Pangilinan wins Novelty Summer Chessfest title by half point

ANOTHER Wesley So is in the making as a young Filipino woodpushers emerged as the over-all champion in his divisions at the conclusion of Novelty Summer Chess Meet was held at the Jackman Plaza Munoz in Quezon City last Saturday (May 11).

The Manila based Pangilinan defeated former solo leader Emmanuel Paler in the seventh and final round.  Pangilinan who hails from Bulacan finished the tournament with 6.0 points and won the kiddies division by half point against 2nd place Paler, 3rd placer Jesca Docena, 4th placer Eder de Jesus, 5th placer Dennis Gutierrez Jr. and 6th placer Juan Carlos Presente, all with 5.5 points each. Paul Uy, Brent Alanan, Jose David Tapia and John Paolo Medina  shared seventh to tenth places after scoring 5 points each

Pangilinan, a former top player of Milo Checkmate rose to prominence when he became the overall champion in his division in the 2009 Las Vegas International Chess Festival held at the South Point Hotel, Casino and Spa in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.At age six, Pangilinan bested other competitors in the Susan Polgar under eight-year-old division. He won first place after garnering a total of 5 points.

Right now, Pangilinan is preparing for his next tournament in Chiang Mai, Thailand for the 14th ASEAN + Age-Group Chess Championships schedule on June 5 to 14.

Meanwhile, Apollo Agapay and Ricky Batcho share the top honors with 6.5 points apiece in seven outings in the 1975 and below division.

Prizes were awarded by Novaliches Novelty Chess Club president Mr. Sonsea Agonoy. According to Mr. Agonoy, the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) sanctioned tournament aims to promote the board game of chess, especially among the youth while facilitating the development of talented enthusiast's skills and confidence.-Marlon Bernardino-