So leads elite cast in Battle of GMs

MANILA, Philippines - Newly crowned Aeroflot Open top junior player Wesley So seeks an unprecedented third straight title when the 2010 “Battle of GMs” chess championships come off the wraps March 15-22 in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte.

So, who dominated the first two editions, will set out as the prohibitive favorite anew in this prestigious tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

The 16-year-old Filipino grandmaster, who was voted as “Chess Player of the Year” by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA), arrived only Feb. 21 from Moscow, Russia after competing in the Aeroflot Open.

NCFP president-chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay said So is expected to put up another strong performance in the Battle of GMs like what he did in the past two years.

But Pichay said he expects the rest of the participants to give the highly rated So a “run for his money this time.”

Pichay and NCFP secretary-general and Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino have been invited to grace the opening ceremony in Dapitan City, a scenic Mindanao City where national hero Dr. Jose Rizal was once exiled.

Expected to give So a hard time are GMs Rogelio Antonio Jr., who finished runner-up last year, Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre and reigning Asian Zone 3.3 champion GM Darwin Laylo.

Like So, Antonio and Laylo also saw action in the recent World Chess Cup held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia last December.

The other players seeing action in the men’s division are GMs John Paul Gomez, Mark Paragua, Jayson Gonzales and Bong Villamayor, IMs Ronald Dableo, Richard Bitoon and Rolando Nolte and FM Haridas Pascua.

In the women’s division, WFM Shercila Cua defends her crown against an equally tough field which includes younger sister WFM Sherily Cua and Cheradee Chardine Camacho and WIM Beverly Mendoza.

The other participants in the female division are WFMs Catherine Perena and Cherry