NM Velarde sweeps Bangkok international chess tournament with perfect campaign

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu’s National Master (NM) Jerish John Velarde delivered a flawless performance on the international stage after capturing the title in the 2nd Bangkok Summer International Open Chess Super Rapid Tournament over the weekend in Thailand.

Velarde emerged as the only player to finish with a perfect seven points after seven rounds, completing an unbeaten campaign against a tough field that included grandmasters and international masters.

Filipino players dominated the tournament, with Mark Kevin Labog finishing second with 6.0 points, while International Master (IM) Christian Gian Karlo Arca also scored 6.0 points to place third.

The Lapu-Lapu City native, who earned his National Master title in 2021, is a member of the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws chess team in the UAAP. His championship run also netted him an impressive gain of 74 FIDE Rapid rating points, further boosting his standing on the international circuit.

Perfect run

Velarde opened his campaign with victories over Malaysia’s Govindasamy Nithiyanatham and Thailand’s Chantat Ruengjirachuporn before defeating German FIDE Master (FM) Peter Rechmann in the third round.

He then outclassed fellow Filipino Mark Kevin Labog before pulling off back-to-back upset victories over Grandmasters Darwin Laylo and Daniel Quizon in the fifth and sixth rounds. Velarde capped his perfect run by defeating fellow Cebuano National Master Rommel Ganzon in the final round.

Rounding out the top 10 were IM Michael Concio Jr. (6.0), IM Ryo Chen of the United States (6.0), NM Ganzon (5.5), Candidate Master (CM) Jan Clifford Labog (5.5), GM Quizon (5.5), GM Laylo (5.0), and Lo Aristotle Nikolai Calica (5.0).

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