Bersamina joins national bullet chess winners

MANILA, Philippines – Five legs, five winners.

The Philippine Bullet Online Chess Championship series is turning out to be a level playing field with International Master (IM) Paulo Bersamina topping the fifth leg on Saturday, April 18.

Despite drawing his last 3 games, Bersamina scored 96 points to join first leg ruler Grandmaster (GM) Rogelio Barcenilla Jr, second leg surprise victor Jerome Angelo Victor, third leg king IM Joel Pimentel, and fourth leg titlist IM Daniel Quizon in the roster of winners.

The 22-year-old Bersamina, star of powerhouse National University in the UAAP where he became a four-time UAAP MVP, finished way ahead of Quizon, who posted 83 points to land at 2nd place, besting 3rd place Pimentel (81 points) and 4th place Barcenilla (80).

FIDE Master Arden Reyes took 5th place with 71 points, followed by IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia at 6th with 67 points. Young prospect Chester Neil Reyes tied with Samson Lim with 64 but placed 7th on tiebreak.

Completing the top 10 were Karl Ochoa and FM Alekhine Nouri, respectively, with 62 points each.

GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio settled for 11th place followed by GM Darwin Laylo (15th) and FM Sander Severino (19th) among 397 participants.

Knowing he was well ahead, Bersamina settled for draws against Barcenilla, FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri, and Quizon to clinch the crown in the series organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines.

It was another strong showing for Bersamina, who at 12 became the youngest winner of the National Junior Championships in 2010, following his victory in the online Kinghari Chess Tournament last week. – Rappler.com