Al Basher Buto topped his older and more experienced opponents to claim the Luzon leg of the Philippine Sports Commission-National Chess Federation of the Philippines selection tournament last Thursday.
Conducted online in a span of three days and played with a rapid time control of 15 minutes with a 10-second increment, the 11-year-old prodigy netted eight victories in his nine matches, capped off by defeating Janmyl Tisado to secure the title.
Seen by some as the next iteration of Wesley So, the veteran age group internationalist also beat Jose Piro Caro, Joemel Narzabal, Marlon Constantino, Alfredo Balquin, Jr., Juan Samson Guillermo Cantela, Jerish John Velarde, and Mark James Marcellana.
Joseph Mendoza II handed Buto his only defeat in this leg during the second round.
Tisado had the chance to secure the victory with a draw, but the loss to Buto puts him in second place with 7.5 points.
Neil Ari Magnaye Merilles also finished with 7.5 points, but finished in third. Rounding out the top ten are Marcellana, Ivan Travis Cu, Adrian Basilgo, Daniel John Lemi, Israel Landicho, Cedric Daniel Macato, and Jan Darryl Bautista.
Outstanding participants from this leg will earn a spot in the semifinals, currently scheduled on May 11-13.
The tournament will resume with the Visayan leg on April 13-15 and the Mindanao leg a week later. Those who survive the semifinals will meet in the grand finals which will take place from July 2-4 and will utilize both online and face-to-face matches. Outstanding finishers will be integrated into the national team, per tournament director GM Jayson Gonzales.
Interested participants can still register for free, and for any queries, can contact either Michelle Yaon (0910-3726152) or Susan Neri (0933-5505019).
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