Shell active chess shifts to Visayas

MANILA, Philippines - The search for new chess stars in the 2010 Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship heads to the Visayas on Aug. 14-15 as Iloilo hosts the Western Visayas leg with a maximum field of 500 disputing the crowns in the juniors and kiddies divisions.

The event will be held at the Central Philippine University gym in Jaro, Iloilo City. This serves as the fifth leg of an eight-stage nationwide circuit for players in the 14-and-under and 20-and-under categories. The top three finishers in each leg will advance to the national finals in October.

Twenty-four players, 12 in each class, have so far gained berths in the grand finals after four legs in Luzon with 24 more slots staked in the southern swing of the circuit.

Pilipinas Shell, the organizer of the event, said the maximum field of 500 for both categories has been reached as early as last month, underscoring the interest and enthusiasm of the youth in joining the nation’s longest running, grassroots-based chess tournament.

Shell Active Chess is backed by Shell V-Power, Shellane, Shell Helix, and McDonald’s, in partnership with SM Supermalls, Cagayan Colleges Tuguegarao, Central Philippine University Iloilo, University of San Carlos Cebu and Cagayan de Oro City Tourism.

After the Iloilo leg, Shell Active Chess goes to Cebu for the Central Visayas elims on Aug. 28-29. The seventh leg will be held Sept. 11-12 in Cagayan de Oro before the Mindanao leg on Sept. 25-26 closes out the national elims in Davao.

Each leg will be an eight-round Swiss system event for the juniors and nine-round for the kiddies side of the tournament. The grand finals will be a nine-round tournament in both divisions.

For more info, you may visit www.shell.com.ph/shell_chess.