Philippine National Youth and Schools Chess Championship U17 Boys
13 players participated in this 5-round tournament, held from 20 Mar 2026 to 22 Mar 2026 in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Philippines. Top 10 Elo average was 1777, and top seed was Joemel Narzabal (🇵🇭 PHI, 2028).
Joemel Narzabal (🇵🇭 PHI, 2028) won with 3.5/5, ahead of Mark Alfonso L. Azaola (3.5) and Gabriel Ryan Paradero (3.5). Narzabal shared the lead from round 1, winning on tie-break.
The biggest upset came in round 3: Mark Alfonso L. Azaola (1738) beat Davin Sean Romualdez (1848), a +110-point gap.
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How it unfolded
Top 6 · 5 roundsTight race until R5; 4 players tied at 3.5/5, decided on Buchholz. Title race narrowed from 4 co-leaders at R4 to 4 at the finish.
4 players finish on 3.5/5. Narzabal takes the title on Buchholz Cut1 (13.5).
Mark Alfonso L. Azaola won 3 in a row (R2–R4).
Key matchups · top 4
Head-to-head between the four finishers| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Gabriel Ryan Paradero | * | — | — | ½ |
| 2Mark Alfonso L. Azaola | — | * | ½ | 0 |
| 3Sumer Justine Oncita | — | ½ | * | ½ |
| 4Joemel Narzabal | ½ | 1 | ½ | * |
Grille américaine
| # | Player | Elo | Fed | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | Pts | Bu C1 | Bu | SB | Perf | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Narzabal, Joemel | 2028 | PHI | +2B | +13N | =5B | =4N | =3N | 3.5 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 8.50 | 1878 | -24.5 |
| 2 | Azaola, Mark Alfonso L. | 1738 | PHI | −1N | +12B | +9N | +7B | =4B | 3.5 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 5.75 | 1939 | +52.0 |
| 3 | Paradero, Gabriel Ryan | 1858 | PHI | =7N | =10B | +11N | +5N | =1B | 3.5 | 10.5 | 12.0 | 8.25 | 1867 | +7.6 |
| 4 | Oncita, Sumer Justine | 1754 | PHI | =10N | +9B | +8N | =1B | =2N | 3.5 | 10.5 | 12.0 | 7.75 | 1922 | +45.2 |
| 5 | Pamplona, King Lanz | 1784 | PHI | +12N | +8B | =1N | −3B | =7N | 3.0 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 5.00 | 1867 | +22.0 |
| 6 | Ahito, Marl Edwynne | 1674 | PHI | =9N | =7B | =10N | =11B | +12N | 3.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 3.50 | 1719 | +12.8 |
| 7 | Castino, Paulo Efren | 1710 | PHI | =3B | =6N | +13B | −2N | =5B | 2.5 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 4.75 | 1676 | -8.4 |
| 8 | Florentino, Marcus Gavrie | 1771 | PHI | +11B | −5N | −4B | +13N | −9B | 2.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 1.50 | 1551 | -45.2 |
| 9 | Romualdez, Davin Sean | 1848 | PHI | =6B | −4N | −2B | F | +8N | 1.5 | 12.0 | 12.0 | 3.50 | 1647 | -44.8 |
| 10 | Elopre, Fritz Dwyre | 1480 | PHI | =4B | =3N | =6B | F | F | 1.5 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 5.00 | 1762 | +39.6 |
| 11 | Balvestamin, David James | 1589 | PHI | −8N | F | −3B | =6N | +13B | 1.5 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 1.50 | 1494 | -12.4 |
| 12 | Batadlan, Michaell Jay | 1609 | PHI | −5B | −2N | F | F | −6B | 0.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 0.00 | 932 | -40.4 |
| 13 | Azaola, Matteo | 0 | PHI | F | −1B | −7N | −8B | −11N | 0.0 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 0.00 | 974 | 0.0 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1Azaola, Mark Alfonso L.PHI+52.03.5 pts · #2
- 2Oncita, Sumer JustinePHI+45.23.5 pts · #3
- 3Elopre, Fritz DwyrePHI+39.61.5 pts · #7
- 1Florentino, Marcus GavriePHI-45.22.0 pts · #10
- 2Romualdez, Davin SeanPHI-44.81.5 pts · #9
- 3Batadlan, Michaell JayPHI-40.40.0 pts · #12
- R3+110 Elo gap