Kristina Concepcion and Edelyn A. Vosotros along with their coach IM Kim Steven Yap. Photo by Jay Baa
Cebu City, Philippines — Edelyn A. Vosotros from the University of Cebu (UC) and Kristina Concepcion from the University of San Jose Recoletos (USJ-R), representing Central Visayas (Region 7) won two gold medals in the individual and team events of the Palarong Pambansa 2024 secondary girls’ blitz chess competition on Thursday, July 11, at the UP Cebu campus.
Vosotros scored a perfect 7 out of 7 points, securing a gold medal in the individual event, while Concepcion scored 5 out of 7 points. Together, they achieved a total of 12 out of 14 points, also securing a gold medal in the team events.
Blitz chess refers to a game of chess with a fast time control, requiring players to rely on quick calculations and intuition due to the limited time available.
According to Vosotros, through consistent practice, sparring in every tournament, and solving puzzles, she was able to sharpen her reflexes.
“Practice permi kanang mag sparring niya sigeg duwa ug tournaments ug kanang solve ug puzzle,” she said.
She also emphasized that this is her third time competing in Palarong Pambansa, and she finally claimed a gold medal for her region.
With not just one but two gold medals claimed by the girls, IM Kim Steven Yap expressed his happiness with the team’s success.
“Syempre nalipay ko pag-ayo kay champion gud sila,” Yap said.
He also expressed his appreciation for the performance of the two, who defeated strong contenders from the National Capital Region (NCR), especially Vosotros, who finished with a perfect score in the competition.
“I’m very happy kay napildi sad nila ang NCR nga mga kusgan baya toh and actually si Edelyn gyud dugay na jud na siya naa gyuy potential nga lately nindot iyang mga performance sa tournaments and last time sa open nindot kaayo iyang performance nakahibaw jud ko nga taas siya ug kab-oton,” he added.
Meanwhile, the team’s next move will be the standard chess category, and they are still hoping to claim another gold.
“Karon nagsugod na ang standard and daog na sila sa first game so naa pay six rounds to go. So mahibaw-an pa ni inig July 14 kay ang standard mn gud kay 1-2 games a day ana so taas-taas gyud na, and stamina ang kinahanglan,” said Yap.
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