Puso, Concio, Claros advance in World Cadets, Youth chess

December 14 ------ King Whisley Puso won his last two games to top the Open under 12 division and advance to the world stage with fellow Filipinos Michael Concio and April Joy Claros in the 2020 FIDE World Cadets and Youth Chess Championships on Sunday, December 13. Concio drew his last two games and emerged tied for top spot with Amirreza Pour Agha Bala in the Open under 16, while Claros beat V Renganayaki in the 7th and final round to qualify in the Girls under 14 section.

The tale of woe belonged to WIM Kylen Joy Mordido, who shared 2nd spot with two others in the Girls under 18 with 5.5 points each but got booted out as No. 4 when the tiebreak was applied. Another Filipina, Jarel Renz Lacambra, finished 6th with 4.5 points. Only the top 3 players from each division of the Asian Zone will advance to the world stage of the online event.

Puso, an Arena Fide Master from Cavite, trounced Daniyal Sapelov and Batsukh Anand to finish with 6.0 points and No. 1 in his division. Concio drew with compatriot IM Daniel Quizon in the 6th round then agreed to a truce with Amirreza Pour Agha Bata to tally 5.5 points, the same as Bata, Renjie Huang, and IM Rithvik Raja, who ousted Quizon by winning their last game. The highly touted Quizon wound up with 4.5 points for 6th place. Claros, a prized find from Angeles, Pampanga by Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales, rebounded from a 6th round loss to Laysa Latifah, who swept the division, by besting Renganayaki.

A high school sophomore at FEU-Diliman, Claros won her first 5 games. Al-Basher Buto dropped his last two games and landed 14th in the Open Under 10 with 4 points. Franiel Angela Magpily tallied 4.5 points and ended at 8th spot in the Girls under 10. Christian Gian Arca placed 12th with 4.5 points in the Open under 12 while Ruelle Canino finished 13th with 4 points.

Source: rappler.com/sports