NM Rudy Ibañez

(SOURCE: Lily O. Ramos of PNA)

The coach-player tandem of National Master (NM)Rudy Ibañez (in photo) and Carlo Caranyagan shone in the international arena after winning medals at the just- concluded 2010 ASEAN+ age-group chess championships in Traveller’s Hotel in Subic, Zambales.

Ibañez hails from Lucena, a certified national master and national arbiter won two golds and one silver medal in the 50-years-old -and- above category.

He also led the Philippine Team in winning three more gold medals in the team results of standard, rapid and blitz competitions.

Ibañez, head coach of Arellano University, Marist School of Marikina, and part of coaching staff of Ateneo de Manila University headed by former Olympian IM Idelfonso Datu notched an impressive 8.5 out of possible nine points in the standard competitions to win his first gold medal.

Ibañez also scored six out of possible seven points for his two gold medals in the rapid competition.

Ibañez, who almost swept the three-category event settled in the silver medal blitz competition after tallying 7.5 out of possible nine points.

Ibañez only lost to top seed and eventual winner IM Chan Peng Kong of Singapore who took the gold medal in the blitz competition with 8.5 out of possible nine points.

"My triumph at the Asean Age Group Chess is for the players being taught by me. I've said before that our goal is to produce another world class player in the mould of Super Grandmaster Wesley So," said Ibanez, a member of the Marikina Chess Federation headed by it’s president sportsman/businessman Johnny "Joel" Gaudia.

The incoming freshman student of Arellano University Carlo Caranyagan won silver medal in the boys' 12-and- under category, blitz competition and gold in the team result.

A bronze medal was also won by Marist School of Marikina student Haince Patrick de Leon in the Boys under 10 category in the rapid and blitz competitions.

De Leon copped a bronze and silver in the team result.

Parang Elementary School student Julius Gonzales also triumphed in the boys' 8- and- under -category after winning the silver in the standard event with a silver team medal plus a Candidate Master result.