DESPITE settling for a draw against Cebuano chess phenom Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano in the final round, Merben Roque still clinched the title in the 3rd VMA Power Open Chess Tournament held at the Colonnade Mall yesterday.
Roque finished the tournament with 6.5 points while Sevillano settled for second place with 6.0 points.
Roque and Sevillano’s clash in board one of the seventh round ended with a draw after 19 Reti opening moves.
Ronald Ganzon and Diego Caparino also finished with 6.0 points but Sevillano had a bigger tie-break score, earning him second-place honors.
The top kiddie performer of the tournament was Jeremy Pepito while the top lady performer was Queenie Cablao.
A total of 96 players joined the tournament sponsored by Engineer Marvyn Guardiana.