Philippine Air Force chess team mainstay International Master (IM) Richelieu Salcedo III, the pride of Salay, Misamis Oriental reinforced his position as one of the Philippines’ top blitz chess players when he ruled the first leg of the Rising Phoenix International Chess Championship 2020 at the famous chess website: “www.lichess.org” last weekend.
Filipino International Master Joel “Cholo” Banawa, Owner/Managing Director at Rising Phoenix Chess Academy announced the result.
Untitled Kevin Arquero of the Philippine Army chess team came second while American Fide Master (FM) Steven Breckenridge settled for third place.
Silang, Cavite whiz kid Juncin Estrella won the top kiddies plum while Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna of Legaspi City, Albay took the top lady award.
Banawa said the next qualifying event will be on March 21.
“This emerging new trend: online chess tournaments has become the safest way to organize, join and participate in high caliber chess tournament without the risk of exposing one’s self to the deadly COVID-19 more popularly known as the Corona Virus 2019,” said IM Banawa.
The time control is three minutes “blitz chess” no increment or delay, play to finish via lichess.org. No berserk option and the duration is 90 minutes using the Arena tournament format.
Registration is free. Other qualifier dates are March 28, April 4, 11, 18, 25 and May 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30.
The grand finals is set on June 6, 2020. The grand final winner will win a total of P15,000 while second and third placers will pocket P7,500 and P3,100 respectively.
Meanwhile, Filipino Grandmaster (GM) Mark Paragua settled for a truce with Serbian Grandmaster Master (GM) Milos Perunovic in the ninth and final round to emerge as the overall champion of the Marshall Spring 2020 Grandmaster Norm Round Robin chess tournament at the Marshall Chess Club in Manhattan, New York.
The former Filipino whiz kid from Marilao, Bulacan captured the title with seven points in nine outings on account of six wins, two draws and one loss.
The 1998 World Rapid Under-14 champion bested International Master Alexander Kalikshteyn in the first round, Qibiao Wang in the third round, International Master Hans Nieman in the fifth round, Fide Master Joshua Colas in the sixth round, International Master Kevin Wang of the United States in the seventh round and International Master Kassa Korley of Denmark in the eighth round.
He split the point with Uzbek Grandmaster Djurabek Khamrakulov in the second round and GM Perunovic in the final round. His only loss was at the hands of American chess prodigy International Master Christopher Woonjin Jo in the fourth round.