INTERNATIONAL Master (IM) Kim Steven Yap emerged the inaugural champion of the Muslim-Christian Friendship Open Chess Tournament held last weekend at the Colonnade Mall in downtown Cebu City.
Yap, one of the top Cebuano wood pushers, finished the seven-round Swiss system tournament with 6.5 points, capping off his campaign with a win over Yves Fiel in the final round.
Yap, who is also a chess instructor of the Cebu School of Chess and an avid chess tournament organizer, bagged the P8,000 purse from the Association of Cebu Muslim Professionals and Entrepreneurs Inc. (ACMEP), which organized the tournament in partnership with the Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association (CEPCA).
More than a hundred wood pushers joined the tournament that aims to promote the sport of chess to the Cebuano Muslim community.
Allan Salientes finished in second place with 6.0 points, capped with a win over Ronald Ganzon in the final round. He went home with P4,000.
Rounding off the top three wood pushers in the tournament was Anthony Makinano, who had 5.5 points.
Fourth to 10th placers were Edsel Montoya (5.5), Rogelio Enriquez (5.5), Carlos Moreno (5), Fiel (5), Fernandito Pialan (5), Ganzon (5) and Richard Natividad (5), respectively.
Ramil Wadim was the best Muslim player with 4.0 points for 20th place.
Aldritz Pondoyo topped the kiddies division while Keith Claire Morala won the ladies crown.
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