Huge field vies in Shell Davao active chess

THE Shell National Youth Active Chess Championships braces for a fierce two- day battle of wits when it holds the Southern Mindanao leg on Sept. 2- 3 at SM City in Davao.

A full- packed field has marked all the stops of the annual tournament sponsored by Pilipinas Shell in Davao, being one of the spawning grounds of chess talents in the country.

Registration is on- going on a first- come, first- served basis with slots limited to 400. For details, contact tournament coordinator Alex Dinoy at 0922- 828- 8510. Registration forms can also be downloaded from www.shell.com.ph/ shell_ chess. Fee is pegged at P100.

Keen competition is seen all three divisions with the top two from the kiddies, juniors and seniors divisions gaining berths in the national finals slated Oct. 7- 8.

The top female player from each category will also advance to the grand finals at SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The kiddies section features players aged seven to 12 ( born between 2004 and 2009), the juniors for 13 to 16 years old ( born between 2000 and 2003) and the seniors for 17 to 20 ( born between 1996 and 1999) for boys and girls.

Twenty nine players have made it so far to the grand finals after three legs of the circuit sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the five- stage regional circuit winds up on Sept. 16-17 in Cebu for the Visayas qualifier at SM City.

The milestone 25th staging of the circuit is held to discover fresh talents, especially in the countryside, and develop them to become members of future national teams. It has produced top grandmasters, the foremost of which is current world no. 2 super GM Wesley So.

The event is backed by Shell V-Power, Shell Advance, Shell Rimula, Shell Helix, Shell Fuel Save, and Shell Card and held in partnership with SM Supermalls. It is open to all Filipinos, non- titled players who are bonafide students certified by their respective schools and registrars. Previous grand final winners are allowed to compete again in their respective categories provided they are still within the age limit.