The battle of GMs

MANILA, Philippines – The country’s two hottest young players today — Grandmasters Wesley So and Jon Paul Gomez — set out as the top favorites in the Phoenix Petroleum-Dapitan City “Battle of GMs” chess championship on March 24-31 at the Pavilion Hotel in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte.

So, the country’s highest-rated player with an ELO of 2627, is fresh from a highly-successful campaign in Europe where he bagged the Group C title in the Corus tournament in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands and the top junior award in the Aeroflot Open in Moscow, Russia.

Gomez, who became the country’s newest GM during the 38th World Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany, added another feather to his cap when he was voted as the most outstanding athlete in the 71st season of the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).

But So and Gomez are expected to have their hands full against their older and more-experienced rivals, led by Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre and GM Rogelio Antonio Jr.

“Wesley is the defending champion, but I expect the other top players to put up a good fight,” said National Ches Federation o the Philippines (NCFP) president/chairman prospero “Butch” Pichay during Friday’s media presentation.

A total of 24 players – 12 each in the men’s and women’s division – are seeing action in the week-long competition which offers a total cash prize of nearly P1-million.

Aside from So, Gomez, Torre and Antonio, the other players entered in the men’s division are GMs Mark Paragua, Darwin Laylo, Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor and Jayson Gonzales and GM-candidates Richard Bitoon, Julio Catalino Sadorra, Rolando Nolte and Ronald Dableo.

Only GM Nelson Mariano II, who is now based in Singapore, is not competing.

In the women’s division, the participants are Dresden Olympiad veterans Catherine Perena, Chardine Cheradee Camacho, Shercila Cua, Daisy Rivera and Christy Bernales, and Sherily Cua, Rulp Ylen Jose, Beverly Mendoza, Jedara Docena, Kimberly Janen Cunanan, Jan Jodiyln Fronda and Rida Jane Young.

At stake are cash prizes with the champion in the men’s division pocketing the lion’s share of P200,000 and trophy and the winner in the women’s category earning P60,000 and trophy.

The runner-up and the third placer in the men’s division will receive P100,000 and P80,000, respectively. The fourth placer will get P60,000 and the fifth placer will bring home P40,000.

Cash prizes will be given up to the 12th and last finisher. –GMANews.TV

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar