ASSISTANT team captain Jude Emil Fronda of the UST Woodpushers settled for third place in the 20th Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship National Capital Region Leg (Juniors Division) at the SM Megamall Event Center last June 23 to 24.
Fronda finished with seven wins and two losses behind champion Marc Christian Nazario of the University of the Philippines and runner-up Jefferson Mansanero of the National University.
“It was a close fight, and this experience will make me a better player,” said Fronda.
Nazario collected eight points, while Mansanero and Fronda finished with 7.5 and seven points, respectively.
UST’s Steven James Dacanay and Normel De Jesus also participated in the event, with the sophomore Dacanay finishing sixth in the Juniors’ (male) category after accumulating seven points in the first leg of the series.
Female Woodpushers Joyce Villanueva (4.5 points), Loraine Salinas (4.5 points), Christine Joyce Laz (four points) occupied the 11th to 13th spots. Irene Mye Samonte (four points), and Cristine Galan (3 points) were good only for 17th and 34th places, respectively.
High school rookie Mark Joseph Marcellana, 13, placed second in the Kiddies (Boys) event to book a ticket to the grand finals on Sept. 22 and 23 in the same venue.
