Stellar cast begins quest in Pacman Asian chess

MANILA, Philippines - The Manny Pacquiao Cup Asian Continental Chess Championship unfolds at 2 p.m. today with the country’s leading players battling it out with the men’s and women’s champions from leading chess countries in Asia at the Midas Hotel and Casino in Roxas Blvd., Pasay City.

GMs Oliver Barbosa, Julio Sadorra, Mark Paragua, Rogelio Antonio Jr., John Paul Gomez, Darwin Laylo and Richard Bitoon head the local challenge along with other Filipino hopefuls IMs Rolando Nolte, Oliver Dimakiling, Emmanuel Senador, Petronio Roca and Chito Garma, who are also chasing GM norms, in the nine-round Swiss system event.

With a 2714 rating, GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam gets the top seeding followed by Chinese champion Li Chao (2686) while two Indian GMs are among the favorites, GM Krishnan Sasikiran (2669) and GM Parimarjan Negi (2651).  

Games are scheduled at 3 p.m. daily.

Southeast Asian Zone champion GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam (2631) and Iranian champion GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami are also vying for the top five berths in the World Cup.

Chinese players are top seeds in the women’s division, headed by WGMs Tan Zhongyi, Huang Qian, Guo Qi and Wang Jue. Third seed IM Batkhuwag Munguntuul of Mongolia gets the No. 3 seeding.

Heading the Phl bid are WIM Catherine Perena, Janelle Mae Frayna and Bernadette Galas of Makati City who made quite an impression in the Zonal championship last January in Tagaytay City, and WFM Marie Antoinette San Diego, 20-under national age group champion.

IM Pham Le Thao Nguyen of Vietnam, Indian women’s champion IM Eesha Karavade and WGM Mary Ann Gomes, Guliskhan Nakhbayeva of Kazakhstan, WGM Le Than Tu of Vietnam and WIM Warda Aulia Medina of Indonesia are also expected to contend for the crown.

The tournament is held under the auspices of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines headed by chairman/president Butch Pichay Jr., World and Asian Chess Federations, and organized by the Eugene Torre Chess Foundation.

The top five will qualify for the 2013 World Cup set Aug. 10-Sept. 5 in Tromso, Norway.

Filipino GMs Wesley So and Oliver Barbosa are the early qualifiers. Barbosa finished in the top five in last year’s Asian Continental in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam while Wesley qualified from the Zonal Championship organized by NCFP secretary-general Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino last January in Tagaytay City. The Asian Women’s champion advances to the 2014 Women’s World Championship tournament.

Expected to attend the opening ceremonies are Philippine boxing icon Manny Pacquiao, Pichay, Tolentino Jr., Asian Chess Federation deputy president Casto Abundo, NCFP executive director GM Jayson Gonzales, NCFP deputy-secretary general and treasurer Red Dumuk and Asia’s first IM Rodolfo Tan Cardoso.