Matthew Portelli wins National Championship
Matthew Portelli, 14 years who attends St. Theresa College Imriehel is Malta’s 26th Chess Champion. Matthew showed his intentions early by winning his first four games before drawing round 5 against Colin Pace. Matthew was the only unbeaten player and managed a staggering 9 points out of 10 dropping only 2 draws in the process. He is expected to increase his rating by 100 points getting him close to the 2300 FIDE rating.
Outgoing champion Jack Mizzi ended in runner-up position that enables him to participate in next year’s Finals automatically. Jack achieved 3 from 5 points in the first half of the Championship. He recovered well in the second half by taking 4 points drawing against Colin and Matthew.
Robert Novak took 3rd place. Robert played great chess losing only to Matthew in the first half. It all changed in his second game against Matthew when he blundered in a better position. This effectively ended his chances. Worth mentioning is Robert’s dedication to coaching and his sportsmanship by being pleased that his student won.
Colin Pace managed to achieve a result against all players and scored 5.5 pts.
Robert Zerafa’s absence from the game reflected his performance although he was unlucky in some games. For Adam Buckle, playing in the finals was already a success. As expected, it was difficult, but Adam showed resilience and is commended for his determination in every round.
Final Classification:
Matthew Portelli 9pts
Jack Mizzi 7pts
Robert Novak 6.5pts
Colin Pace 5.5pts
Robert Zerafa 2pts
Adam Buckle 0pts
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