Joel Pimentel and Joy Demonteverde shared the limelight yesterday after topping their respective divisions in the 1st JRR Dizon Foundation Age-Group Chess Tournament at the University of St. La Salle-Integrated School Covered Court in Bacolod City.

Pimentel, a student at USLS, accumulated 6 match points to snare the gold in the secondary boys' category, while Demonteverde of West Negros College registered 6.5 match points to claim the top honors in the secondary girls' competitions.

Also grabbing the spotlight yesterday were Jerich Cajeras and Gem Treasure Gasendo as they reigned supreme in the elementary boys and girls' divisions, respectively.

The 11-year-old Cajeras, a Grade 5 student at the Escalante Central Elementary School, swept his assignments to register 7 match points for the elementary boys' crown, while Gasendo of Bago City tallied 6.5 match markers to take the gold in the elementary girls' hostilities.

Actually it was not a walk in the park for Pimentel as he needed to pull off a thrilling 32.5-32 victory over La Carlota City's Kenny John Francisco in the tiebreak to win the secondary boys' play of the tournament that was sponsored by the JRR Dizon Foundation, Inc. in cooperation with the Raymundo R. Dizon Jr. Memorial Foundation and the Chess Players Federation of Negros. Silaynon Tommy Ogawa, reigning titlist of the secondary boys' category of the 7th JRR Dizon chess tournament, also registered 6 match points, but only managed 26.5 tiebreak points to finish third, while Garfeld Salanap and Ariel Cornel placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

Demonteverde beat La Carlota chessers Mari Kris Capistrano (6 points) and Jennifer Nacion (5.5 points) to bring home the secondary girls' championship. WNC standouts Ma. Lucille Perez and Ruby Ambus finished third and fourth runners-up, respectively.

Cajeras, who is considered the future of Negros chess as he defeated two national masters in the recent Capiz-based tournament, emerged victorious in the elementary boys' category, beating Don Agustin Divinagracia of Binalbagan City who scored 6 match points.

Hernal Tan of Bacolod Tay Tung High School and Rey Pontevedra of Gonzaga Elementary School accumulated 5.5 match markers each, but the former grabbed the third place honors after winning in the tiebreak, 29.5-29. BTTHS standout Steven Aguirre finished fifth with 5 match points.

Gasendo won over La Sallian Adelaide Lim (6 points) and Marjorie Bustamante (5.5 points) for the elementary girls' title. Karlyn Sumaylo of Gaston Elementary School and La Carlota's Geveve Gallano posted 5 match points apiece, but the former finished fourth after registering a 13-12.5 triumph in the tiebreak.

The top two winners in each category will be sponsored by the Dizon Foundation to see action in the National Age-Group Chess Tournament in May in Manila, Bro. Rolly Dizon, president of JJRDFI, said.

The tournament, which was chaired by Jessie Sanchez, drew 195 woodpushers in the elementary and secondary levels of the different public and private schools in Negros Occidental. *CIT

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