Regina Catherine Quiñanola ponders her next move in one of the chess tournaments she competed in in Cebu. | Photo from the Barracks Chess Network
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuana chess prodigy Regina Catherine Quiñanola has earned the coveted Women’s National Master (WNM) title.
The 17-year-old wood pusher from the University of San Carlos (USC) earned her title after she bagged a back-to-back bronze medals in the 19th ASEAN+ Age Groups Chess Championships.
She joins fellow Cebuana chess sensation Jerish John Velarde who also earned her NM title.
Same as Velarde, the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) gave the WNM title to Quiñanola for her remarkable performances in the 2017 and 2018 ASEAN Age Group Chess Championships.
Regina Catherine is one of the famed Quiñanola chess siblings of Mary Margaret and Glybel Jane.
She finished third overall in the 2017 edition of the ASEAN Age Group Chess Championships held in Pahang, Malaysia. She finished with 5.5 points for third place after eight rounds of competition.
In the following year, Quiñanola vied in the same age category and settled for another third place with 6.0 points tied with three other Filipina competitors.
Quiñanola is also a gold medalist in the 2017 Palarong Pambansa that was held in San Jose, Antique. She also competed in the Asian Universities Chess Championships in 2018 in Tagaytay.
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