The 2021 Philippine National Open Chess Championship Grand Finals got underway December 9th in Mactan City, Cebu, with 12 participants vying for the title of Philippine champion and the P80,000 top prize. The players are (in order of their rankings) IM Paulo Bersamina (2461), GM Darwin Laylo (2434), GM Rogelio Antonio Jr (2421), IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia (2411), IM Ronald Dableo (2407), IM Ricardo De Guzman (2344), IM Daniel Quizon (2324), IM John Marvin Miciano (2316), IM Michael Concio Jr. (2287), IM Joel Pimentel (2273), WGM Janelle Mae Frayna (2190) and untitled Allan Pason (1974).
After seven rounds of play, the 17-year old Quizon has built a 1½-point lead over his closest pursuer. Quizon has racked up six straight wins and only the unheralded Pason managed to stop the Quizon juggernaut by holding him to a draw in the 7th game. The teenager also defeated all three GMs taking part in the event – Antonio, Laylo and Frayna.
The standings after Round 7: 1.Quizon, 6½; 2. Dableo, 5; 3. De Guzman, 4½; 4-5. Laylo, Garcia, 4; 6-8. Pimentel, Bersamina, Miciano, 3½; 9. Antonio, 3; 10. Frayna, 2; 11. Concio, 1½; 12. Pason, 1.
Laylo,D (2434)-Concio,M Jr. (2287) [A52]
Mactan City (7.6) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Bf4 Nc6 5.Nf3 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 Qe7 7.e3 Ngxe5 8.Be2 d6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nb3 Nxf3+ 11.Bxf3 Ne5 12.Be2 Nd7 13.Bg3 Re8 14.Qc2 h6 15.h3 a5 16.Nd4 Bc5 17.Nb5 Nf6 18.Bd3 Be6 19.Bh4 c6 20.Bxf6 gxf6 21.Nc3 Kh8 22.Ne4 Rg8 23.Kh1 Bb6 24.Rad1 Rg7 25.Ng3 Rag8 26.Bf5 Rg5 27.h4 R5g7 28.b3 Bxe3 29.Rde1 Bc5 30.Qc1 Rh7 31.Re2 Qd7 32.Qc3 1-0
Dableo,R (2407)-Bersamina,P (2461) [A08]
Mactan City (7.2) 2021
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.d3 e5 5.c3 Nf6 6.a3 Be7 7.b4 e4 8.dxe4 Nxe4 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nfd2 Nf6 11.Nb3 c4 12.Nd4 Re8 13.Be3 Ne5 14.h3 Bd6 15.Bg5 h6 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Nd2 h5 18.e4 h4 19.f4 Nd3 20.e5 Qe7 21.Bxd5 Bxh3 22.Nxc4 Bxf1 23.Nf5 Qd8 24.Kxf1 Bxe5 25.Qxd3 Bc7 26.Nh6+ Kf8 27.Nxf7 Qd7 28.Ng5 hxg3 29.Rd1 g2+ 30.Kg1 1-0
Concio,M Jr. (2287)-Quizon,D (2324) [A58]
