By Jaime Frias II
Contributor

HOST Cagayan de Oro banked heavily on chess event to run away with the overall championship trophy in the 2nd Mayor Klarex Uy Inter-Agency Sports Festival which culminated on Thursday’s awarding ceremony at the City Tourism Hall of Cagayan de Oro City.

Sideswiped by the Capitol boys last year, the City Hall chessers came back stronger, withstanding another solid performance by the defending champion—flagged by Lynde Salgados' stunning upset of their formerly unbeaten player Roy Dablo on board 3—to finally take the podium finish first.

DOMINANT. The City Hall women’s team, at left row, before its lopsided win over the Capitol chessers. Photo courtesy of PSDO

“Kulba-kulbaan sab mi kay sayo nangdaug ang board 4 (William Reintegrado) ug board 3 (Salgados) sa Capitol, maayo na lang kay nakabalos sabmi sa top-2 boards,” said the City Hall’s board 1 reliable Jashper Gonzales.

After a 2-2 standoff with the reigning titlist, there’s no stopping the host team in the remainder of the seven-round Swiss system tourney, dishing out lopsided wins as its main rival did not also lose but bungled some winning individual matches that proved costly in its title-retention bid.

It was a double-whammy feat for Team Klarex as its female pawnpushers, reinforced by former Palarong Pambansa campaigners Julie Anne Opema and Dr. Alexene Balase and erstwhile Milo Little Olympics dependable Leia Andion Corrales, played through unmolested to complete the Cagayan de Oro’s sweeping finish in the Charter Day-inspired chess competition.

BREAKING EVEN. The crucial match between the City Hall and Capitol chessers that ends up in a 2-2 draw. Photo courtesy of PSDO

Both the Cagayan de Oro men’s team (Jake Gonzales, Renan Cantilado, Roy Dablo, Engr Demosthenes Quina, Zacarias Duman-ag) and women’s squad (Corrales, Opema, Dr. Balase, Emilou Edrote Cabaneros) received the champion’s purse of P20,000 each plus trophies.

The Capitol men (Lorenzo Cuizon Jr, Joven Berondo, Salgados, Reintegrado, Millard Tero, Noel Paguidopon) and Capitol women (Alecxa Joy Ejem, Shielalyne Villanueva, May Ross Saquilayan, Susan Paderna) bagged the runner-up prizes of P15,000 apiece also with trophies.

THIRD-PLACER. The chess-playing nurses from the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) Provincial Hospital. Photo courtesy of PSDO

From fourth last year, the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) woodpushers composed of Charles Joseph Laya, Jeffrey Lumacang, Jason Lawan, Jerson Quiz and Jeffrey Mugot improved to third place with P10,000 take-home.

“Dako kaayo among pasalamat sa among sports coordinator Mario Benedict Galon and coaches Ruben Arabejo and Francis Antillon as well as our trainor Elias Balase for this opportunity kay bilang nurses dili gyod lalim among ka-busy sa Provincial Hospital,” team skipper Charles Laya told Gold Star Daily.

The two-day chessfest that attracted the top government agencies around the City of Golden Friendship was held on the second floor of the Limketkai Center.