Stephen Rome Pangilinan swept his last three matches to capture the juniors crown while Michael Concio Jr. nipped Mark Jay Bacojo in the tiebreak to snare the kiddies plum in the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship Southern Luzon leg at SM Batangas in Batangas City last Sunday.
Pangilinan sustained his impressive run in the last three rounds as the Philippine Science High School ace dismantled Dennis Gutierrez II, Brien Palasigue and Jethro Aquino to post an 8.5-point total in the 13-16 age category of the 25th staging of the annual event.
The top-seeded Daniel Quizon, who closed out with victories over Jarvey Labanda, Jesca Docena and Christopher Kis-ing, placed second with eight points. Kylen Joy Mordido of Dasmariñas National High School, who also placed fifth overall, was named top female player and will thus join Pangilinan and Quizon in the grand finals of the country’s longest talent-search sponsored by Pilipinas Shell.
Jonathan Jota, meanwhile, dominated the seniors division, finishing with 8.5 points and leading a 1-2-3 finish by the Lyceum bets in the 17-20 category of the event, which kicked off the five-stage regional circuit culminating in the grand finals in October at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay.
Maeleen Pastrano, Shell Tabangao Refinery Manufacturing Excellence Manager, graced the awards rites of the two-day, nine-round Swiss system tournament sanctioned by NCFP, which drew close to 350 participants.
