IM Dimakiling bags title in Blas Hipulan chess tilt

INTERNATIONAL Master (IM) Oliver Dimakiling continued his dominating performance in the final three rounds to capture the crown in the Engr. Blas Hipulan and Deep Blue Cafe Chess Open Tournament yesterday at the Deep Blue Cafe at the SM City Cebu.

Dimakiling finished with an unbeaten record in the nine-round Swiss system competition to emerge champion in the National Chess Federation of the Philippines-sanctioned tournament.

Dimakiling, the top seed who hails from Bohol, capped off his unbeaten run with a win over ninth-seed Cebuano Voltaire Sevillano in the ninth and final round.

Dimakiling went home with the P40,000 top purse.

Meanwhile, an unrated varsity player from the University of  San Jose-Recoletos Ramil Wadim upset FIDE Master (FM) Sander Severino in the last round to finish second place and a P20,000 purse. He had 7.5 points.

Rounding off the top three in the open division was IM Emmanuel Senador, who finished off with 7.0 points. Sevillano finished at fourth place also with seven wins. They were separated according to their tie break, bucholz and median bucholz points accumulated during the entire tournament.

Meanwhile, Ryan Pacres topped the kiddies division. Jeffo Durug placed second while Duane Borgonia wound up third.

Around 100 wood pushers from Mindanao and Cebu cmpeted in the tournament.  /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL