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Lone Philippine Bet Claros advances in World Cadets, Youth Chess
Joey Villar (Philstar.com) – December 20, 2020 – 2:55 pm
MANILA, Philippines – An under-announced Filipino bet April Joy Claros surprised third team Martyna Starosta of Poland by breaking into the quarterfinals in the U-14 women’s section of the FIDE Youth and Cadet World Rapid Chess Championship yesterday.
Claros, 13, won the second of his two-game match to level the score at 1-1 and force the decisive “Armageddon” tiebreaker, where he tied the black pieces with less time but gave him at least one draw to ensure the match.
The incoming Far Eastern University-Diliman sophomore went for the win anyway, as she wielded the Caro-Kann defense like a magic wand grabbing a pawn and then a piece to bring down the imagined Starosta.
This catapulted Claros to the quarterfinals against Indonesian Laysa Latifa, who eliminated the sixth selection Woman FIDE Master Varshini M Sahithi from India.
Claros would be looking to avenge his loss to Latifa in the Asian Qualifier a week ago in a game where he squandered his winning lead in time.
Going this far, Claros had already outperformed after making the tournament as a wild-card entry, finishing second in eliminations and then advancing with a masterful effort against Starosta despite being seeded only 14th in the knockout stages. .
The other Filipino qualifier, Michael Concio, Jr., got the door from China’s Renjie Huang, 0-2.
However, it was a match in which the executive director of the Philippine National Chess Federation, Cliburn Orbe, protested allegations of possible use of the engine.
FIDE has not yet decided on the matter at press time.
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