THE University of San Carlos will play host to young wood pushers as it holds the first ever USC-BED Active Chess Tournament on Feb. 11 and 12 at the USC-BED campus.
The tournament which will be a National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NFCP)-rated event is expected to draw the province’s top junior players.
The championship is a project of the USC-BED department under the guidance of the university’s chess head coach FIDE Arbiter Felix Poloyapoy Jr. and National Master Merben Roque.
The tournament is open to players aged 16 years old and below including some of USC’s best junior wood pushers namely Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano, John Moses Lawas, Glexan and Vic Glyzen Derotas, Marion Roman, Daniel Roman, Jazzelle Villarin, Cristina Hazel Sato and Jane Mae Conag.
The event will adopt the seven-round Swiss System format with 25 minutes of game time allotted using FIDE rules.
The champion will bring home P3,000 plus a gold medal while the second placer will get P2,000 and a silver medal. The third placer will receive P1,000 and a bronze medal.
The fourth and fifth placers get P500 each while the youngest competitor will receive the same amount.
On-site registrants will pay P250 while non-Carolinian students will pay P200. USC students will pay only P100 while on-site USC registrants will have to shell out P150. CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL