Pacquiao Chess Opens in Gensan
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 13 Dec 2015
What is turning out to be the biggest gathering of Filipino chess giants to be assembled in one room -- the Second Manny Pacquiao Chess Championships -- unwraps today at the SM Mall in General Santos City.
As of early afternoon yesterday, according to chief organizer, Grandmaster Eugene Torre, some 42 teams or more than 200 players, have officially confirmed participation in the quest for the rich Php 1.5 million total prize put up by boxing hero and Sarangani Congressman Manny Pacquiao.
"If we are to count early reservations made as soon as reports announcing the tournament came out, we expect from 10 to 20 more teams to catch the last bus to come to GenSan and take part, the first Filipino and Asian, for that matter, to earn a GM title said.
"Yung mga players kasi nating nasa abroad have been calling us asking to reserve the them slots so they can participate," Torre explained, adding that the rich prizes and the required ELO rating 2100 set for each participating team to follow are reasons the expected big turnout.
"As designed by Cong Manny himself, the tournament is intended to give as many players as possible, especially the lower ranked ones, the experience playing big-time and earn good money," Torre, who during his prime was ranked eighth in the world added.
"We expect more players to vie for honors and fortune in the individual play," he said.
GM Antonio will be leading the Team Pacman campaign. GM Gonzales will be the mainstay of Pacman Team B while Laylo leads Team Tagaytay City.
Pacquiao, himself a chess convert, for his part, said hosting the tournament in his small and humble way of helping promote and develop Random Chess, which was originated by the late American genius Bobby Fischer.
Tournament plays are for team and individual format with the winner in the team competition bagging the Php 400,000 top purse. Individual champion gets Php 50,000.
Team runner up brings home Php 220,000, while third placer Php 130,000. Individual second placer will get Php 30,000 and fourth placer Php 20,000. Cash prizes are spread up to the 50th places in both the team and individual events.
No less than GMs Joey Antonio, Darwin Laylo, Richard Bitoon and Jayson Gonzales lead the titled players already in town for the nine-round Swiss System tournament, organized by the MP Chess Players Organization.
Also participating are International Masters Emmanuel Senador. Rolando Nolte, Jan Emmanuel Garcia, Barlo Nadera, Ronald Dableo, Joel Pimentel, Kim Steven Yap and Yves Ranola, among others.
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