Shell Youth active chess 21st season kicks off

MANILA, Philippines - The 21st season of the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championships, the breeding ground of the country’s top chess players, unfolds today with the Metro Manila leg at the SM Megamall Event Center in Mandaluyong City.

“We have been doing this for 21 straight years and will continue to do because this is one of the pillars of Shell’s corporate social responsibility programs,” said Jackie Ampil, Pilipinas Shell social investments manager, in yesterday’s PSA forum at the Shakey’s Malate branch in Manila.

Tournament director Alex Dinoy said during the session sponsored by Shakey’s and Pagcor that competitions will be for kiddies (7-14-year-old) and junior (20 and below) for boys and girls, with the field limited to 100 in the boys division and 50 on the girls side.

Dinoy noted that among the past champions of the event were current Grandmasters Wesley So, John Paul Gomez, Oliver Barbosa, Julio Sadorra, Darwin Laylo, Ronald Dableo and Nelson Mariano II, who now coaches in Singapore.

Reigning Shell junior girls champion Rowelyn Acedo, 17, who was also a guest, said the tournament “provided with a rich experience and education for me,” citing the fact that she would not be an athletic scholar at De La Salle University if not for the Shell chessfest.

After the two-day NCR leg, action shifts to the Southern Luzon leg on June 22-23 at SM Batangas, July 13-14 at the SM Cebu Event Center for the Visayas stop, Aug. 3-4 at SM Davao for the Mindanao leg and Aug. 17-18 at the Brickstone Mall in Tuguegarao for the Northern Luzon stop.

Eight players, the champions and runners-up, from the NCR leg will advance to the grand finals set Sept. 14-15 at the SM Megamall while six qualifiers will be taken from the other legs.

Registration forms can be downloaded from www.shell.com.ph’/shell_chess. Inquiries can be made through (02)-400-3248 and 0922-8288510.