Checkmate final selection tourney starts

The Milo Checkmate final selection tournament kicks off at 2 p.m. today at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC) on Vito Cruz, Manila.

Nineteen regular Milo Checkmate clinic enrollees who passed a series of eliminations and the semifinal last year, will vie for the nine final slots to compose the team that will compete in the US in June.

Nine-year old Gabriel Layugan earns the first final slot as he was considered seeded in the finals due to his impressive performance in Beijing, China. He tied for first-second place with top seed Liu Zheng of China in the 2001 Beijing International Invitational Youth Chess (10-under) Championship held last July.

The remaining eight slots will be contested among the finalists who will be divided into three age-group brackets. Two of the eight slots will be contended in the 10-under, five in 12-under and one in 13 above.

The final lined-up are as follows: 13 above – Franz Enrico Cruz, Paolo Bautista, Dexter Dacanay and Remille Medina; 12-under – Bruce Alfred Reyes, Angelo Macaraig, Rommelle delos Santos, Jaroz Felipe, Menachem Loyola, Aaron Rivas, John Robin Buenavista and Aices Salvador. For 10-under – Amram Rivas, Christy Lamiel Bernales, Jude Emil Fronda, Jan Emmanuel Garcia, Emmanuel Eumir Songcuya II and Jan Jodilyn Fronda.

The three-day event is a special project of the organizing Metropolitan Chess Club to give the young but potential and promising players the chance to gain exposure abroad.

Meanwhile, enrollment is now open for the clinic’s first series of Saturday-only chess classes set to start Jan. 12. Registration is accepted at RMSC (Badminton Bldg.) and at MCC office with tel. no. 826-8560 and