FIDE Master (FM) Christian Gian Karlo Arca, Mindanao's brightest hope in chess, needs just the right break and full support from the national chess federation to be among the solid contenders to break the country's decade-long drought of producing another grandmaster.

The 14-year-old Arca of Panabo City, who earned his first International Master (IM) norm after scoring 6.0 points in the 18th IGB Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open Chess Championship 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, continues to be a rich source of gold medals for the Philippines in the international age-group tournaments.