P1m Asian Battle of GMs set
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 15 May 2010
Besides the National Age-Group championships now on-going in Davao City, th National Chess Federation of the Philippines has scheduled at least at least four more tournaments within the next two months , including a pair that will see the participation of world-caliber campaigners.
Culminating the five-prong program, accordring to NCFP executive director Willie Abalos, is the P1 million Asian Battle of Grandmasters that will feature the 12 finest woodpushers from China, India, Iran, Vietnam Uzbekistan Kazakhstan and the Philippines.
Abalos announced during yesterday?s SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura that Chess Olympiad-bound Grandmasters Wesley So, Joey Antonio, Darwin Laylo, John Paul Gomez and Eugene Torre have been seeded to represent the country in the series to be held June 20-30 at the Punta de Uiyan Resort in San Antonio, Zambales.
Two more local GMs will join Torre and company in the Asian Battle of GMs , which Abalos added, will be part of the RP team?s preparedness program for the Chess Olympiad later this year in Austria.
Preceding this prestigious series is the Battle of Filipino GMs set May 25 to June 2 in Tagaytay City where all world-rated local chess players will see action.
Abalos also disclosed that the on-going National Age-Group tilt in Davao is a qualifying tournament for the World Youth Championships in turkey, also this year.
A day after the Davao tilt is the National Juniors Championships May 20-24, which, on the other hand, will determine the country?s bets tto the Asian Juniors (under-20) to be held June 14-23 in India.
?This month and the next will be a very busy period for the NCFP in terms of staging local tournaments and hosting internationally-flavored tourneys,? Abalos told his audience during the weekly public service forum.
Also scheduled for the month of June, Abalos, who attended the session with top youth campaigner Christine Bernales, is the ASEAN Plus classic June 4-13 in Subic where top players not only from the Southeast nations, but in Asia and Europe will be invited.
?Parang world-class tournament na ito, sabi nga ni Secretary (Prospero ?Butch? Pichay, NCFP president), kasi ang mga kalahok dito ay the best in their respective countries,? the NCFP official commented.
Those who have already signified their intention to compete are pawnpushers from China, Iran, Korea, Japan and Australia, among others.
All these tournaments will be dedicated to the memory of lifetime FIDE Honorary President Florencio Campomanes,? Abalos said in reference to the four-time Filipino International Chess Federation president, who joined his Creator two weeks ago in Baguio City.
?Campo, you see, told us members of the NCFP board shortly before his death to continue our program of developing more Filipino GMs to sustain what he had started while still the head of the former National Chess Federation and FIDE,? Abalos said.
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