Mactan City (6.3) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 Bxa6 6.Nc3 d6 7.e3 Bxf1 8.Kxf1 g6 9.Nge2 Bg7 10.g3 Nbd7 11.Kg2 0-0 12.Rb1 Qb6 13.Qc2 Rfb8 14.Rd1 Qa6 15.b3 Ne8 16.Bb2 Nb6 17.h4 Nf6 18.a4 c4 19.b4 Qb7 20.a5 Nbxd5 21.Nxd5 Nxd5 22.Kg1 Nxb4 23.Qxc4 Qc6 24.Qxc6 Nxc6 25.Bxg7 Rxb1 26.Rxb1 Kxg7 27.Rc1 Nxa5 28.Ra1 Ra7 29.Nd4 Nc6 30.Rxa7 Nxa7 31.Kf1 e5 32.Ne2 Kf6 33.Nc3 Ke6 34.Ke2 d5 35.Kd3 Nc6 36.Ne2 Kf5 37.Kd2 Kg4 38.Nc3 Kf3 39.Ke1 d4 0-1
Quizon,D (2324)-Antonio,R Jr (2421) [B17]
Mactan City (5.5) 2021
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Nf3 Ngf6 6.Ng3 e6 7.Be2 Bd6 8.0-0 0-0 9.c4 Qc7 10.b3 b6 11.Bb2 Bb7 12.Qc2 c5 13.Rad1 Rfe8 14.dxc5 bxc5 15.Rfe1 Rad8 16.Bc3 Bf8 17.Ng5 h6 18.N5e4 Nxe4 19.Nxe4 Nb8 20.Bf3 Nc6 21.Qb2 Rxd1 22.Rxd1 e5 23.Ng3 Nd4 24.Bxb7 Qxb7 25.Qb1 g6 26.Qe4 Qxe4 27.Nxe4 Be7 28.Bb2 Rd8 29.Kf1 a5 30.Ba3 Rc8 31.Nc3 Bf8 32.Nd5 f5 33.Bb2 Kf7 34.Bc3 Bd6 35.Rd2 Ra8 36.f4 exf4 37.Bxd4 cxd4 38.Rxd4 g5 39.Nc3 1-0
Frayna,JM (2190)-Quizon,D (2324) [E69]
Mactan City (4.2) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.Nf3 d6 6.0-0 Nbd7 7.Nc3 e5 8.e4 exd4 9.Nxd4 Re8 10.h3 Nc5 11.Re1 c6 12.Bf4 Nh5 13.Be3 Qe7 14.Qc2 Bd7 15.Rad1 Rad8 16.b4 Na6 17.a3 Nc7 18.Nde2 Be6 19.g4 Nf6 20.e5 Nxg4 21.exd6 Nxe3 22.dxe7 Rxd1 23.fxe3 Rxe1+ 24.Kf2 Ra1 25.Qb2 Rd1 26.Nd4 Rxd4 27.exd4 Bxd4+ 28.Kf3 Bxc4 29.Qd2 Ne6 30.Ne2 Bf6 31.Ng3 Bd5+ 32.Kf2 Bd4+ 33.Ke1 Rxe7 34.Bxd5 cxd5 35.Kf1 Be5 36.Ne2 d4 37.a4 h5 38.Qd3 Kg7 39.Qe4 Bf6 40.Qd5 b6 41.a5 bxa5 42.bxa5 h4 43.Qd6 Rc7 44.Ke1 Rc2 45.Kd1 Ra2 46.a6 Ng5 47.Nf4 Ne4 48.Qc6 Nf2+ 49.Ke1 d3 50.Qd5 d2+ 51.Kxf2 d1Q+ 52.Qxa2 Bd4+ 53.Kg2 Qg1+ 0-1
Quizon,D (2324)-Laylo,D (2434) [C77]
Mactan City (3.6) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 d6 5.c3 Nf6 6.d3 Be7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Nbd2 b5 9.Bc2 Re8 10.Re1 Bf8 11.Nf1 Ne7 12.a4 Rb8 13.h3 Ng6 14.Ng3 h6 15.d4 c5 16.axb5 axb5 17.d5 Qc7 18.Be3 b4 19.Ba4 Bd7 20.Bxd7 Qxd7 21.Nd2 bxc3 22.bxc3 Ra8 23.Qf3 Rxa1 24.Rd1 Rb1 25.Re1 Ra1 26.Rxa1 Rb8 27.Qf5 Qb7 28.Qf3 Qd7 29.Nf5 Ne8 30.Nc4 Ne7 31.Nxe7+ Bxe7 32.Qg4 Qxg4 33.hxg4 Kf8 34.Kf1 Nc7 35.Ke2 Rb3 36.Bd2 Ke8 37.Kd3 Kd7 38.Kc2 Rb7 39.g3 Bg5 40.Kd3 g6 41.Be3 Bxe3 42.Nxe3 Nb5 43.Rb1 Kc7 44.Rh1 Kd7 45.Rxh6 Ke7 46.Rh8 Kf6 47.Nc4 Ke7 48.g5 Kd7 49.f4 1-0
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Kh2!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Qa8/a6/a5/a4/a3/a2 2.Qg7#; 1…Qb7/c7/d7/e7/f7/h7/b8 2.Qa1#; 1…f3 2.Qxe3#.
