AFM Querequere completes back-to-back title romp in Misocc chess

ARENA Fide Master Janin Dhrey Querequere showed her readiness to shoot for gold anew in the 2023 Batang Pinoy National Chess Championship this coming December in Marikina City.

This, after the 11-year-old pride of Balingoan, Misamis Oriental–also the Batang Pinoy 11-under girls gold medallist last year in Vigan City–completed a back-to-back championship finish in two major chess events this year in Misamis Occidental province.

Querequere, who ruled the elementary girls’ level of the Asenso Misamis Occidental National Chess Championships held last July at the nearby AYA Hotel and Residences in Clarin town, returned with same vigor and intensity as she dominated the combined boys and girls Under-11 category of the 1st Governor Henry S. Oaminal 8 in 1 Chess Festival slated on November 10-12 at the City Auditorium in Ozamiz City.

Supposedly “down with fever” she caught a day before the three-day chessfest started, Querequere refused to cave in as she defeated her equally-strong PAGLAUM Misamis Oriental compatriot Jan Calvin Abesamis in the penultimate fifth round, then drew with Zamboanga City pride Cyreine Jean Borce in the sixth and final round as the two ended in a tie at 5.5 points.

However, the Bucholz tiebreaker favored Querequere, 24.5 to 20.0 pts, en route to pocketing the P6,000 top purse and the championship trophy.

Borce got the runner-up prize of P4,000 as Gabriel Kurt Dayrit prevailed over fellow 5-pointers Abesamis and Miguel Antonio Blanco in the tiebreaker to receive the second runner-up purse of P2,000.

“We almost decided to back out from the tournament because her fever won’t get away until she medicated with tempra and biogesic,” Janin Dhrey’s father coach Dhoreylotter Querequere told Gold Star Daily.

Querequere’s MisOr teammate Kate Lyren Moneva scored a perfect 5 to claim the Under 9 gold for boys and girls at the expense of silver winner Aidh Naveen Munsing (4 pts) and bronze taker Aleyah Kristin Francisco (3.5 pts) from sister team Cagayan de Oro.

A controversial win over MisOr’s Dave Cris Angelo Virador in the final round has catapulted Cagayan de Oro’s Sebastian Marbas to the Under-13 boys and girls’ top podium with 5.5 points to show in six rounds ahead of reigning Batang Pinoy champion Ashley Aya Nicole Paquinol (5 pts) of Cagayan de Oro and Virador (4.5 pts).

Dipolog City’s Jillianne Jumalon edged out fellow 4.5-pointer Arena Candidate Master Joemel Narzabal for the Under 15 (boys and girls) gold after the tiebreaker as Lyn Getubig also went to the Bucholz tiebreak to nose out fellow MisOr bets Jeshua Lagunay and Jun Jiyrek Sacay for the bronze.

All of the Ozamiz age-group top-three winners in their respective age brackets were rewarded P6,000, P4,000, and P2,000 each plus trophies and medals.

“They (age-group winners) are the future of the country, especially Mindanao chess,” said Arena Grandmaster Rey Urbiztondo of the organizing Asenso Misamis Occidental Chess Association.