SHELL CHESS MARKS END OF AN ERA
After 25 years, Shell, which had championed chess for the youth, will call it a day and is hosting its final tournament in Cebu
After 25 year of being a venue by which provincial chess players can harness their competitiveness, the Shell National Active Youth Chess Championships will be closing shop in Cebu.
The tournament that gave a glimpse of the full potential of Grandmaster Richard Bitoon, IM Kim Steven Yap and the younger generations of chess players including Rhenzie Kyle Sevillano, Laila Na- dera, Vic Glysen Derotas, Balbona siblings – Jessa Mae and Felix Shaun, Jerish John Velarde and Chris Aldritz Pondoyo will fold up to give way to another sports project.
“Ito na ang 25th year ng Shell Active Chess. Mapalad kayo na kabilang kayo nito. It na ang ating huling taon ng chess. Pero marami na po tayong na produce na mga masters mula pa noong nag-umpisa ang Shell competi- tion,” said Sankie Simbulan, the social investment manager of Shell Companies Philippines said during the opening of the Visayas Leg yesterday at the SM City Cebu Event Center.
The Visayas Leg is the final regional elimination for the Grand Finale, which will be on Oct. 7 and 8 in SM Mega Mall in Mandaluyong City.
Three hundred kids from all over Visayas will be vying for nine slots to the final event, the last tournament of the Shell National Active Youth chess championship.
The champions and runner ups and the top lady performer in the Kiddies (7-12 years old), Juniors (1316) and Seniors (17-20) will go to Manila to play with the 39 other qualifiers from NCR, Southern Luzon, Northern and Southern Mindanao.
Cebuano players Velarde, who won the Kiddies division last year along with Chris Aldritz Pondoyo topped the Juniors Division and Jethro Esplanada claimed the top spot in the Seniors category will be defending their respective titles in this 2-day event.