THE air was thick with anticipation at the 2025 National Age Group Chess Championships as young and promising chess players from all over the Philippines had gathered, each determined to prove their mettle.
When the smoke of the battle cleared, a 16-year-old prodigy from Cagayan de Oro emerged as the brightest prospect for Philippine chess.
CHESS WIZARD Ruelle Canino (left) of Cagayan de Oro City competed in the open category where she battled the country’s top players in the boys division at the 2025 National Age Group Chess Championships at the FPJ Arena in San Jose, Batangas, last weekend. PHOTO BY ROSELLE AQUINO