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For the first time in Philippine chess history, the title of National Master has been given to a female player.

Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales, chief executive officer of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, confirmed in a social media post on Saturday that the NCFP has bestowed the title of National Master to 10-year-old Nika Juris Nicolas of Pasig City.

The National Master, a title given solely by the national sports association of chess, is usually conferred to male players who compete in open tournaments dominated by males.

Its female counterpart, the Woman National Master title, is given to female chess players who dominate the distaff side of the competition.

Nicolas, however, competes in the boys and open divisions and, more often than not, prevails.

She was the only female who competed in the under-11 boys division when she topped the national eliminations for the 2023 NCFP National Youth and Schools Chess Championships held in Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental from March 24 to 27.

At the grand finals of the same event for boys held in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte from June 2 to 9, Nicolas was the only player in her division to win medals in all three events: a silver in standard chess, a silver in blitz, and a bronze in rapid.

Because of her success in the tournaments and her breaking the gender barrier, the NCFP has awarded her the title of National Master.

Traditionally, the chess titles conferred to men are higher in value than those given to women. In fact, the world chess federation requires higher FIDE rating thresholds compared to their female equivalents when awarding chess titles such as Grandmaster, International Master, FIDE Master, and Candidate Master.

Nicolas, at her age, is now seen as the brightest future of Philippine chess.

She is set to compete in Asean Age-Group Chess Championships in Bangkok, Thailand slated from June 17 to 27, 2023 where she also aims for the Woman FIDE Master title.

She is also slated to play in the 1st Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP) National Interschool Championship slated next month. She will play for the VCIS-Homeschool Global Chess Team along with Woman National Master Antonella Berthe Racasa, Gabriel Ryan Paradero, Andrew Toledo and Aron Toledo. Team coach is Robert Racasa.

Her parents, lawyers Nikki and Krisanto, are proud of the achievements of their daughter despite the odds and thrilled of what she can accomplish in the future.

"Such feat is not without pain, losses and sacrifices," said Nikki.

"Baby Nika would only have a day of rest before she had to fly to another tournament for the past month. More than that, she suffered many losses along the way. Undeterred by all these challenges, she courageously played in Dapitan City and performed well."

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10-year-old becomes first female National Master in PH - The Manila Times