NCR kicks off Shell active chess circuit

MANILA, Philippines – Shell reaffirms its commitment to help develop chess and discover and produce future stars as it holds the 24th Shell National Youth Active Chess Championships with another five-leg circuit spread over key cities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Coming off a successful staging of its first-ever three-category competition last year, organizers of the country’s longest-running talent-search brace for another banner season in terms of participation and quality of play with maximum entries expected in each of the five qualifying stages leading to the grand finals in October.

The National Capital Region leg kicks off the upcoming nationwide circuit on June 11-12 at SM Megamall Event Center with the top three players in kiddies, juniors and seniors divisions and the best-placed female competitor gaining berths in the national finals set Oct. 1-2, also at SM Megamall.

“We expect another full-packed field this year, especially with chess becoming popular again among the youth,” said Melanie Bularan, social performance and social investment manager of Pilipinas Shell. “This is one of Shell’s innovative and sustainable programs for nation-building and we are hoping to continue discovering new talents from an ever-growing number of players now taking up the sport, especially at this stage when the tournament is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2017.”

At the end of the five-leg elims, a total of 48 players, 16 in each category, will slug it out for bragging rights as the year’s best plus cash prizes in the grand finals tipped to be tight and fierce.