SINACABAN, Misamis Occidental — The Philippines has a new International Master (IM) in 20-year-old Alekhine Nouri, who secured the title after finishing third in the men’s open of the 7th ASEAN Individual Chess Championships here on Nov. 8.

Nouri’s achievement came 13 years after he became the country’s youngest FIDE Master, marking another milestone in his chess career.

“I was surprised. I was only expecting to earn FIDE ratings. My happiness is overwhelming for this feat,” Nouri said after the tournament.

He secured the title after defeating fellow Filipino IM Michael Concio Jr. in the ninth and final round. Nouri finished with six points, tied with five foreign players, but took third place through the tiebreak system.

“Hindi pa rin ako makapaniwala. Swerte rin na ang mga highest-rated players, lalo na ang mga foreigners, ang naka-tunggali ko kaya pumabor sa atin ang tiebreaker,” he said.

Nouri’s finish placed him behind India’s IM Anuj Shrivatri, who won the men’s open with seven points, and Vietnam’s GM Nguyen Duc Hoa, who scored 6.5 points.

Shrivatri’s victory also earned him a direct Grandmaster (GM) title, making him India’s 100th grandmaster. He followed the feat of compatriot V.S. Raahul, who earned the same title during last year’s ASEAN meet in Misamis Occidental.

Indonesia also produced a new Woman Grandmaster (WGM) as 18-year-old Shafira Devi Herfesa won the women’s section with an unbeaten seven-point performance, according to the tournament results.

Herfesa capped her campaign with a win over Philippine WFM Shania Mae Mendoza in the final round. Despite an initially difficult position, the Indonesian player used her active pieces to launch an attack that forced Mendoza to resign.

Filipina WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego, who led earlier in the tournament, finished fifth with 5.5 points after losing to Russian IM Evgenija Ovod in the final round.

Another Filipino contender, 18-year-old WIM Ruelle Canino of Cagayan de Oro, also lost her final-round match against Vietnam’s WGM Nguyen Thi Mai Hung.

The tournament was organized by Arena Grandmaster Rey Urbiztondo and supervised by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, headed by GM Jayson Gonzales and International Arbiter Reden Cruz. It was backed by Misamis Occidental Gov. Henry Oaminal.

Nouri’s new title adds another achievement to the province’s growing contribution to Philippine chess.