky Bolico (U10). — Joey Villar
