MANILA, Philippines—Girls ruled the just-concluded 2012 Philippine Sudoku Super Challenge (PSSC) championships, where a total of 6,412 elementary and high school students, as well as some professionals, competed in the sixth edition of the annual contest.
Ma. Czarina Angela Lao, a sophomore at St. Jude Catholic School in Manila, is the country’s new Sudoku champion.
Lao, 15, and a mainstay of the national Mathematics team, topped the finals of the PSSC Grandmasters division that was held on Saturday at the SM City-North Edsa mall in Quezon City.
She scored a total of 1,896.2 points from six rounds in the day-long competition, according to Dr. Simon Chua, president of the nongovernment Mathematics Trainers Guild-Phils. which cosponsored the contest with SM.
Alvin Ian Chan of Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, and Kaye Janelle Yao of Grace Christian College, also in Quezon City, placed second and third, respectively, with scores of 1,707.3 and 1,600.1.
Aside from trophies, Lao, Chan and Yao took home cash prizes of P60,000, P40,000 and P20,000, respectively.
In this year’s Wizard division, Dielle Tio from St. Stephen’s High School in Manila placed first.
Tio, 15, a high school junior, won P50,000 and a trophy.
Melvin Baldrias of D. Canlao Agoncillo National High School in Calaca, Batangas, and Ethan Riley Chan from Zamboanga Chong Hua High School in Zamboanga City took second and third place, respectively, taking home P30,000 and P20,000.
In the Whiz Kids division, Natalia Beatrice Dy of St. John Institute in Bacolod City emerged the champion.
Dy, 11, and a fifth grader, won P20,000 plus a trophy.
She was followed by Candice Renee Solidarios from Integrated Montessori Center of Laguna and Guineveve Soria of Precious International School in Davao City. Aside from trophies, they took home cash prizes of P10,000 and P5,000, respectively.
A total of 215 students and professionals—all winners of PSSC regional competitions—took part in the contest finals, according to Chua.