Demanuele tops Preliminaries

Veteran Alfred Demanuele completed one of the most extraordinary results in local chess by winning all seven games to secure top spot in the Preliminaries. Demanuele, 85, played each game with intensity, grinding down every opponent with his original opening sequence. Luke Buhagiar, yet unrated, took second place on five points. His opponents were all rated, so Buhagiar will achieve an International Rating in the next update. Ian Refalo was third, also on five points but behind Buhagiar having lost the direct encounter. Alex Farrugia, Filipina Thornton, George Caruana, Matthew Conti, Matthew Saliba, Ron Sammut and Matthew Grech also booked their place in the National Championship cycle. Newcomer Tony Ray Camilleri just missed the cut on four points in 11th place. He will be the first on the waiting list should any of the qualifiers withdraw. Jamie Farrugia, Claude Licari, Ayman Ibrahim and John Sammut, another newcomer, followed Camilleri in that order. For many youngsters, this was their first experience at this level. Eight-year-old twins Matthew and Luke Fleri showed great promise and U-12 champion, Matteo Stagno, continued to gain experience when playing against older...

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