J-Center Chess begins

The two-day National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP)-rated and sanctioned J Center Mall Chess Meet will open today in Mandaue City.

Scheduled for today’s matches are the qualifying events for the Under 13, Under 19 and Class B (players ratings of 1900 and be- low), where the top four finishers will play in tomorrow’s final tournament, which will feature players with ratings above 1900.

The top player in each category for today’s elimination events will receive P400 cash, while the 2nd to 4th placers will get a P300 gift certificate each.

The tournament will follow a 7-Rounds Swiss System format and use a 15-minutes plus 10-second increment to finish each game.

Registration fee is P200 per player in each category, but those who advanced to the second day of competition by finishing in the top four of the re- spective category will enjoy free registration.

Prizes on the second day are P1,000 cash for the champion in the U13 class, and P600 and P400 gift certificates for the second and third finishers. At stake are P1200 cash plus P300, P800 and P600 in gift certifcates for the U19 top three finishers.

The Open category cash prizes include P3,500, P2,500, P1,500, P800 and P700 for the top five finishers.

The tournament is organized by Eduard de la Torre while the chief arbiter is FA Felix Poloyapoy Jr. /