11th Kidapawan open, Feb 24-25

Will another teen sensation pull off a surprise in the 11th Kidapawan Open Chess Tournament?

That remains to be seen when the annual chessfest unfurls on Saturday and Sunday, February 24 and 25, at the Kidapawan Convention Center.

It can be recalled that Daniel Quizon of Dasmariñas, Cavite, who was then 13 years old, bagged the championship by earning eight points in the nineround Swiss System format competition.

He had an unprecedented run in the chessfest upsetting the likes of top two seeds international masters (IM) Oliver Dimakiling of Davao City and Ronald Dableo but grand master (GM) Darwin Laylo ended his winning streak in the seventh round.

The champion will pocket P25,000 while the runner-up will go home with P20,000. Both will receive trophies too.

The third and fourth placers will claim P15,000 and P10,000 with medals.

The fifth to 10th chessers will also take home cash prizes as well as the best junior under-20, best female and best kiddie under-12.

Registration fee is P150 for Kidapawan City players and P300 for non-Kidapan residents.

This year’s format is eightround Swiss Ssytem with time control of 25 minutes plus five seconds.

The tournament is organized by the Kidapawan Chess Club, Incorporated.