ILOILO City – A P50,000 top prize will be up for grabs as chess players compete in the National Rapid Open tournament highlighting a five-day chess festival in Iloilo City from November 4 to 8 in honor of Filipino chess legend Grandmaster Eugene Torre’s 75th birthday.
Dubbed the Chess Legend: GM Eugene Torre 75th Birthday National Rapid Open and Team Tatluhan Chess Championships, the event will feature two major competitions celebrating the achievements of Asia’s first chess grandmaster, who has ancestral roots in Iloilo City.
The National Rapid Open will take place on November 5 and 6, with the opening round scheduled at 8 a.m., followed by the Team Tatluhan Chess Championships on November 7 and 8.
The rapid tournament champion will pocket P50,000 and a trophy, while the second- and third-place finishers will receive P25,000 and P15,000, respectively. Fourth place carries P10,000, while fifth place is worth P8,000.
The festivities will officially open on November 4 at Diamond Jubilee Hall along Mabini Street, with Torre, Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas and One Chess Movement president Ariel Potot expected to attend.
The opening program will feature the unveiling of the GM Torre Exhibit, the launch of a commemorative coffee table book and a welcome dinner with raffle prizes.
Torre made Philippine sports history in 1974 when he became Asia’s first grandmaster during the 21st Chess Olympiad in Nice, France.
The five-day celebration is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation./PN
