Philippine Chess League opens today
-
Loading... - Feng Huang
- 04 Nov 2022
- 57 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
With two Mindanao-based teams dominating the last two conferences of the Philippine Chess League (PCL), the country's premiere amateur chess tournament, will only be more interesting and challenging for teams based in Luzon and Visayas in the next battle ahead.
Bankrolled by Rep. Robert "Ace" Barbers of Surigao del Norte's second district, with his brother Gov. Lyndon Barbers joining for the first time as a major sponsor, the fifth season of the PCL begins today, November 4, via online format.
"Definitely, the fifth conference will be a big challenge for the competing teams outside Mindanao after their failure to deliver in the last two conferences," said Arena Grandmaster Rey Urbiztondo, a board director of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines.
The Surigao Diamond Knights, owned by Urbiztondo with engineer Dohjie Morales as team manager, ruled in the third conference while the Davao City Durianburg Stallions, which has the full backing of lawyer Jose Dionisio "Jong" Guevarra Jr., topped the fourth conference.
It can be recalled that the Diamond Knights took their inaugural PCL crown after beating the Durianburg Stallions in the semifinals and sweeping the Edmonton Oilers in the final.
But the Stallions, anchored by Davao's top nonmasters and veteran players such as engineer Allan Diez and International Arbiter James Infiesto, took charge in the fourth conference. They blanked the PFCC Wild Knights in the semifinals and crushed the Mindmovers in the titular duel. Read More…
