IM Yap wins Mayor's Cup

FACE TO FACE

USJ-R varsity player, Mike Pagaran (left) kibitzes with UV coach and national master,
Rommel Ganzon in a post-mortem.

YOUR MOVE
NM Rogelio Enriquez

International Master Kim Yap won the Manadue Mayor's Cup last Sunday, and got home 10,000 pesos richer! ;) The Cebuano IM scored an UNDEFEATED 8.5 points after 9 rounds. His only draw was conceded to FM Anthony Makinano. Meanwhile, Makinano got second place along with Carlos Moreno III, another very solid player in Cebu. Makinano had a chance to share 1st place with the IM, but was expunged by Bacolod immigrant, Edsel Montoya. Montoya, by the way, is a very known player in his hometown Bacolod, and was a Shell Youth Chess champion there. Another incredidle playuer in the field was Cebuano child prodigy Rhenzi Khylle Sevillano, impressively finished around the 6th-12th places despite VERY VERY tough competition. I think he is the kid who also won the Shell Youth Chess Grand Finals last year! I would also like to mention, Lemuel Montero, an ex-Lapu Lapu player who now lives in Mandaue, actually finished among the top 20 placers too!. Montero was clearly in form when he vanquished NM Leo Alidani during the first day of the event. But Montero said he was just "lucky" because he didn't have enough sleep before the tournament. Whoa! Maybe he was just joking ;)

Anyways, Marc Alunan, a respectable chess veteran who is quite familiar to many old timers (no offense sirs ;) in Cebu, finished 4th place. I think he's the one who played a Petrov Defence against me some time ago! Meanwhile, Edsel Montoya came in 5th (!).

GM KILLER(hehe.)
Carlos Moreno III

Anyways, for those of you interested to know the "others" who fared well enough to be in the top 20, here is a list of the 7th-20th place finishers in respective order :) The list includes some NMs, Hustlers, Varsity players and even "gun for hires" hehe ;)

Erwin Ababat

NM Rommel Ganzon

NM Merben Roque

Rex Cabuncal 

Rhenzi Kylle Sevillano

Diego Claro 

Felix Shaun Balbona, 

NM Rogelio Enriquez, 

Lemuel Montero, 

Venancio Loyola, 

Shawn Patrick Osorno, 

Carlito Flores, 

Bryle Arellano

King James Torres

WEH?

Veteran Lapu-Lapu woodpusher, Aldwin Daculan faces Diego Claro with the White pieces