Top GMs vie in Manila Open

MANILA, Philippines - The Manila Open Chess Championship, dubbed as the Mayor’s Cup, gets going today with GMs Oliver Barbosa, Joey Antonio, Mark Paragua and Darwin Laylo heading the field at SM City Manila.

National Chess Federation of the Philippines president/chairman Butch Pichay and GM Eugene Torre will grace the 11 a.m. opening rites of the event held in conjunction with the Araw ng Maynila 441st founding anniversary celebrations.

Others invited to the event, sponsored by Pagcor, SM Prime Holdings and Spartan Mining, are Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Neri Javier Colmenares, NCFP executive director GM Jayson Gonzales and Spartan Mining head Louie Ramos, also the chairman of the organizing Rizal Park Chess Foundation.

Joining the title hunt, worth P20,000, are IMs Ronald Dableo, Rolando Nolte, Barlo Nadera and Emmanuel Senador, according to tournament director IM Chito Garma.

GM Wesley So, who dominated the event last year, has begged off as he is busy competing in European tournaments.

For details, contact Garma at 0922-360-1148, Peter Lim at 0906-473-8993 and Cesar Mendiola, 0917-529-0516.