Caparino rules maiden Minglanilla Open chessfest

Diego Abraham Caparino scored a crucial victory over Bonn Rainauld Tibod in the final round on the way to etch his name in stone as the first ever champion of the Minglanilla Fiesta Open Chess Tournament staged recently at the function hall of Bernadette Letson near the entrance of Minglanilla Central Elementary School.

The 22-year-old Caparino finished the 7-round Swiss system competition with the best output of 6.5 points among the 74 participants to pocket the P7,000 champion’s purse.

Caparino was actually undefeated in seven games.

The Marine Engineering graduate from the University of Cebu-Maritime Education Training Center (UC-METC) subdued Bryan Daniel, Marco Antonio Palogan, Richard Gohetia Sr., Ceferino Vizco Jr. and Michael Pinar. He fought to draw with Allan Pason before pulling off the titleclinching win over Tibod.

Pason and Rommel Ganzon both tallied 6.0 points but Pason took the P5,000 second prize courtesy of a higher tiebreaker. Ganzon got P3,000.

Adrian Basil Basilgo, Michael Joseph Pagaran, and National Master Edsel Montoya occupied the fourth to sixth spots with 5.5 points each, while Tibod, Brylle Arelano, Richard Natividad, and Rogelio Enriquez, Jr. rounded up the top 10 cast with 5.0 points.

On the other hand, Jave Mareck Peteros and Rogel Niño Panilagao received P1,500 apiece for emerging as champion in the Under-14 and Under-16 agegroups, respectively, of the one-day tilt organized by the Minglanilla Chess Club, Inc. (MCC) headed by its president Joselito Cañada in partnership with the Minglanilla LGU under the flagship of Mayor Elanito A. Peña, and the Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association (CEPCA) led by Engr. Jerry Maratas.—