International Master (IM) Kim Steven Yap was crowned champion in the first-ever “Kita Ang Katag Open Chess Tournament” last Thursday at the Knight Attack Café in the Robinsons Galleria Cebu.
Yap scored two wins and had a draw in the final round to bring home the P10,000 top purse.
In the final round of the four-board simultaneous game, Yap prevailed over Group A’s champion National Master (NM) Merben Roque and Group C’s winner Carlos Moreno III. He settled for a draw against Group D’s first placer Ronald Ganzon.
Yap and Ganzon both finished the final round with 2.5 points but the latter escaped with the crown by winning in the Armageddon tie breaker match.
Yap joined the top 16 qualifiers as a wildcard entry. He dominated Group B where he went up against equally talented woodpushers in Michael Pagaran, Richard Natividad and fellow wild card Anthony Makinano.
He defeated Natividad and Pagaran and had a draw against Makinano to win the division and the P2,500 cash prize.