Mobile Home | Desktop Version




PH’s First-Ever Female Chess Master rules 35th International Chess Festival in Krakow, Poland

By Marlon Bernardino
PhilBoxing.com
Mon, 30 Dec 2024

Manila---Nika Juris Nicolas, the country's first female National Master (only NM), emerged as the champion in the 35th International Chess Festival last Sunday (December 29, 2024) at the Galaxy Hotel in Krakow, Poland.

A Grade 7 student at Victory Christian International School in Pasig City, Nicolas (Elo 1635) topped the Open Under 1800 Category with an undefeated record of 6 wins and 1 draw to raise her total 6.5 points in seven outings.

The tournament proved pivotal for Nicolas and boosted her FIDE rating by 86 points with a Performance rating 2017.

NM Nicolas (Standard Elo rating of 1635) defeated Kacper Miąso of Poland (1400) , Mateusz Waszkiewicz of Poland (1402) and Artem Sokolvak of Ukraine (1000) in the first and three rounds, respectively.

She snapped her three-match winning streak when she had a draw against Filip Korda of Poland (1725) in the fourth round.
Then beat Arkadiusz Piwowarczyk of Poland (1779), Nikita Alexeev of Ukraine (1697) and Ali Asgarzada of Azerbaijan (1653) in the fifth, sixth and seven round, in order.

Rafal Skalny of Poland and Filip Korda of Poland wound up second and third with identical 5.5 points.

Rounding up the top 9 finishers with 5.0 points each were Nikita Alexeev of Ukraine, Arkadiusz Piwowarzyk of Poland, Ali Asgarzada of Azerbaijan, Marek Michaliik of Poland, Justyna Rozenska of Poland and Adam Machnik of Poland.

It shall be recalled that Nicolas was the only female who competed in the Boys' Under-11 division of the National Youth and Schools Chess Championships grand finals in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte held June 2 to 9, 2023 bagging two silver medals (Standard and Blitz) and one bronze (Rapid).

The National Master title, usually given to males, was conferred on her by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) during the awarding ceremony.

Nicolas challenged conventional practices and questioned why girls were restricted to their division. Encouraged by her mother, lawyer Nikki de Vega, who also serves as NCFP legal counsel, she ventured into the Boys’ division, proving that girls could indeed compete with boys in chess.

“Nika is overjoyed because it has always been her dream to compete with the boys,” de Vega said. “It was a dream come true for her to get the National Master title.”

Nicolas’ studied chess at age 9 and joined her first tournament in February 2022, at the National Age Group Chess Championship. She showcased her skills with six wins and one loss. Today, she already holds the credentials as a candidate FIDE Master, national age-group champion, Asian youth medalist, Eastern Asia silver medalist, and a Batang Pinoy champion.

The 11-year-old Nicolas will continue her European chess circuit campaign when she competes in the Prague Open on January 10-17, 2025 and Marienbad Open on January 18 -25, 2025, both in the Czech Republic.

“Nika hopes to continue her winning ways,” her mother said, expressing gratitude for their supporters and prayer warriors, including coaches Lourecel Ecot, Raul Damuy, and MJ Ladrona; Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence led by Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales and Woman Grandmaster Janelle Frayna; Pasig City government; NCFP; and other chess parents.-Marlon Bernardino-


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Marlon Bernardino.

Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • A Masterpiece of Boxing: Terence Crawford Dethrones Canelo Alvarez in Historic Showdown
    By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • LEWIS CROCKER IS CROWNED THE NEW IBF WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPION
    Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Battle of Undefeated: Callum Walsh Vanquishes Fernando Vargas Jr.
    By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Undercard Inferno: Mbilli and Martinez Deliver a Super Middleweight War Ending in a Thrilling Draw
    By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Crawford to defy odds?
    By Joaquin Henson, Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Clash of Titans: The Final Predictions for Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford
    By Dong Secuya, Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Weigh-In Results: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev
    Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Inoue and Akhmadaliev Make Weight for Sunday's Battle, Watch it LIVE on Facebook!
    By Carlos Costa, Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • IIEE North Cotabato and Metro Central are the Golden Champion on 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Chess
    By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 14 Sep 2025
  • Sydney Sy Tancontian is Female Awardee of Sports Hero of the Year
    By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford: Size Matters
    By Chris Carlson, Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • BOOTS TALKS SPARRING WITH CANELO IN ‘DAY IN THE LIFE’
    Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • WEIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS: CANELO - 167.5 LBS., CRAWFORD - 167.5 LBS.
    By Dong Secuya, Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • BELFAST: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER
    Sat, 13 Sep 2025
  • Canoy cancels title fight due to child’s death
    By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Sep 2025