CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY: One fell ill after a series of triumphant chess campaigns around Mindanao and the other collapsed while performing his duty as a chess arbiter.The chess community not only in Northern Mindanao but the entire country mourned the passing of chess player Romeo 'Sibugay' Minoza from Iligan City and chess arbiter Joel Maureal from Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, over the weekend.Possessing a sturdy will despite his frail-looking condition, Minoza was victorious in the final chapter of his life as a workhorse atop the 64-square-board.In November last year, Minoza powered his team to the major cash prizes in the Governor Henry S. Oaminal 8-in-1 Chess Festival in Ozamiz City. However, he fell seriously ill and was bed-ridden some weeks after his team won the championship of the Manny Pacquiao Birthday Chess Tournament in General Santos City last December.'I want to express my heartfelt condolences on the loss of our esteemed teammate, Romeo Minoza. His strategic brilliance and dedication to the game of chess enriched our experiences on the chessboard and beyond,' wrote teammate Joe Art Capatan on Minoza's Facebook wall.The troika of Minoza, Capatan and newly-minted World Youth Chess blitz champion Fide Master Christian Gian Karlo Arca competed in several chess team events in Mindanao, including the T'nalak Festival chess tournament in July last year in Koronadal City, Cotabato province.Meanwhile, Maureal had his flag downed after serving in the Cagayan de Oro leg of the first ever Singapore Chess Festival Qualifying Tournament on Saturday, January 27, at the 2nd Floor of the Limketkai Mall, Cagayan de Oro City.The tournament's chief arbiter Lorenzo Cuizon, after noticing that Maureal was not feeling well while seated on a chair, tried to apply 'hilot', an ancient Filipino art of healing commonly used to relax stressed muscles that involves massage, but to no avail.'Ako siyang gihilot pero dili sa ulo sa iyang kamot ra man ug bat-ang. Wa man ta kabalo high blood siya di man ga saba, 55 pa baya to (Yes, I applied massage on him but not on his head, just on his forearms and legs. I was not aware that he had high blood pressure because he was only 55 years old,' Cuizon later told the Manila Times.Already unconscious when he was rushed to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center, Maureal apparently slipped into comatose and died the following day.It can be recalled that during the 2022 Batang Pinoy National Championships in Vigan City, Maureal stumbled on his feet at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila while on his way home to Bukidnon.He refused to be deplaned when flight medics declared him unfit to board the flight after learning of his hypertension.'But let us not forget National Arbiter Joel Llave Maureal who died in the performance of his duty,' said Joselito Dormitorio, one of the driving forces behind the newly-formed chess group under the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
