Jerome Aragones scored three points in the last four rounds before besting top seed Daniel Quizon in the tiebreak to capture the kiddies’ crown in the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship NCR leg at SM Megamall Event Center over the weekend.
Tied with Daniel Quizon and Justine Mordido after five rounds, the eighth-ranked Aragones drew with Dennis Gutierrez III in the sixth then trampled Mordido, halved the point with Quizon and outplayed Juwon Grande to finish the nine-round Swiss system tournament with eight points.
Quizon also had eight points but settled for runner-up honors as Aragones took the plum with a superior tiebreak score.
Mordido, ranked No. 7 in the 128-player field in the 7-12 age division of the three-category circuit sponsored by Pilipinas Shell and sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, wound up third (7.5) and clinched the last berth in the national finals slated in September.
Rheam Arah de Guzman finished with 6.5 points for joint seventh and booked the lone female berth in the grand finals.