MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines will host three major international chess events this year after the country accepted the staging of the Asian Juniors and Girls Championships from Nov. 29-Dec. 4 in Tagaytay City.
No less than FIDE and National Chess Federation of the Phl secretary-general Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino announced the country’s hosting of the annual event for 20 years old and below.
In a FIDE statement, the tournament was originally scheduled from Nov. 21-29 in Sandong, China but Chinese organizers begged off at the last minute. Tolentino then agreed to host the event, which should give Filipino players a chance to get rating points and title norms against the region’s best.
Tolentino got the nod after he attended the FIDE Presidential Board meeting last Nov. 8 in Sochi, Russia where he met with FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Our young players will now have a chance to play against best youth players in Asia,” said Tolentino.