Zamboangueño chess wizard John Cyrus S. Borce continues to make waves in the international arena, as he won 2 silver medals in the team competition of U18 Open – Standard and Rapid events and bronze in the Blitz event during the 21st ASEAN+ Age-Group Chess Championships held in Bangkok, Thailand from June 17-27, 2023.
Borce who holds a National Master Title has competed in previous international competitions and contributed a lot to the achievement of the Philippine team. He is 14 years old from Barangay Lunzuran and is enrolled at the Ateneo de Zamboanga University.
The Philippines finished second in the ASEAN Age Group championships, held after a 3-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event was participated by 328 players from 15 countries to include Brunei, China, FIDE (Russia), Indonesia, India, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
As in the first 20 editions, the classical, rapid and blitz tournaments were played in categories ranging from under 8 to under 20, for both boys and girls during the 21st ASEAN Age Group Championships.
(Source: City Government of Zamboanga Facebook page, photo courtesy by Dr. Cecil Atilano/City Sports Division)