Final standings:

7 points -- A. Susilodinata (Indonesia), E. Gasanov (Ukraine), M. Turqueza (Philippines).
6.5 -- J. Eng (Singapore)
6 -- J. Aplin (Singapore), R. Masruri (Indonesia), H. Nouri (Philippines).
5.5 -- B. Foo  (Singapore), C. Aravindh (India), A. Milagrosa (Philippines), R. Suelo (Philippines),  A. Cabe (Philippines), K. Sauravah  (India),  G. Seul (Germany),  R. Lin (Malaysia).


SINGAPORE --   Reigning  national    junior champion   Mari  Joseph   Turqueza   ended   the    year 2011  the  same way he  started it -- with a bang

Turquez, one of  the country’s brightest yougn players,  a  finished  in  a  three-way  tie  for  first  place  in  the 2011 Singapore  Open  chess championships held Jurong East Sports Complex last  Dec. 26-31.

A mainstay of  the V. Luna Chess Club,  the 18-year-old  Turqueza  finished with seven points on six wins, two draws and only one  loss in  the  tough, nine-round competition  which  attracted  a  total of  368 players from  20 countries.

Turqueza   defeated  compatriot  Robert  Suelo  in the  ninth and final round  to  catch  FM  Adrean  Susilodinata of Indonesia  and GM  Eldar Gasanov of Ukraine with seven points.

Susilodinata   outduelled  Arlan Cabe, while Gasanov outplayed Alexander  Milagrosa in other  crucial   final-round  matches.

Turqueza, however, ended  up third  after  the tiebreak.


Other Filipino players also made the coutnry proud by winning four gold medals.

Michelle Yaon of Calamba split the point with  Sushmitha G of India to finish with 6.5 points in eight games and complete a wire-to-wire win for the gold in the  girls  17 years and under category.

Dennis Gutierrez III of San Fabian, Pangasinan scored  a crucial victory over Jiddan  Firman of Indonesia to top the  Open under-8 division with eight points.

FM  Paulo Bersamina of Pasay capped the country’s domination in the Open U-14 with a victory over Ooi Zhi Yang of Singapore to finish with 8.0 points.

Bersamina  bagged   the gold with a full-point margin   over compatriot Jerad Docena of Bohol while Vince Angelo Medina of Far Eastern University-FERN halved the point with Jodi Setyaki Azarya of I ndonesia to finish with  seven   points and capture the Open  Under-17 title.

Docena took the silver medal in the  Open U-14.

Bronze medalists  were Marc Christian Nazario of Quezon City (Open U-17), Julius Gonzales of Marikina (Open U-11), Fiona Geeweneth Guirhem of Iloilo (Girls U-11) and Mae Ann Joy Baclayon of Manticao, Misamis Oriental (Girls U-8).

Meanwhile, GM Richard Bitoon finished tied for second with GM Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia and  IM Nguyen Van Huy of Vietnam in the second ASEAN Campomanes Cup.

They finished with  six   points, behind  champion Vietnamese GM Cao Sang’s 6.5 points.