INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines – University of Baguio’s John Ranel Morazo shouldn’t have even been in the championship round.

Coming in with little preparation, Morazo bucked the odds to capture the national juniors division championship crown of the Shell Active Chess grand finals recently at the SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

Morazo, a runner-up finisher in the Northern Luzon leg, compiled seven points in the nine-round Swiss system to edge 44 national finalists.

National Master Jan Emmanuel Garcia of Ateneo de Manila University settled for a runner-up finish with 6.5 points, while West Negros University’s Bryll John Arellano took third place with 6 points.

A junior civil engineering student, Morazo earned a finals berth after his schoolmate and regional champion Leo Abalos Jr. begged off because heavy rains brought by typhoon “Pepeng” inundated his home province.

Morazo, an athlete scholar, copped the P30,000 grand prize. Garcia and Arellano received consolation prizes of P20,000 and P15,000, respectively.