MANILA – National Master Cesar Mariano of the Iloilo Kisela Knights was named the Jessie Villasin Finals’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) following his team’s victory in the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) Wesley So Cup.
Mariano gained the honor for playing a key role in Kisela Knights’ playoff run, including their championship victory over the San Juan Predators.
The woodpusher, who plays at the Senior Board, scored 16.5/24 in the playoffs and 3.5/6 in the finals.
Mariano also earned a crucial draw against Predators’ International Master Ricky de Guzman in the Wesley So Cup final, securing Kisela Knights’ triumph.
Leo Sotaridona, the owner of the Kisela Knights, hopes Mariano’s MVP citation would motivate him and his colleagues to pursue back-to-back titles in the third conference.
“Hopefully the Grand title and finals MVP, as feathers in our cap, will serve as inspiration for the team to strive more,” Sotaridona told Panay News. “The players remain hungry to win more.”
Aside from Mariano, PCAP also awarded Vietnamese import Woman Grandmaster Nguyen Thi Mai Hung of Isabela Knights as Wesley So Cup’s Best Import.
In nearly 60 matches for Isabela, the former Asian Junior Women’s champion and National Women’s champion had 78.5/90 points for a total of 87.22 percent.
On the other hand, IM Cris Ramayrat of Manila Indios Bravos was RiChess Masters Best Player of the Conference for the second conference. He scored 92/102 points (90.2 percent) in 68 games, a record in PCAP’s first two conferences./PN
