By Romeo Braceros Jr.

 

The Philippine team of girls under 10 won the bronze medal in the Rapid Tournament of the Asian Youth Chess Championships held in Bali, Indonesia, on October 14, 2022, under the leadership of Nika Juris Nicolas, a 10-year-old Pasig City resident, and Little Chess Pride.

In the under-10 Girls Division, the Pasig team of Nika Juris Nicolas, Kena Areld Galleguez, and Princess Rane Magallanes fiercely competed against teams from Bangladesh, Iran, Singapore, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mongolia, Australia, and Taiwan.

Nicolas' draw assured the Philippines' bronze medal against the top seed from India. Vietnam received the gold prize, and Mongolia received the silver trophy.

The just concluded National Youth & Schools Chess Championships were held in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte, where Nicolas won the Girls Under 11 Division.

Despite having only received formal chess training for a year, her abilities astonished the chess community.

She is competing in her first international over-the-board event in the current Asian Youth Chess Championships.