Natividad masters Paknaan chess via higher tiebreak

RICHARD Natividad emerged overall champion in last weekend’s Paknaan Open Chess Tournament held in Barangay Paknaan, Mandaue City.

Natividad finished the seven-round Swiss System competition with six wins and a single loss which was inflicted by Allan Salientes in the seventh and final round.

Among Natividad’s victims were National Masters Merben Roque and Rogelio Enriquez, Yves Fiel, Glicel Gepiga and Edcel Montoya.

Natividad went home with P6,000 in cash prize while NM Roque claimed the second place worth P4,000 followed by Salientes.

Both NM Roque, Salientes and Carlos Moreno III tallied 5.5 points but NM Roque claimed the second spot with a higher tie-break points followed by Salientes and Moreno. Fiel and Michael Pagaran finished fourth and fifth respectively with five points each.

Bonn Tibod, Montoya, Rommel Ganzon and Joel Pacuribot placed seventh to 10th respectively and received P500 in cash while special cash awards were given to Diomedes Diano, Glicel Gepiga and Samuel Tinio as best local performers for Barangay Paknaan.

Cash awards were provided by Brgy Paknaan SK chaired by Emman Dale Morpus. The two-day event was organized by by Willy Semblante and Eden Diano with National Arbiter (NA) Marvin Ruelan directing tournament. /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL