Paragua, Antonio, Barcenilla set out as the top favorites in the Cong. Pichay Birthday Cup “Battle of GMs" online chess championship
By Marlon Bernardino
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 27 Jun 2020
Manila---The country’s three hottest players today -- Grandmasters Mark Paragua, Rogelio "Joey" Antonio Jr. and Rogelio "Banjo" Barcenilla Jr. -- set out as the top favorites in the Cong. Pichay Birthday Cup “Battle of GMs" online chess championship at the lichess.org on Sunday at 10 a.m. Manila time.
Paragua is fresh from winning the 1st Philippine Bullet Chess championship Grandfinals held last June 13 to bag the top prize of P30,000 (thirty thousand Philippine Pesos).
Antonio, on the other hand topped the M. A Yabut Realty construction birthday chess online tournament wee hours on Saturday.
Barcenilla, meantime won the the inaugural leg of the 1st Philippine National Bullet last May. A two-time (1989 and 1990) Asian Junior champion in India and Dubai and a 1991 Bronze medalist in World Juniors’ championship in Romania.
Barcenilla ruled the Battle of the Grandmasters (standard/ actual chess) last November held at the Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence in Quezon City.
First-round matches pit Antonio against GM Darwin Laylo, Barcenilla against IM Angelo Young while and GM John Paul Gomez against GM Roland Salvador, GM Julio Catalino Sadorra vs FM Giovanni Mejia in the upper half of the draw; and Paragua against WGM Janelle Mae Frayna, GM Richard Bitoon against GM Jayson Gonzales, GM Oliver Barbosa against FM Narquingden Reyes and GM Eugene Torre against FM Sander Severino in the lower half of the draw.
Severino recently became a world champion in online chess when he captured the International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPCA) Online Championship.
"The toughest field ever assembled. Philippine’s 11 Grandmasters, 1 Woman Grandmaster, 2 IMs and FM. Battle of the Grandmasters. The Congressman Pichay Birthday Cup kicks off this Sunday online. Good luck to everyone! May the best man/woman win fair and square," said former Olympian Woman National Master Lilibeth Lee-Barcenilla.
The total cash prize for the event held as part of the birthday celebrations of NCFP president Prospero "Butch" Pichay and supported by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) is P100,000.
All eight losers in the first round are assured of P3,000. Quarterfinalists will receive P5,000 and semifinalists P8,000.
The champion will earn P25,000 and the losing finalist P15,000.
The time control shall be 10 minutes per player with 10 seconds increment per move.
The players shall play two games per round: one white, one black.
In case of tie after the two games, an Armageddon game shall be played where black has less time but has draw odds. The time control for the Armageddon game shall be 5 minutes for white and 4 minutes for black, no increment.-Marlon Bernardino-
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