RP sees easy outing in Olympiad opener

The Philippines expects to draw lighter opponents in the first round of the World Chess Olympiad which got under way Thursday with the opening ceremonies in glittering rites at the Freiberg Theater in Dresden, Germany.

Non-playing team captain GM Eugene Torre expects the RP chessers to cruise to victory in their initial assignment in the 11-round tournament, which drew 150 countries.

“The first round is usually the easiest. Then it gets tougher everyday,” said Torre, who ended his run of 17 straight Olympiad stints after opting not to join the RP team qualifier.

 Torre is pinning his hopes on veteran GMs Bong Villamayor, Wesley So and GM Jayson Gonzales and IM John Paul Gomez. The fifth man in the team is GM Darwin Laylo.

The women’s team is composed of Catherine Perena, Shercila Cua, Dasy Rivera, Cheradee Chardine Camacho and Christy Lamiel Bernales (reserve).