13-year-old Chess wizard Ellaine Summer Abanco won the silver medal on tiebreak at the Philippine National Youth and Schools Chess Championships Under 15 Girls Division held from March 20-22, 2026 at Negros Convention Center in Dumaguete City, Negros Occidental.
With a score of 4.5 points, Abanco, a standout student-athlete from STI West Negros University, placed second, half a point behind the tournament winner, Jeanne Marie Arcinue of General Trias City, Cavite who totes 5.0 points in six outings. Abanco claimed the silver medal by having superior tiebreaks against Woman Candidate Master Nika Juris Nicolas of Pasig City, who finished with an identical 4.5 points and settled for bronze.
"I am happy with my performance tonight," said Abanco.
As a result of her strong silver-medal finish, Abanco from Bacolod City obtained 31.6 Standard Elo Rating Points.
Abanco defeated Jeanne Marie Arcinue (round 1), Zhaoyu Capilitan (round 3), and Princess Rane Magallanes (Round 5).
She split the points with Kyle Jhazmin Clarito (round 2), Cyreine Jean Borce (round 4), and WCM Nika Juris Nicolas (round 6).
Abanco is fresh from five gold medal finishes in the Secondary Girls Chess category of the Negros Island Region Athletic Association Meet 2026, held in Silay City, Negros Occidental from March 2-6, 2026.
Her dominance across formats resulted in a sweep of five gold medals, cementing her reputation as one of the region's brightest chess talents.
Behind her success is a dedicated support team, led by Coach Leo Romitman, and father/trainer Ernie Abanco.
Abanco's next tournament is the Palarong Pambansa in Agusan del Sur. -Marlon Bernardino-
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