DAVAO CITY---A promising lady chesser from Mati City, Davao Oriental made region 11 and the entire Philippines proud after she finished in third place in one of the divisions of the 318 LAHS Gwalior International Online Queens Gambit Open Blitz Chess Championship hosted by India last October 22.
Jan Rachel Nikka Manlupig, who is also a member of the Far Eastern University college varsity women chess team got third place in the girl's division of the tough international chess tournament participated in by some of the top young chessers in the world.
The division was ruled by another Filipino Angel Mae Abusman Orijuela of Polytechnic University.
The top three in the division won certificates and cash prizes.
Aside from the host India, the other Asian countries who joined the tournament are Indonesia and Vietnam.
The promising chesser, a winner of many local and national chess tournaments is very happy to win her latest international accolade.
Manlupig is set to compete in the next University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) chess competition next year.
She was given a full chess college varsity scholarship by FEU after her surprising performance in the online chess training conducted by FEU.
She said although she did not qualify in the initial tryout she was still given the slot because of her academic performance and chess performances.
Manlupig is the second Mindanaoan to crack the FEU chess team this year.
Zsuzsa Tabudlong, a regular chess campaigner in local and national chess tournaments also got the slot earlier after she won the college women's division of the
FEU online chess tryouts last June 27-28,2020.
Tabudlong will receive a full scholarship from FEU as a prize for topping the online chess tryouts.
She is the third Davaoeno to be part of the FEU chess program, she joins International Master Marvin Miciano, a chess scholar in the male category in college, and Samatha Umayan, a lady chess scholar in high school.
The FEU chess team is one of the powerhouses in the UAAP.
FEU has won several chess crowns in both high school and college divisions. (Romeo Braceros Jr.)