Igorot, 2 beat rivals in FIDE world chess tilt

By Augustin Dao-anis

Despite being the underdog, a Cordilleran and two fellow OFWs shocked World Chess Federation (FIDE) officials and international players after dislodging their powerful opponents in the U1700 category of FIDE World Amateur Championships 2021 held in Greece on Oct. 16-26.
    Marlon Tallayo, a dental technologist based in in Qatar,  from Besao, Mountain Province said their opponents couldn’t believe they were Filipinos especially when they tallied wins early days of the prestigious event.
    He narrated  he outsmarted two players from Greece, one from Belgium, one from Kuwait, one from Kenya, and had a draw with an opponent from England throughout the 9-round format via Swiss-system tournament type.
    With their earned 5.5 points, he and team mates landed top 16 out of 74 players in the U1700 of FIDE rating.
    Tallayo said it was a rare opportunity for an Igorot chess player to fly to Europe and compete in a prestigious event—a world stage.
    “They (international players) don’t know that there are Igorot chess players who can compete,” he added as he described his experience in the tournament.
    Tallayo and two fellow OFWs from Cavite composed the Philippine team.
    Tallayo was the champion in a chess tournament at the Benguet State University in La Trinidad, Benguet last July 17.