After slow start, Velarde wins two in a row

AFTER three draws and two losses to older opponents, Lapu-Lapu City chess prodigy Jerish John Velarde scored back-toback wins rise up in the individual standings of the 2016 PSC-Puregold International Chess Challenge Challenger Division competition at the Subic Bay Peninsular Hotel in Olongapo City.

Velarde didn’t get intimidated by the higher rated Hans Jeremy Reyes (1795) and Woman Fide Master Allaney Jia Doroy (2023) and he gathered momentum going into the last two games of the competition that could put him at least among the top 10 finishers.

Following his loss to Justine Diego Mor- dido last Thursday, Velarde proved superior against players of his age as he beat Reyes, who just turned 9 years old last Wednesday, in last Friday’s lone round.

Yesterday morning, Velarde, a Grade 10 student at Marie Ernestine School in Lapu-Lapu City, struck hard and forced the 15-year old No.19 ranked WFM Doroy into submission with the Sicilian Defense on his black pieces.

The two wins pulled Velarde alongside nine other players sharing the 23rd to the 32nd places for players who have 3.5 points after seven rounds. They included Mordido and his Round 8 opponent Christy Lamiel Bernales. After Round 7, Velarde’s performance ratings superseded his international ratings of 1502. His PR went 1781 while his Fide ratings went up to +50.8 points.

Meanwhile, Cebuano player Glesit Marie Tatoy also gained momentum as she scored two wins on the last two rounds to improve to 2.5 points.

Tatoy defeated Jerlyn Mae San Diego in Round 6 then whipped Reyes to move up to the joint 39th-43rd places that also had WFM Doroy.

In today’s last round, both Velarde and Tatoy are hoping to make a decent finish in their first open international tournament.