Cajeras rules Blitz event of Pacquiao Random Chess Festival
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 26 Feb 2016
GENERAL SANTOS CITY ? Unheralded Jerich Cajeras emerged as the fastest gun, winning the blitz segment of the three-tier Bobby Pacquiao Random Chess Festival which came to a close here Friday.
The 22-year old Bacolod native beat some of the biggest guns in the tournament, dispatching National Master David Elorta in the 11th round, before sweeping past International Master Ronald Dableo and Grandmaster Joey Antonio one after another in the 12th and 13th rounds to clinch the title and the top P20,000 cash prize.
Cajeras ended up amassing 11 points out of the possible 13 that emerged superior among the 239-player field.
It was Antonio?s second runner-up finish after finishing second to IM Joel Pimentel in the rapid event held Thursday.
It was also the second time Antonio lost to a Bacolodnon.Both Pimentel and Carejas came from the "City of Smile."
Also, Pimentel is currently enrolled at the College of St. Benilde as a College Application student, while Cajeras graduated from the same school and the same course. GM Darwin Laylo, who had scored 2.5 points in the last three rounds, finished a close second with 10.5 points in a tie with Elorta and Dableo.
NM Raymond Salcedo ended up at solo fifth with 10 points, followed by IM Haridas Pascua, NM Richelieu Salcedo and Cebuano Kim Steven Yap at sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
Lufie Magdalaga and Antonio complete the top ten finishers in the blitz event, the third and final tournament in the week-long festival organized by the Eugene Torre Chess Foundation and sponsored by Sarangani Cong. Manny Pacquiao.
Torre later said that the tournament was a huge success, pointing to the big number of participants in all three events.
?I think it went well and was very successful. Like the previous tournament, we have a big number of participants. We have 64 teams in the team competition and a total of 239 entries in the rapid tournament, " the first Filipino and Asian to have earned a Grandmaster title said.
"Dito sa blitz, marami rin. But I think that the most important things is that the players are now beginning to appreciate the Chess 960 format, which is also known as the Fischer Random Chess."
Torre later led the awarding of cash prizes and trophies to the winners.
Final Standings: Cajeras 11 points, Laylo, Elorta, Dableo 10.5; Salcedo Ra., 10, Pascua, Salcedo Ri., Yap 9.5; Magdalaga, Antonio, Ganzon, Lluch, Asuela, Roque M., Dimakiling, Salubre Ocido, Rancap, Nolte, Garcimo 9; Severino, Makinano, Bitoon, Verdun, Pimentel, Barzuela, Mariano, Montoya, Pasco, Ruaya, Balquin.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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