Phl Int’l chess championship under way

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine International Chess Championship gets going today at the Celebrity Sports Plaza in QC with Russian GMs Ivan Popov and Anton Demchenko heading the cast along with local GMs Oliver Barbosa, John Paul Gomez and Joey Antonio.

But it’s the US-based Catalino Sadorra who will spearhead the local bets’ campaign as the No. 3 seed behind Popov and Demchenko in the $30,000 tournament serving as the second of three international chess competitions the country is hosting this month.

Sen. Aquilino ”Koko” Pimentel III, a former board 1 player of the Ateneo de Manila University chess team, is the guest of honor and speaker during the opening ceremony starting at 2 p.m.

The other seeded players in the event presented by the Celebrity Sports Plaza and sponsored by Puregold, Microtel by Wyndham, Burlington socks, Asian Union Bank and Harolds Hotel are GM Levan Pantsulaia of Georgia, GM Avetik Grigoryan of Armenia, GM Merab Gagunashvili of Georgia, GM Mikhail Mozharov of Russia and Barbosa, Gomez and Antonio.

Other Filipino GMs see action are Darwin Laylo, Mark Paragua, Rogelio Barcenilla Jr., Richard Bitoon and Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre.

Woman IMs Janelle Mae Frayna, Jan Jodilyn Fronda and newly-crowned Asian Juniors champion Mikee Suede vie in the ladies division.