WOODPUSHER Patrick Florendo sizzled with five points to finish third in the grand finals of the 19th Shell National Youth Active Chess Festival at the SM Megamall Event Center last October 8 and 9
Despite a dismal 2-6 win-loss card on the competition’s first day, Florendo, winner of the Southern Luzon leg, managed to rack up a total of five wins against four defeats in the junior-boys’ division.
“I guess, lack of training [due to schedule rift with Finals week] really affected my game,” Florendo said, the only Thomasian who qualified in the tournament. “I could have done better if there was more time for training.”
The 19-year-old Electrical Engineering senior swept his last three duels against champions Jerich Cajeras of the College of St. Benilde (National Capital Region), and Far Eastern University’s Kevin Mirano (Southern Luzon) and McDominique Lagula (Northern Luzon).
He also nipped Visayas top seeds John Michael Silvederio and Alfer Joseph Fernandez of the University of Visayas, his twin victories during the first day of the match.
“I didn’t expect that I could still place third because I really had a bad game in my first day and only ranked 10th,” he said.
But the tables turned after his face-off with Mindanao qualifier and this year’s champion Aglipay Oberio of De La Salle University (six points), Metro Manila-leg victor Sherwin Tiu (six points), and Jan Nigel Galan of De La Salle-Greenhills and Jon Christian Lesaca of Cor Jesu College Cebu who both ended with 3.5 points.
Florendo is set to battle with the country’s top woodpushers in the 2011 Inter-Cities Chess Tournament in Tanauan City, Batangas this month, along with coach and Grand Master-elect Ronald Dableo, team captain Gerald Ferriol, Steven Dacanay, Jude Fronda, Timothy So Kua, and brother Joey Florendo, who is now a national master.
“For now we are on a stiff training especially that the UAAP season is approaching, and to strengthen our reflexes and openings,” Florendo said, who also pocketed P15, 000 in the Swiss System format competition.
