By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Grandmaster Joey Antonio overcame time pressure to defeat fellow GM Darwin Laylo in the ninth and final round and capture the Battle of the Champions title at the 5th Asenso Ozamiz Open Chess Tournament held recently.
The 63-year-old Antonio tallied eight points from eight victories and one loss to top the 10-player field composed of the country’s top male and female masters.
For his win, the veteran Olympiad campaigner took home the top prize of P25,000 in the nine-round tournament, which followed the fast-paced “Armageddon” time control format.
The victory came just days after Antonio bagged four gold medals in the 50-and-above division of the 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Championships held in Penang, Malaysia.
Meanwhile, FIDE Master Christian Gian Karlo Arca pulled off a stunning upset over World Cup veteran and International Master Michael Concio Jr. to seize the silver medal and the accompanying P18,000 prize with a final score of seven points.
Concio finished in a three-way tie at six points alongside GM Daniel Quizon and IM Rolando Nolte but claimed the bronze and P12,000 after edging them out via tiebreak.
Quizon slipped to fourth place, earning P9,000, while Nolte settled for fifth and received P6,000.
