Chess finals reduced to 11-man cast

Six of the country’s top chessers, including GMs Eugene Torre and Bong Villamayor, pulled out of the National Open finals, reducing the aspirants for the national team competing in this year’s Southeast Asian Games to 11 players.

Villamayor opted to stay put in Singapore where he coaches its national team while Torre stood pat on his decision not to join the event that will select the members of the standard chess team seeing action in the biennial games slated Nov. 27-Dec. 5 here.

Others who withdrew were IMs Chito Garma and Ronald Bancod, former national juniors champion NM John Paul Gomez and NM Leonardo Carlos.

Garma actually showed up in yesterday’s drawing of lots but made good his threat to boycott the event.

"If they can’t explain it properly in 72 hours, we’ll remove them permanently from the national pool. There is a possibility we might also ban them from NCFP-sanctioned tournaments," said National Chess Federation of the Philippines president Go Teng Kok.

Among those left to contest the four berths in the RP team in the single round-robin format are GMs Joey Antonio and Nelson Mariano II, IMs Mark Paragua Richard Bitoon and Jayson Gonzales, FIDE Masters Jesse Noel Sales, Oliver Dimakiling and Fernie Donguines, and National Masters Julius de Ramos and Oliver Barbosa .

The NCFP has kept its option for the fifth slot.

But while Villamayor and Garma kept their word to stay way from the meet, reigning national women’s champion Sherrie Joy Lomibao had a change of heart.

Lomibao, a three-time Olympiad veteran, decided to return to training along with other members of the squad — Shercila Cua, Enerose Magno, Beverly Mendoza and Aices Salvador — after meeting with Go yesterday.

It was a complete turnaround for Lomibao who the other day threatened to bolt the RP squad after the NCFP reneged on its earlier promise to award her P30,000 for topping the national women’s championship.