IM Arca places 2nd in Hong Kong chess

January 2 ------ INTERNATIONAL Master (IM) Christian Gian Karlo Arca of Zamboanga City added another hardware in his accolade collection after winning the runner-up trophy in standard competition of the 2025 Eastern Asian Juniors Chess Championships held in Hong Kong.

In a must-win situation in his final game for a chance to win the title, the 16-year-old Arca, a Grade 11 student of Ramon Enriquez High School, defeated compatriot FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri and finished the 9-round tournament with 8.0 points on account of eight wins and one loss. Arca actually ended up tied for first place with eventual champion FIDE Master Khishigbat Ulziikhishig of Mongolia. After the tiebreak was applied, it was the Mongolian who claimed the gold medal and relegated Arca to runner-up honors.

Arca’s only setback was against Ulziikhishig in their third-round encounter. In another event, Arca was the best Filipino finisher and placed fifth in the Hong Kong International Open Blitz Chess Championship 2025. One of the highlights of his achievement was when he defeated the rising star of China, IM Haochen Jiang. Arca scored seven wins but lost twice in the open blitz competition. “It was a sweet victory. I thank God that before the year ended, I won a silver medal in the Standard competition and placed fifth in the Blitz category in Hong Kong, China,” said Arca, who is the brightest hope of becoming the first grandmaster from Mindanao.

Source: manilatimes.net