IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia and untitled Mhage Gerriahlou Sebastian are the newly crowned Philippine chess champions.
The 2026 edition of the national championship, held in the Open (the Battle of Grandmasters) and Women’s (Women Selection) sections, took place from June 25 to July 2 at the Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence in Quezon City. The women’s event served as a qualifier for the upcoming Chess Olympiad, with two slots in the national team at stake.
The Open event, a 14-player round-robin with classical time control, featured a close race between second seed Garcia and ninth seed GM Darwin Laylo. Heading into Round 10, Garcia, on 7/9, was just half a point ahead of his main rival. However, Laylo suffered a defeat at the hands of IM Michael Concio, allowing Garcia to pull away.
In the remaining rounds, Laylo narrowed the gap but still finished half a point behind Garcia, who clinched the title with an excellent score of 9.5/13. The champion became the only undefeated player in the event. Concio completed the podium with 8.5/13.
Final standings – Battle of Grandmasters
The Women Selection, an eight-player double round-robin, was an even more tightly contested tournament, with Sebastian and WFM Shania Mae Mendoza entering the final round tied for the top position on 8/13. Sebastian pulled off a crucial victory over WFM Allanney Jia Doroy to claim the title, as Mendoza could only manage a draw against WFM Cherry Ann Mejia.
Doroy and WFM Bernadette Galas finished on 7.5/14, with Doroy taking bronze thanks to a superior tiebreak (a greater number of victories).
Final standings – Women Selection
The closing ceremony was attended FST/GM Jayson Gonzales, GM Eugene Torre, and NM Jose Rafael “Jojo” Legaspi, who delivered short speeches and presented the awards to the champions and top finishers.
Photos: National Chess Federation of Philippines (NCFP) Facebook