Campo, Pichay chess set

MANILA, Philippines - Two major international chess competitions to honor the past and present leaders of Philippine chess - the late FIDE president Florencio Campomanes and NCFP president/chairman Butch Pichay will be held in Manila starting next month.

With the biggest-ever cash prizes in local chess history at stake, the sixth Pichay Cup International Chess Championship will be held Aug. 21-27 while the inaugural FIDE president Florencio Campomanes Memorial tournament will get under way on Aug. 29-Sept. 4.

The twin tournaments hosted by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines in cooperation with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) will be held at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

“The Campomanes Cup and the Pichay Cup will be the biggest tournaments in1 Asia this year and we want to ensure their success,” said Pichay.

“With the prestige that come by being the first-ever winner of the Campomanes Cup and the total cash prizes at stake, we expect no less than the best players in Europe and the whole of Asia to participate,” said Pichay.

In the Campomanes Cup, the total cash prizes will be $100,000 put up by FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, a close friend of the late Filipino chess leader.

The champion will receive $10,000 while the runner-up and third placer will get $9,000 and $8,000, respectively.

Two other tournaments - Women and Challengers - will also be held simultaneously.

In the Pichay Cup, the total cash prizes is $30,000 with the champion winning $6,000.

The Campomanes Cup will actually serve as the kickoff leg of the 10-stage circuit in Southeast Asia with a total prize fund of $1 million coming from Ilyumzhinov himself to perpetuate the memory of Campomanes.

Aside from Manila, the Campomanes Cup will also be held in Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar.