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:
Herlan Gomez, Jason Moloney Make Weight for WBC Australasia Bantamweight Battle in Australia
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 05 Dec 2025OLYMPIC BOXING 5: 1928 OLYMPICS AT AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
By Maloney L. Samaco, Fri, 05 Dec 2025MONTE-CARLO SHOWDOWN VI PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
Fri, 05 Dec 2025Class of 2026 Announced in Canastota
Fri, 05 Dec 2025Thailand’s Niyomtrong “Knockout CPF” Decisions Junior Zárate, Becomes World Champion Again
By Carlos Costa, Fri, 05 Dec 2025WORLD RANKED FILIPINO BOXERS AS OF DECEMBER 2025 BY THE RING, WBC, WBA, IBF, AND WBO
By Maloney L. Samaco, Fri, 05 Dec 2025Shinard Bunch Takes on John Paul Magalong on Tuesday, January 13th at The UFC Gym North Brunswick in North Brunswick, NJ
Fri, 05 Dec 2025Severino and Mendoza win Blitz Asian Chess Championship for Players with Disabilities
By Marlon Bernardino, Fri, 05 Dec 2025Herlan Gomez Departs for Australia for Moloney Fight Saturday on DAZN
By Carlos Costa, Thu, 04 Dec 2025KENNETH LLOVER DEFENDS OPBF TITLE IN FOURTH FIGHT OF 2025
Thu, 04 Dec 2025Canoy, Mama, Into Contend in IBA Men’s World Boxing Championships in Dubai
By Lito delos Reyes, Thu, 04 Dec 2025CHAMPIONING MENTAL HEALTH 2: REMATCH SEASON FULL FIGHT CARD SET
Thu, 04 Dec 2025MERRY FISTMAS! World-Ranked KO Artist Ramon Cardenas Faces Erik Robles in ProBoxTV Main Event at War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale, Thursday, December 18
Thu, 04 Dec 2025THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 2 DECEMBER 2025: Kavaliauskas Wins by Split Decision Over Molina; Whittaker Stops Gavazi in 1; Malajika Wins by UD Over Paras
By Eric Armit, Wed, 03 Dec 2025WBC Strips Terence Crawford of Super Middle Title
By Gabriel F. Cordero, Wed, 03 Dec 2025