Jack Mizzi emerged victorious in the second phase of the 89th edition of the Maltese Candidates Chess National Championships.
Mizzi, who plays for the national team and represents Malta in various youth tournaments, will now also be participating with the Olympic National Team. He has managed to win 5 games and secure 2 draws, ensuring the top position with 6 points. Mizzi is expected to gain a rating of 95 points.
The revelation of this tournament was twelve-year-old Matthew Portelli who showcased his potential during the Arena Chess Tournament for students, where he won every game he played throughout the year.
Although he didn’t initially qualify in the top 10 during the preliminary rounds, Portelli managed to qualify due to a number of players dropping out. He made a strong comeback in the rankings after winning the first four matches, including a victory against national player Robert Novak and another against Robert Zerafa, who had won the Malta Champion title five times.
In the final match, he defeated former Malta Champion Patrick Zerafa and secured 5.5 out of 7 points, finishing in second place. At the young age of twelve, Portelli is set to be one of the youngest participants in the upcoming Malta Championship Finals in October. He is also expected to gain more than 150 points.
David Cilia Vincenti, who had traveled all the way from New Zealand for this championship, played consistent games. He drew against Mizzi and Patrick Zerafa, while defeating Muthukumar and Pala in the first four matches. However, he struggled in the next five games, losing after only 13 moves against Robert Zerafa. He managed to secure two wins against Zammit and Joe Grech. Cilia Vincenti finished with a total of 5 points.
The last two qualified players were well-known after the final match of the championship. Robert Zerafa (with 4 points) was playing against Duncan Vella (with 3 points). Vella started the game strongly and managed to gain an advantage after sacrificing some material for a pawn.
Zerafa, with less than a minute on the clock, turned the game around after 24 moves by entering a risky endgame with 3 pawns on the kingside against one. As both players reached the time control, Zerafa pressed for victory. It was at this point that Vella sacrificed the material he had regained to secure a draw, which was offered by Zerafa.
The participants of the upcoming Malta Chess Championships Finals in October are Colin Pace (the reigning champion), Jake Darminin (runner-up 2023), Jack Mizzi, Matthew Portelli, Robert Novak, and David Cilia Vincenti.
