TAGAYTAY — Top seed Darry Bernardo and Kyla Jane Langue came through with inspiring victories to stay in the hunt for the overall title in the 3rd Asian Chess Championship for Players with Disabilities 2025 at the newly-built Character Hotel here Friday, Dec. 5.
Bernardo, who is best remembered for winning six gold medals in the ASEAN Para Games in Cambodia in 2023, defeated FM Sirojiddn Zaynidinov of Uzbekistan in the fifth round and drew with Axadxon Kimsanboyev of Uzbekistan in the sixth round to grab a share of the lead with 4.5 points on three wins and three draws.
The 25-year-old partially-blind champion from Pampanga is tied for the lead with Alimzhan Ayapov of Kazakhstan with still three rounds left in the six-nation competition organized by the Asian Chess Federation in cooperation with the Philippine Para Chess Association and the Tagaytay Chess Club.
Ayapov outwitted Kimsamboyev in the fifth round and drew with AGM Henry Lopez the following round to boost his chances in the tournament being held in this popular touridst destination overlooking the world famous Taal Volcano.
Three players — Lopez, Menandro Redor and John Franz de Asis — also stayed within striking distance with four points.
Lopez halved the point with erswhile leader Israel Peligro and Ayapov, Redor drew with compatriot AIM Arman Subate and won over Shreesh Kulkarni of India and De Asis dumped Le Van Viet of Vietnam and Peligro.
Not as fortunate was the Calapan, Oriental Mindoro-based Peligro, who struggled with his second loss in three rounds after sweeping his first two assignments.
The arrival of former Cavite Gov. Athena Tolentino also provided inspiration to Langue, a beautiful young blind girl from Magallanes, Agusan del Norte.
The 22-year-old Langue defeated PhanThi Huong of Vietnam and top seed Cheyzer Mendoza to vault into a two-way tie for the top spot in the women’s division with.5.5 points on five wins and one draw.
Langue is tied for the lead with Nguyen Thi Hong of Vietnam, who swept her Filipiona opponents Maria Katrina Mangawang and Jean-Lee Nacita in the fifth and sixth rounds.
Langue and Nguyen are now 1.5 points ahead of Mendoza, Pham and Aiganym Kambarova of Kazakhstan.
Mendoza, the highest-rated female player here with an ELO of 1749, outclassed Tran Ngoc Loan of Vietnam in the fifth round before losing to Langue the following round.
