By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Thirteen-year-old National Master Keith Ular beat some of the country’s veteran masters in claiming two tournament titles recently including the elite open category of the Start Pack Rapid Chess Tournament Sunday in Salay, Misamis Oriental.
There, Ilar, a product of coach Richard Villaseran’s King’s Gambit Online Chess School, bested one of Mindanao’s finest, NM Johnel Balquin, in the seventh and last round and drew with FIDE Master Ellan Asuela in the penultimate round to wind up with 6.5 points.
Just before 2023 ended, Ular also reigned supreme in the National Chess Federation of the Philippines’ year end online blitz championship by shocking several big guns including FM Christian Mark Daluz.
Two more students of Villaseran likewise made waves in other tournaments with 15-year-old NM John Cyrus Borce qualifying in the division meet of the Palarong Pambansa this May in Cebu and NM Michael John Stephen Inigo winding up second with six wins and two draws in an Under-20 rapid tilt in Dumaguete recently.
Borce recently snared a rapid gold in last month’s Batang Pinoy while finishing in the top 10 in Ozamiz.
“They are our top three players in King’s Gambit Online Chess School. They are not National Masters by accident, they are really strong players and I’m very hopeful they will be three of the five FIDE Masters we aim to produce by the end of 2025,” said Villaseran.
Villaseran has mapped out a program for his players including Ular, Borce and Inigo with the goal of winning the National Age Group, National School Youth, Palarong Pambansa, Batang Pinoy, National Juniors and even ASEAN and Eastern Asia Age Groups tourneys.
“That’s the goal. In fact for Ular, I think he is very much capable of competing in the World Youth U14,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dwayne Alekhine Sapuan finished third in the U13 rapid meet in Dumaguete City.
