Enriquez grabs March crown in CEPCA monthly qualifying

CEBU, Philippines —  Rogelio Enriquez Jr. fought to a draw with Peterson Sia in the fifth and final round but it did not deter him from clinching the

March title of the Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association (CEPCA) monthly tournament last Sunday at the Barracks Chess Club in Robinsons Galleria Cebu.

Enriquez and Sia actually finished the 5-round Swiss system competition sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) with similar 4.5 points but Enriquez, head coach of the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) chess varsity team, took the top spot by virtue of a superior tie-breaker using the Bucholz system.

Before going up against Sia, Enriquez swept past Richard Ouano, Jervy Villarin, National Master Arnolito Cadiz, and Cristy Cabungcag.

Interestingly, Enriquez dominated the field desping being given only three minutes each game for being a Class A player.

Aside from pocketing P1,500, Enriquez also joined early qualifiers Vince de la Torre and Amado Olea to the year-ending grand finals also known as the "Battle of Champions" this December.

Fillemon Capuno and Cristy Cabugcag placed third and fourth with 4.0 points, while Arje Villarin completed the top five finishers with 3.5 points. — EBV