SEAG rapid chess elims up

After a two-week break, the quest for the country’s representatives to the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games chess rapid event resumes with a two- part championship round starting today at the Social Hall of the Department of Interior and Local Government, eighth floor, A. Francisco Gold Condominium II, EDSA, Quezon City.

The first part of the double round-robin grand finals will be held from April 11-14, while the second part will resume on April 21-24 after the Holy Week break.

Twelve finalists, including the six members of the national team that saw action in the Bled Olympiad last year, will be contesting the five slots in the Vietnam SEA Games and the cash prizes put up by the sponsoring Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp.

The members of the Bled Olympiad team who were seeded into the finals are Grandmasters Eugene Torre, Joey Antonio and Bong Villamayor, GM candidate Mark Paragua and International Masters Petronio Roca and Nelson Mariano II.

The sixth seeded player is National Master Ronald Dableo, who earned a slot in the Grand Finals after topping the Shell National Open Chess Championship held early last month.