By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
United States-based Mark Paragua became the country’s first bullet king after dominating the 1stPhilippine Bullet Chess Championship held via online over the weekend.
The 36-year-old Paragua scored 25.5 points on 23 wins with five draws and two defeats to capture the P30,000 top purse while reclaiming the title as the fastest Filipino chesser today.
It was an impressive effort for Paragua, who now lives in New York, after virtually winning the event with two rounds to go.
Never mind that he drew his penultimate and 29th game and lost his final match to University of Santo Tomas standout Samson Chin Lim.
The recent feat capped what had been a spectacular week for Paragua as he also reigned supreme in the semifinals of this same tilt, 10th NBC Arena and SPEC and CA’s Life Arena.
Paragua said his next goal is to reclaim his place in the national team.
“It’s always an honor for me to represent the country,” said Paragua.
Paragua though needed to fend off International Master Paulo Bersamina’s spirited bid to snatch the crown from the former after the latter led by half a point after the 14th round.
But Paragua trounced Bersamina in the next two rounds and strung together a series of triumphs to pull away in this tournament bankrolled by National Chess Federation of the Philippines president Butch Pichay.
Bersamina finished second with 19 points and P20,000 while Dasmariñas, Cavite-based Michael Concio and International Master Daniel Quizon was third and fourth with 20 and 18.5 points, respectively, to pocket P10,000 each.
All the other grand finalists ‒ FIDE Master Sander Severino, GM Banjo Barcenilla, IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia, IM Joel Pimentel, GM Joey Antonio, Chin Lim, Sherwin Tiu, Chester Neil Reyes, FM Alekhine Nouri, IM Oliver Dimakiling, Vince Angelo Medina and IM Chito Garma ‒ received P5,000.
