TANAUAN City—A record of 42 teams, or more than 200 participants signed up for the 2011 Inter-Cities and Municipalities Chess Championship, which got underway yesterday at the Tanauan Event Center here.
National Chess Federation of the Philippines president and chairman Prospero Pichay said this year’s edition is not only the biggest in terms of the number of participants, but also the strongest, since practically almost all the country’s top grandmasters are playing for their respective teams.
“As you can see, we have a very strong field for this tournament, since all our GMs, except those who are based abroad, are playing here. Even the members of the men’s and women’s team who will be seeing action in the Southeast Asian Games are also here as part of their preparation for the biennial meet,” said Pichay.
Pichay also lauded Tanauan Economic Council executive director Ruel Canobas for hosting and co-organizing the week-long, seven-round Swiss System tournament, which kicked off with a colorful opening ceremony highlighted by inspired performances by young local talents here.
Pichay and Canobas, together with Tanuan City vice mayor Julius Cesar Platon, later performed the opening moves. Pichay was paired with five-year old chess whiz Alekhine Nouri, Canobas traded moves with 18-year old GM Wesley So, while Vice Mayor Platon faced Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre.
Also held simultaneously with the inter-cities chess tournament is the national age-group tournament, which drew 168 participants, bringing the number of participants to almost 400 players.
“The presence of the young kids in the age-group competitions brought synergy to the whole event, because these young kids will become our future chess heroes,” Canoba said.
National Chess Federation of the Philippines president and chairman Prospero Pichay said this year’s edition is not only the biggest in terms of the number of participants, but also the strongest, since practically almost all the country’s top grandmasters are playing for their respective teams.
“As you can see, we have a very strong field for this tournament, since all our GMs, except those who are based abroad, are playing here. Even the members of the men’s and women’s team who will be seeing action in the Southeast Asian Games are also here as part of their preparation for the biennial meet,” said Pichay.
Pichay also lauded Tanauan Economic Council executive director Ruel Canobas for hosting and co-organizing the week-long, seven-round Swiss System tournament, which kicked off with a colorful opening ceremony highlighted by inspired performances by young local talents here.
Pichay and Canobas, together with Tanuan City vice mayor Julius Cesar Platon, later performed the opening moves. Pichay was paired with five-year old chess whiz Alekhine Nouri, Canobas traded moves with 18-year old GM Wesley So, while Vice Mayor Platon faced Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre.
Also held simultaneously with the inter-cities chess tournament is the national age-group tournament, which drew 168 participants, bringing the number of participants to almost 400 players.
“The presence of the young kids in the age-group competitions brought synergy to the whole event, because these young kids will become our future chess heroes,” Canoba said.
Source: Manila Standard
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