Legend vs. Phenom

Chess Legend vs Chess Wonder Boy P1 million showdown slated

By Marlon Bernardino
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 09:43:00 08/09/2008

IT’S all system’s go for the richest sports event in the country when the undisputed Chess Legend takes on the Chess Boy Wonder in a P1 Million showdown to be held in Quezon City, Davao, Iloilo and Cebu.

Eugene Torre, Asia’s first grandmaster, and Wesley So, presently the world’s youngest grandmaster at 14, will face each other in a one-on-one duel consisting of ten games.

Two games each will be played in Quezon City, Davao, Iloilo and Cebu and if the match remains unresolved, another two games will be played in Quezon City. A knockout game will ensue if the duel is tied at 5-5.

This was announced yesterday by the event’s project director lawyer Samuel Estimo after Quezon City representative Matias Defensor agreed to bankroll the match in a meeting last Monday.“Magandang proyekto ito kaya nagpapasalamat tayo kay Cong. (Mat) Defensor na sumuporta sa event na ito,” said Estimo, a former secretary-general of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

NCFP region 11 coordinator James Infiesto is pleased when he learned that Davao City is one of the four venues of the event dubbed as “Dream Match.”

“We are privileged and honored that our city is one of the four venues in the Torre and So one-on-one duel,” said Infiesto. “Maganda ito, legend versus future of Philippine chess.”

“Tiyak aabangan ito hindi lamang sa Pilipinas kundi pati sa buong mundo,” said Reginald Tee, consultant and spokesman of Wesley So who is currently playing in Turkey for the World Junior Chess Championship.

The match will be held at a date to be agreed upon by the two GMs preferably after So and Torre have fulfilled all their international tournaments.

“Baka February 2009 after sa event ni Wesley (So) sa Corus,” said Tee.

Torre will leave on August 8 for the United States where he will also visit his daughter, Nicolle, who is now based in Alaska.

According to Estimo, the two chess luminaries had drawn their three previous games with Torre nearly winning their last encounter.

The first to score 5 1/2 (5.5) points will win the match and the P600,000 winner’s prize while the loser will earn P400,000. Another P100,000.00 will go to the winner of each leg while the loser will take home P50,000.

Source: sports.inquirer.net