PH grabs 5 more golds in Chess, finishes 9th in APG

On the final day of the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games, the Philippine Para chess players struck gold, winning 5 of the 6 possible in the rapid event to end the nation’s campaign on a high note and reach an all-time high of eighth in the overall medal standings.

They dominated the men’s PI (Physically Impaired) and B2-B3 divisions, helped by breaks and the tenacious and cohesive stance of the PH chessers. In the same event, they also captured the PI women’s individual mint, thanks to Atty. Cheyzer Crystal Mendoza, and the team getting silver.

Asian Para Games rookie Darry Bernardo exemplified the team’s tenacity when he defeated Indonesia’s Adji Hartono in the B1-B2 men’s solo event with 6 points, despite being one piece short while playing with the white pieces.

After the Philippine Sports Commission-sponsored expedition, Bernardo and Menandro Redor emerged as the most decorated athletes on the PH squad, each with three mints, counting the rapid team gold.

With remarkable perseverance, the 72-person Philippines team achieved its highest-ever placing in the continental competition, finishing ninth overall—three places better than their five-year-ago performance—and tied the record of 10 gold medals at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games – even though the PH standard-bearers had 4 silvers and 5 bronzes, respectively, less than they did in the previous Games.

Along with Mendoza, veteran Henry Roger Lopez led the field with 5 points going into the 7th and final round. Together, they won a fierce battle against teammate Jasper Rom to win 2 gold medals and lead the men’s PI squad to a sweeping of the team and individual competitions.

The 42-year-old Davao City native’s spectacular victory was made possible by the draw in the last round between veteran Tirto of Indonesia and Iran’s Aski Kazemian, who was tied with Lopez with 5 points remaining.