Former NCAA champion Rernie Malupa topped the Vice Mayor Denver Chua Chess Cup, an over-the-board tournament held at the Academe of Donna Christine in Dahalican, Cavite recently.
Malupa, who plays for the Cavite Spartans in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) All-Filipino Conference, finished with five victories and a loss to finish in join tie with Arjoe Loanzon and Lloyd Rubio.
But he took the plum and the P2,000 top prize due to superior quotient.
Loanzon ended up second worth P1,000 while Rubio settled for third ( P500).
Juncin Estrella, the 2019 elementary level provincial champion, wound up fourth while Michael Metrio fifth.
Other category winners were Eduardo Tunguia (senior), Janmyl Tisado (18-and-under), Ariel Santander (14-and-under), Eugne Evalo (12-and-under) and Janna Pagkaliwangan (lady). (Kristel Satumbaga)
Conley finally gets NBA all-star nod
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Mike Conley became one of the oldest first-time all stars in NBA history on Friday, the 33-year-old Utah Jazz player replacing Devin Booker in Sunday’s annual showcase event.
For the past several years, the Jazz guard has been considered one of the NBA’s best players to have never been chosen to play in an all-star game.
He was added to Team LeBron as a replacement for Phoenix Suns Booker, who has an injured left knee.
Conley joins teammates Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert as the Jazz’s third player in the game.
Tsitsipas, Rublev gain semis spots
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AFP) – Stefanos Tsitsipas, a semi-finalist at last month’s Australian Open, reached the final four of the ATP Rotterdam tournament on Friday with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Karen Khachanov.
World number six Tsitsipas fought back from 3-1 down in the final set and broke his Russian opponent at five games each before sealing a place in the semi-finals.
The second-seeded Greek will next play another Russian in fourth seed Andrey Rublev who battled past French qualifier Jeremy Chardy, 7-6 (7/2), 6-7 (2/7), 6-4.
Rublev and Chardy fired a combined total of 80 winners in their quarter-final clash.
Borna Coric of Croatia edged Japan’s Kei Nishikori, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/4) and will face Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics for a spot in the final.
