CEBU City Chess Festival champion Allan Pason of Lapu-Lapu City will spearhead the contenders in the University of San Carlos-BED Active Chess Tournament set to start today at the USC-BED north campus.
The 13-year-old Pason emerged champion among more than 3,000 competitors during Cebu City’s record-breaking attempt to host the biggest chess tournament.
The USC-BED tournament is a National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NFCP)-rated event that is expected to draw in promising young woodpushers in Cebu.
The tournament is a project of the USC-BED department under the guidance of the school’s chess head coach FIDE arbiter Felix Poloyapoy Jr. and National Master Merben Roque.
The tournament is open to players aged 16 years and below.
The tournament will use a seven-round Swiss System format with 25 minutes of game time and will implement FIDE laws. /CORRESPONDENT DALE G. ROSAL