IM Joel Pimentel tops Cepca anniversary chess tilt

IM Joel Pimentel (holding the trophy) joins fellow winning chess players during the awarding of the 33rd Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association (CEPCA)  Anniversary: 4th Engr. Boy “Chessmoso” Pestano Memorial Chess Cup. | Contributed photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines—International Master (IM) Joel Pimentel emerged as champion in the “33rd Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association (CEPCA) Anniversary: 4th Engr. Boy “Chessmoso” Pestano Memorial Chess Cup” on Sunday, October 22, 2023, at the Robinsons Galleria Cebu. 

IM Pimentel took home the tournament’s newest “Jun Olis Trophy,” which pays tribute to the late Apolonio “Jun” Olis, one of CEPCA’s founding members, who recently passed away. On top of that, IM Pimentel pocketed P10,000 as the tournament’s top purse. 

IM Pimentel, who started the tournament as the No. 2 seed, nearly swept the nine-round Swiss system competition by scoring a total of 8.0 points. 

He won all eight matches against Jesse Tan, Rex Arreglado, Joel Pacuribot, Bonn Rainauld Tibod, Allan Pason, top-seed Kim Steven Yap, Venancio Loyola Jr., and FIDE Master (FM) Nelson Villanueva.

His lone defeat came only in the final round, after he was upset by the younger No. 26 seed Yves Christian Fiel. 

Loyola Jr. placed second with the same 8.0 points, but IM Pimentel had higher tiebreak points to earn him the title. 

Still, Loyola Jr. didn’t go home empty handed as he received P6,000, while National Master (NM) Rommel Ganzon rounded off the top three woodpushers with 7.5 points, to win P4,000. 

The fourth to 10th placers of the tournament were Fiel (7.5), FM Villanueva (7.0), Daniel Baylosis (7.0), NM Rogelio Enriquez Jr. ( 7.0), Ariel Reyes Abellana (7.0), Ronald Ganzon (6.5), and Richard Natividad (6.5), respectively. 

Around 150 woodpushers played in the one-day tournament. 

/bmjo

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