CEBU CITY TO HOST TEAM CHESS EVENT

NCFP taps Cebu City as host of National Team Championships This is second major chess event for Cebu City after national age group event NCFP hopes Cebu City will become annual host of national tournament

After the May National Age Group Chess Championships, Cebu City will host another chess tournament, the National Team Championships on Nov. 15-19.

Last Saturday, Cebu City Councilor Jerry Guardo met with National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) executive director Red Dumuk and NCFP Cebu Coordinator Engr. John Velarde to discuss the project.

“This project is one of the few that I am going to push for this year. Since we (city council) are operating on the budget that we approved last year, I am picking events that we will have partners with and through the NCFP, this event will have a good participation,” Guardo told SunStar Cebu.

Dumuk flew all the way to Manila to meet and discuss the proj- ect with Guardo.

The councilor also got an assurance from NCFP chairman and president Prospero Pichay whom he talked with over the phone.

“Congressman Pichay assured me that he will extend his help on this project and in the other sports projects that I will do. He is a good family friend,” Guardo said.

Dumuk, who was also responsible for giving Cebu the hosting of the national age group finals last May, has laid down some of the important mechanics of the tournament.

“We are looking at having a team of four with one alternate player. There will only be one titled (GM, IM, FM, NM) player per team and an average rating of 2150. This is open to all teams, be it LGU, school or club-based. We are trying to bring back the glory of chess in Cebu that is why we wanted to make NCFP’s presence felt here,” said Dumuk.

The event is part of the NCFP calendar of activities for November 2017 and Dumuk hopes that this will become a permanent destination every year.

“Cebu is an excellent chess ground. You have produced three grandmasters in Enrico Sevillano, Joseph Sanchez and IMs such as Rico Mascariñas, Kim Yap and NMs in the likes of Loloy Ruelan, Roger Abella and Bombi Aznar. And the current young chess players are all promising. It’s just a matter of tapping the right persons to continue the development,” said Dumuk. /