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PH Chess Masters compete in Nat’l tilt

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THE opportunity to play over-the-board chess competitions again after almost two years due to the pandemic is a welcome development for Filipino chess players.

GMs Darwin Laylo and Rogelio Antonio, Jr. said they are looking forward to play chess in actual face-to-face competitions — and not just online in a computer — starting with the 2021 Philippine National Chess Championships scheduled Dec. 9-15 at the Solea Hotel in Mactan Island, Cebu.

Laylo and Antonio are two of the 12 players vying in the  prestigious chess competition organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) in cooperation with the Chess Movement, Inc. and Barkadahan Para sa Bansa.

“We’re all excited to play over-the-board chess game again after almost two years due to the pandemic,” said Laylo during the 131st “Usapang Sports on Air” by the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports (TOPS) via Zoom.

Laylo, who earned his third and final GM norm in the 2007 Asian Chess Championship in Cebu City, said online chess thrived even during the pandemic through the launching of the Professional Chess  Association of  the Philippines  (PCAP).

“Sa chess, tuloy-tuloy naman ang games dahil nagkaroon ng professional league with PCAP. Pero siyempre, iba pa din yung pressure, yun excitement na maglaro ka over-the-board,” claimed Laylo during the weekly public service program sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) and Games and Amusements Board (GAB).

The 41-year-old Laylo said he does not see any problems making the adjustments  of playing online to over-the-board again.

 “Sa PCAP, we managed to stay in shape and remain in good condition by playing online chess. Mabigat din ang mga laban dun,” explained Laylo, one of the top players of Northern Division semifinalists Pasig Pirates.

A four-time World Chess Olympiad veteran, Laylo said he hopes to bring his  A-game to the round-robin  over-the-board tournament in Mactan.

Antonio, for his part, said the 12-player over-the-board competition will be just as challenging as the recent  PCAP online tournaments.

“Most of the country’s top players, including the fast-rising IMs, are there (in Mactan). We have to keep our focus, especially now that face-to-face na uli ang laban,” said Antonio, who made history by becoming the country’s third GM in 1993 after GM Eugene Torre and the late GM Rosendo Balinas.

Antonio echoed Laylo’s view that the recent PCAP tournaments enabled them to stay in good shape.

“Hindi naman nahinto ang paglalaro natin ng chess. Kundisyon pa din para sa darating the national championship,” claimed Antonio, who played for the Iloilo Kisela Knights in PCAP.

 “As usual, I will do my best to win as many games as possible and maybe, win the championship.”

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