Unheralded April Joy Claros stunned third seed Woman Candidate Master Martyna Starosta of Poland in the Armageddon early Sunday, December 20, to barge into the quarterfinals of the Girls Under 14 in the World Cadets and Youth Rapid Chess Championships.
Ranked 14th among 16 qualifiers, Claros (Elo 1459) yielded the first game to Starosta (Elo 2094) but rebounded by winning the second to force the tiebreaker and become the lone Filipino still standing in the World Chess Federation (FIDE)-organized online tournament that drew a total of 1,380 players from 114 nations.
Michael Concio Jr, the other Philippine qualifier from the Asian zone, lost both games to China’s Renjie Huang and bowed out in the Open Under 16 division.
The 13-year-old Claros, a prized find of Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales from Angeles City, Pampanga, will tangle with Indonesian Laysa Latifah in the round of 8.
Latifah, seeded sixth, bested Indian VM Sahithi, 1.5-0.5, in the round of 16.
It was another strong showing for Claros, a high school sophomore at Far Eastern University-Diliman, who created a stir when she swept her first 5 games in the Asian zone eliminations before dropping her sixth to Latifah, who emerged division topnotcher, and winning her seventh and last game.
Due to her strong showing, Claros received a new laptop from FEU athletic director Mark Oliver Molina with the approval of FEU chairman Aurelio Montinola III on Wednesday.
According to Gonzales, the national women’s team coach, Claros has the capability to become a Woman GM just like his protege Janelle Mae Frayna, the Philippines’ first and only WGM.
“She (Claros) is a strong player and is following the steps of Janelle,” said Gonzales. – Rappler.com
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