Chess leaders grace Campo Cup

MANILA, Philippines - World and local chess leaders as well as some of the game’s finest minds pay homage to the late Filipino chess icon Florencio Campomanes today in the opening rites of the first international tournament staged in his honor.

FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov leads the opening of the $100,000 Campoamnes Memorial Cup tournament at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

He will be joined by National Chess Federation of the Philippines president/chairman Prospero Pichay, Chinese Ambassador Liu Jianchao, FIDE general-secretary Ignatius Leung, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose Cojuangco, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Richie Garcia, NCFP secretary-general and Tagaytay City Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Francis Tolentino and Campomanes’ media friends in elaborate ceremonies.

GM Wesley So and Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre banner the Filipino challenge in this nine-round competition.

The 16-year-old So (Elo 2676) is seeded second behind No. 1 GM Le Quang Liem (Elo 2681) of Vietnam.

Also carrying the RP fight are GMs Darwin Laylo, John Paul Gomez and Jayson Gonzales, IMs Ronald Dableo, Richard Bitoon, Oliver Dimakiling, Barlo Nadera and Chito Garma and youth standouts Haridas Pascua and Mari Joseph Turqueza.

Conspicuously missing from the roster is GM Joey Antonio, who is still in the US.

Antonio’s absence has sparked controversy after the NCFP threatened to pull him out of RP team to the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou if he fails to show up in the “Campo” meet – a decision that baffled the veteran GM.

Antonio, fresh from winning the second Central California Open title, is set to return on Sept. 9 yet, making it impossible to arrive in Manila in time for the competition.

“I have all the documents signed by Mr. Pichay. I also made a courtesy call on PSC chairman Richie Garcia before I left so I am completely puzzled by their decision, which I hope is not final. Physically, I cannot play in the ‘Campo’ Memorial because my plane ticket has been booked until Sept. 9. If they would send me a new ticket, I will go home ASAP,” he said in a statement from the US.

Antonio was originally tapped to play board two for the RP Guangzhou Asiad team along with GMs Wesley So, John Paul Gomez, Darwin Laylo and Eugene Torre.

“That is the worst thing they can do to a player who has served and represented his country for so many years now. Without any official board resolution, they can just threaten anyone and take away his pride and life, even without an official inquiry,” said Antonio.

Leading the foreign charge along with top seed Le are sixth Pichay Cup winner GM Anton Filippov (2609) of Uzbekistan and runner-up Murtas Kazhgaleyev (2619).

The champion in the Campomanes Cup will bring home the lion’s share of $10,000.

The runner-up and the third placer will pocket $9,000 and $8,000, respectively.

Cash prizes will also be given to the fourth placer ($7,000), fifth placer ($6,000), sixth placer ($5,000), seventh placer ($4,000), eighth placer ($3,000), ninth placer ($2,000) and 10th placer ($1,500).