Miciano scoops up 5 medals

International Master John Marvin Miciano brought home five medals in the 20th Asean Age Group Chess Championships in Mandalay, Myanmar, and would be picky in the future by seeing action in tournaments littered with Grandmasters.

“While it’s nice to win as many medals in international tournaments, my real objective is to earn a GM norm to boost my quest to become a Grandmaster,” Miciano said.

The highlight of his campaign came when he led a golden finish in the blitz team event with Melito Ocsan Jr. and John Merill Jacutina after they defeated the powerhouse Vietnam trio of Anh Khoi Nguyen, IM Minh Thang Tran and Nguyen Khoi Le.

“There are a lot of tournaments out there that we can win gold medals, but with only few Grandmasters participating. I need to participate in tournaments with more GMs for me to get that GM norm,” Miciano said.

Seeking the first of three GM norms, the 18-year-old Miciano, who became an IM two years ago, also brought home a bronze in individual blitz and another silver in the team rapid with Jacutina and Ocsan.