Philippines, 04 Apr 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Pinoy chessers off to hot start in Penang Open


PhilBoxing.com


Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia---International Master Jose Efren Bagamasbad and FIDE Master Christopher Castellano of the Philippines got off to blazing start by winning their second round matches in the 4th Penang Chess Open Chess Championship 2024 at the St. Xavier's Institution in Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia on Monday, April 8.

Bagamasbad defeated Yu Hang Koay of Malaysia while Castellano subdued compatriot National Master Leonardo Alidani.

“The first two rounds are one of the toughest rounds in any tournament. It usually sets the tone of how you’re going to perform,” said the 8th-seeded Bagamasbad, the reigning back-to-back Asian Seniors 65 over category champion.

“We hope to perform well in this event and gain some Elo rating points,” added the 4th-seeded Castellano.

The Quezon City resident Bagamasbad also beat No.34 Divyadarrshini Loganathan of Malaysia in Round 1 while the Cainta, Rizal bet Castellano toppled No. 30 Ee Hern Leong of Malaysia.

The usual suspects also made their presence felt early.
Top seed FIDE Master Yu Tian Poh of Malaysia, No.7 Xin Hao Looi of Malaysia, No.10 AIM Chee Sian Sebastien Chua of Malaysia, No. 16 Maximiliano Marrhuimawan of Indonesia and No.25 Ting Han Choo of Malaysia.

Poh crushed No.11 Jason Rojo of the Philippines, Looi waylaid No.23 Zong Ze Cheah of Malaysia, Chua dismantled No.24 Shu Heng Ng of Malaysia, Marrhuimawan upset No.2 IM Angelo Young of the Philippines and Choo beat No.9 Nathanael Dieudonne B Simanihuruk of Indonesia.

No. 5 NM Gerald Ferriol and No.12 NM Almario Marlon Bernardino Jr., both from the Philippines also opened with impressive results.

Ferriol defeated No. 31 Vishant Naidu Patini of Malaysia in Round 1 then halved the point with No. 17 Wei Yang Lim of Malaysia.
Bernardino, on the other hand, drew with No. 38 Jia Yhu Lim of Malaysia and No. 26 Shanjay Ram Pragaesh of Malaysia.

The tournament is organized by Atty. See Swee Sie and Madam InHooi Teh of Penang Chess Association and is supported by Malaysian Chess Federation and St. Xavier's Institution.
Tournament director is IA Poay Sim Lim while Chief Arbiter is IA Jin Hai Jonathan Chuah.- Marlon Bernardino-


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Marlon Bernardino.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Taduran Stops Pérez in 7, and “Still” IBF 105 Champion
    By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • Pedro Taduran Scores Sensational Stoppage Over Gustavo PÉRez ÁLvarez in IBF Minimumweight World Championship Main Event
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • BROWN STOPS DUCAR TO LAND FIRST PRO TITLES
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • Guy Jutras, a gentleman and pilgrim of world boxing, passes away
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • GM Joey Antonio keeps Philippine flag alive, posts hard-earned win in Canberra chess meet
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • TWO WORLD TITLE FIGHTS CONFIRMED FOR ‘GLORY IN GIZA’ UNDERCARD
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • MANSOUR AND BALLO MAKE WAVES WITH UNPRECEDENTED OPEN WORKOUT ABOARD CITY CRUISES ADMIRAL HORNBLOWER AHEAD OF SD FIGHT NIGHT: FAMILY BUSINESS
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • Rookie Kon Knueppel breaks Charlotte Hornets three points record
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • IBA extends its global reach through a strategic partnership with Nomad Fighting premiering at IBA Nomad 14
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • GM Laylo leads in Bundesliga 3 and in IIEE chess Olympiad season 8
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • MANNY PACQUIAO PROMOTIONS TADURAN VS. PEREZ WEIGH-IN RESULTS
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • PLANET ICE FIGHT NIGHT: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AS BROWN AND DUCAR FACE-OFF FOR FINAL TIME
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Battle of the Trades Returns for Its 3rd Year April 25 at Torrey Pines Community Resource Center in Las Vegas
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Bobby Laing vs. Russ Kimber in intriguing Intra-state match-up between Massachusetts Light Heavyweights on ‘Rumble at the Rink II’
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • PH chess wizard Jacobb Seda ties for 1st, settles for silver on tiebreaks in Thailand meet
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Rene “Chulo” Santiago, Masataka Taniguchi Officially Make Weight for Friday’s Unified World Title Clash in Tokyo
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Marlon Tapales and Yukinori Oguni Make Weight in Clash of Former World Champions
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Taduran in high spirits ahead of title defense in California
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Waiting to beat Floyd
    By Joaquin Henson, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • 20th Philippine Xiangqi Open tournament on May 1
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Can Tapales Overpower Oguni to Increase his Chances of Another World Title Fight?
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • BROWN-DUCAR PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES IN FULL: EVERYTHING THAT WAS SAID AHEAD OF FRIDAY'S ALTRINCHAM FIGHT NIGHT
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Wise Owl Boxing Makes Headlines Again with Signing of Former World Champion  Julio Cesar “El Rey” Martinez
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Santiago-Taniguchi Final Presser
    , Wed, 01 Apr 2026
  • Jimuel in Action on Friday!
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 01 Apr 2026




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2026 philboxing.com.