Most five-year-olds are learning how to tie their shoes. Chloe Banawa is collecting chess gold medals.
The provincial government of Isabela is set to give a P150,000 cash incentive to Jodiel Chloe Banawa, a 5-year-old from Alicia, Isabela, for her winning run on the chess circuit, The Philippine Star reported on Monday, October 12.
Six golds in Singapore
Banawa was the youngest member of the Philippine team at the 24th ASEAN+ Age-Group Chess Championships, held in Singapore from August 7 to 17. Competing in the Girls Under-6 division, she won six gold medals across the individual and team events in standard, rapid and blitz chess.
Standard: She scored 6 out of 7 points, sealing the title by beating fellow Filipino Rien Euri Villa in the final round.
Rapid: She also scored 6 out of 7 and shared the gold with fellow Filipino Elisha Romarate.
Blitz: She scored a perfect 8 points without a single loss.
According to the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, her standard gold was the country's first individual gold in the Girls Under-6 division of the event. The Philippine team finished second overall with 83 medals.
Beating the big kids
Her Singapore run came after a big win at home. In June, she swept the standard, rapid and blitz events of the Girls Under-8 division at the Philippine National Age Group Championships in Olongapo, even though she was playing against older girls. The win earned her a spot on the national team.
She also won three silver medals at the 2026 Philippine National Children's Chess Championship.
Just getting started
What makes her story even more impressive: she started playing chess only about a year before her first big wins. After the Singapore tournament, she and her parents thanked everyone who supported her and said they hope she keeps competing.
The date for the handover of the provincial incentive has not been announced yet.
If this is what Chloe can do at five, the rest of the chess world should probably start paying attention.
