The Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence was officially inaugurated yesterday with hopes of producing top caliber players that would represent the country in the international scene.
No less than RP chess chief Butch Pichay attended the inaugurals, which also coincided with the induction of officers of the Philippine Chess Knights League (PhilChek) headed by Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales at the PACE headquarters in Quezon City.
“The establishment of PACE by GM Gonzales will surely help the NCFP achieve our goal of producing more world-class players,” said Pichay.
“When we took over in the NCFP, the country was ranked No. 44 in the whole world. Now, we’re No. 32. We hope to barge into the Top 20 by the end of the year,” he added.
Long-time chess patron Aquilino Pimentel III also lauded PACE and its newly elected officials for helping in the development of chess in the country.
The other PhilChek officers are GM Eugene Torre (chairman), GM Jayson Gonzales (founding president), Boyet Tardecilla (secretary-general) Atty. Constantino Marcaida (executive director), Atty. Cris Aspiras (VP-Administration) and Michael John Vargas ( VP-External Affairs).
– Joey Villar
Atty. Manuel Relorcasa (VP-Internal Affairs), Atty. Rommel Tacorda ( VP-Special Projects), Oscar Gonzales (VP-Benefits Program), Jake Espinosa (VP-Organizational Development), Loren Tabilog (VP-Marketing), Ed Madrid (VP-Media Affairs).
Grave Navea-Huff (VP- International Affairs), Esther Valdez (VP-Finance and Publications), Niel Dumlao (treasurer), Dr. Gilbert Perez (auditor), Dr. Alfredo Paez (PRO), Dr. Jenny Mayor (AVP for Speicla Projects), Renz Ropeta and Rolando Liban (Special Projects Officer) and Atty. Generoso Turqueza and Atty. Vicente Acebeda (Legal Counsel).
A two-day tournament also served as one of the highlights of the formal opening of PACE.