Davao’s top woman chesser aims return to Asean joust
Davao’s top woman chess player Ella Grace Moulic is aiming for another slot in this year’s ASEAN+ Age Group Championship slated in Singapore.
To be able to do that, Mulic had to hurdle the National Age Group Chess Championships in San Juan on April 15-21.
“Kailangan kong manalo sa Grand Finals ng National Age Group Chess championships,” said the 17-year old Moulic at the SCOOP Session of The Royal Mandaya Hotel last Tuesday.
Moulic, who just graduated high school at the Holy Cross of Davao College, qualified in the 2015 Grand Finals by finishing second runner-up in the girl’s 18 below category in the Mindanao leg – Gov. Lala Talino-Mendoza National Age-Group Chess Championships held last month in Kidapawan City.
Moulic also qualified last year and ruled the girls 16 under division in the grand finals to represent the country to the ASEAN+ Age-Group held in Macau.
She captured four gold medals, one silver and one bronze in the blitz, standard and rapid competition in Macau.
“That is my target again for this year before I will study in Manila already,” said Moulic, who wants to take up a business course at the De La Salle College.
Moulic, who also got scholarship offers from three other universities in Manila, prefers La Salle due to the presence already of some varsity chess players from Davao City.
Moulic, daughter of chess arbiter and coach Alfred, is also this year’s champion in the Davao Region Athletic Association (Davraa) and Catholic Education Association of the Phils. (CEAP) Mindanao Meet.
She will also be playing her final year in the Palarong Pambansa on May 3-9 in Tagum City.
In June 2013, Moulic earned two golds in the girls 16 rapid chess and blitz and a silver in standard of the 14th ASEAN+ Age Group held in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
She also placed 7th in Standard and 8th place in the Blitz of the Asian Youth Girls 16 category held in Sari, Iran.
On that same year. Moulic pocketed a gold (standard) and a bronze (blitz) in the National Batang Pinoy Games held in Bacolod. She earlier took the golds in the Mindanao Batang Pinoy held in Tagum.
Moulic’s first international campaign was in the 11th ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championship held in Olongapo City in 2010 wherein she won a team gold in the girls 12 under rapid chess.
She also earned a silver in the girls 12 under team event and a siler in the girls blitz. It was also in 2010 when Moulic ruled the girls 12 division in the National Age-Group and finished 4th in the Palarong Pambansa.
In the coming Grand Finals, Moulic will be facing WFM Shanai Mendoza, fellow Mindanao qualifiers Zsuza Tabudlong, Babylyn Salanga and Venice Vicente,Luzon’s Marife dela Torre, Virgenie Ruaya,Jemima Valdez and Visayas’ Rowena Padro.
