Dorog, Ocliasa cop Shell kiddies plums

MANILA, Philippines - Fifth seed Jeffu Dorog scored three points in the last four rounds to pocket the boys’ kiddies crown while Ezra Ocliasa swept her last three matches to rule the girls’ side in the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship Mindanao leg at SM Davao Event Center in Davao City last Sunday.

Dorog, of San Carlos Univ.-Cebu City, outplayed Ardyin Hijastro in a duel of unbeaten players in the sixth round then toppled Carl Sato while halving the points with Yeongsa Aparte and Adrian Yulo to emerge the solo champion with eight points in the nine-round boys’ category.

Ronulfo Ranario notched 3.5 points in the last four rounds to finish solo second with 7.5 points as the second-ranked bet from West City Central School Carmen in Cagayan de Oro took the other berth in the national finals of the 21st staging of the annual event put up by Pilipinas Shell.

Hijastro ended up joint third with seven points with Carl Sato, Allen de Asis and Yulo.

The seventh seeded Ocliasa, on the other hand, bested No. 10 Kristensen Banguiran, sixth-ranked Anne Opema and No. 3 Laila Nadera to surge past erstwhile solo leader Allanneyjia Doroy, who dropped back-to-back matches at resumption of the seven-round tournament and bowed out of contention.

Ocliasa finished with 6.5 points, edging Biazza Diaz, who hurdled her fifth and sixth round matches but was held to a draw by Julie Opema in the final and settled for second with six points.

Ocliasa, playing out of Mari School of Arts and Trade (Mati City) thus gained the lone berth in the national finals staked in the girls’ side of the tournament, which served as the penultimate leg of a five-stage nationwide circuit sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Phils.

The final qualfiier – the Northern Luzon elims – will be held in Tuguegarao on Aug. 17-18 at the Brickstone Mall Event Center with the grand finals of the event, backed by Shell Fuel Save Unleaded and Diesel, Shell Fuel Oils, Shell V Power Nitro and Shell Rimula, as well as by Unilever and SM Supermalls, set Sept. 14-15 at SM Megamall.