Nouri Makes Chess History; became the youngest Filipino player to achieve the Fide Master title at the age of 7; Doroy, Revita, Mendoza earn outright Fide Master title in 14th ASEAN + Age Group Chess

 
by Marlon Bernardino

Manila---While chess fans were celebrating the victorious Philippine age group chess team, the chess community also noted that a 7-year-old whiz kid became the youngest player to achieve the Fide Master title.

Alekhine Nouri of Taguig City has won an outright Fide Master title by virtue of his excellent showing at the recent 14th ASEAN + Age Group Chess Championships 2013 Standard competition at the Imperial Mae Ping Hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand on Thursday.

Nouri, 7, an incoming grade one pupil at the FEU-FERN College in Quezon City, defeated Nguyen Hoang Hiep of Vietnam in the eighth round then subdued Luvsandorj Orgilbold of Mongolia in the final round to finish with 8.0 points and rule the Open 8-under category. With the feat, Nouri is the youngest ever Filipino achieve Fide Master title at the age of 7.

"Alekhine Nouri got his (outright) Fide Master Ttitle at 14th ASEAN + Age Group Chess Championships, making the record of the youngest Fide Master of Philippines Chess, thank you Lord for all the blessing," said proud father Fide Master Hamed Nouri.

"Filipino woodpushers have once again shown their excellence in the field of chess," said National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) Chairman/President Prospero "Butch" Pichay Jr.

Like Nouri, Allaney Jia G. Doroy of Agusan del Norte, Samantha Glo Revita of Rosales, Pangasinan and Shania Mae Mendoza of Sta. Rosa, Laguna also got their outright Woman Fide Master (WFM) title.

Doroy drew with WFM Vo Mai Truc of Vietnam in the eighth and split the point with Azhar Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahr of Malaysia in the ninth round to finished with 6.5 points, the same output of Vo and Juwita Ardelia Sharfina Menda of Indonesia. The trio shared the gold in the Girls 12-under class.

Revita crushed Nguyen Hong Ngoc of Vietnam in the eighth and repeated the trick over Chandra Vania Vindy of Malaysia in the ninth round to finished 7.0 points. She and fellow 7.0 pointer Nguyen Thi Minh Thu of Vietnam shared the gold in the Girls 14-under division.

Mendoza tallied 6.0 points, the same output of fellow gold medal winners Huynh Ngoc Thuy Linh and WFM Dao Thi Lan Anh of Vietnam in the Girls 16-under class.

“These kids are the young blood, the future of Philippine chess. They want to give not their 99 percent, but their 100 percent all the time. They know what it takes to win," added National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) Chairman/President Prospero "Butch" Pichay Jr.

NCFP Executive Director GM Jayson Gonzales stood in as the delegation's team while IM Yves Ranola, IM Roderick Nava, FM Hamed Nouri and NM Edmundo Gatus was the group's team coaches.

The Philippines competed with Russia, India, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Hongkong, Singapore, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Iran, Mongolia, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Thailand, which drew 389 contestants.

The country's campaign in the tournament is supported by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).