NANANALAYTAY ang dugong kampeon kay Lee-An Santos-Fidaer matapos makisosyo sa ikasiyam na puwesto sa unang sabak sa National Junior High, K9 Unrated section chess championship nitong Abril 26 sa Grapevine, Texas.
Ang 15-anyos na si Lee-An ay anak ni dating Pinay World Chess Olympiad member Woman National Master (WNM) Cristina Santos-Fidaer.
Kumolekta si Lee-Ann ng 4.5 puntos mula sa apat na panalo, dalawang talo at isang draw sa seven-round tournament na nilahukan ng 41 players.
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Naitala ni Lee-Ann ang importanteng panalo kontra kay Aariv Changede sa second round, Sai Darsh Kandukuri sa third round, Brennon Graham Bass sa fifth round at Shondale Brown sa sixth at penultimate round. Tabla ang laban niya kontra kay Tristan Lee Fulghum sa first round subalit natalo kina Braxton Scott Brown Lee sa fourth round at Jeremiah Lee West Brook sa seventh at final round.
“My chess people, send me a like over here! It was a long, full 3-day tournament. A very memorable experience for us. Fun yes but also really tough!! Final points is 4.5 out of 7 rounds. She lost (Lee-Ann) the last round. A win would have placed 2nd and 3rd. The loss brought her to 9th place. It was an amazing feat being her first rated tournament, in the unrated section of Scholastics Nationals, K-9, Junior High open with no age category. Fantastic experience, we love the energy in the event. There are thousands of kids representing their schools from all over the US. Lee-Ann maintained her composure, the most painful for her was of course the lost of the last round. She recovered from disappointment eventually after when all the results came in and found out she still placed. She is the only girl in her section that placed and also the youngest. Pahayag ng US-based na si Cristina Santos sa kanyang Twitter.
Tubong Tayuman, Manila at Bacoor, Cavite, 14-anyos lamang si Cristina nang maging third board sa women’s team na tumapos ng 21st sa 1988 World Chess Olympiad sa Thessaloniki, Greece. Ito ang pinakamagandang performance ng women’s team sa Olympiad ayon kay Chess Guru Ignacio Dee.
