A 12-man national para chess squad bannered by FIDE Master Sander Severino has been lined up by national coach James Infiesto to seek golden glory in the 4th Asian Para Games set Oct. 23 to 28 in Hangzhou, China.
“I already have 12 players, majority of them, led by Sander, who saw action in the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia,” Infiesto said when the national squad called on PSC Commissioner Walter Torres, the chief of mission of the national contingent in the 12th Cambodia Asean Para Games.
The para chess players were among the standouts of the country in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, winning 13 gold, seven silver and seven bronzes, a huge improvement over their 10-11-5 haul last year in Surakarta, Indonesia.
Aside from Severino, the other members of the men’s squad are Henry Lopez and Jasper Rom, Dary Bernardo, Menandro Redor and Armand Subaste, Francis Ching, Cecilio Bilog and Rodolfo Sarmiento.
Making up the women’s squad are Cheyzer Crystal Mendoza, Cheryl Angot, and Jill Lean Nacita.
Infiesto is hoping to add Theresa Bilog, who had a pair of bronze medals in Cambodia, as a member of the squad.
The Pinoy para chess bets emerged as the country’s heroes in the last edition of the Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, capturing five gold medals, half of the national team gold output, on top of two silver and six bronze medals.
The wheelchair-bound Severino was the star of the national squad with two individual and two team mints in the continental meet.
Infiesto refused to make predictions on how the athletes would perform in Hangzhou, saying: “Just like the Asean Para Games, our aim is always to do well by preparing hard for the competition ahead.”
Severino said matching his golden quadruple in Jakarta would be difficult in the face of much-improved opposition.
