MGCNLCA Chess Varsity Secures Double Golds at the CFBCI Tournament

The MGC New Life Christian Academy (MGCNLCA) Chess Varsity emerged as the champions of both the High School and Elementary divisions at the Chinese Filipino Business Club, Inc. (CFBCI) Chess Tournament, held last November 16 at CFBCI, Binondo, Manila.

In the High School Division, MGCNLCA competed against 12 other teams and accumulated a total of 19.5 points to claim first place. The team was led by Davin Sean Romualdez of Damascus, who scored 6 points, followed by Patmos students Allie Jean Ong with another 6 points, Flyde Jeric Yulangco with 4 points, and  Alexander Zheng with 3.5 points. Their collective effort placed MGCNLCA ahead of St. Stephen’s High School (SSHS) and Grace Christian College, which came in second and third, respectively.

“I think that going into the final round, our strategy was just to focus on the game and not be pressured by the fact that it’s a championship game so we won’t be distracted. And if we win, we win, and if we lose, we lose,” said Romualdez. 

In the Elementary Division, MGCNLCA faced nine other teams and came out victorious with a total score of 19 points. The Gethsemane students were the primary contributors to the success of the team as Caleb Royce Garcia led the team with a score of 6 points, followed by Caleb Loukas Picache-David and Danry Seth Romualdez, who each contributed 5 points. Fyodor Ang also rounded off the team’s performance with 3 points. SSHS secured second place in the division, while Hope Christian Academy finished third.

In collaboration with the Eugene Torres Chess Foundation, the CFBCI tournament featured participants from 15 different schools across Metro Manila and other provinces in the Philippines.