Tarlac hosts National Inter-Cities

MANILA, Philippines – After battling it out for individual supremacy in the recent “Battle of GMs," the country’s top chess players return to action in the 2009 National Inter-Cities and Municipalities chess team championship on April 11-15 at the Robinson's Mall in Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac City .

An annual undertaking of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) the weeklong tournament will feature the big guns of RP chess, this time as anchors to their respective localities.

Defending champion Cebu City and Tagaytay head the list of teams vying for the prestigious trophy and the P100,000 top prize out of the total cash purse of P300,000.

Cebu City will be bannered anew by GM-candidate Richard Bitoon, while Tagaytay City will be led by GM Darwin Laylo.

Another team, Mandaluyong City, will be topbilled by GM Buenaventura “Bong" Villamayor.

The country’s top five players – GMs Wesley So, Eugene Torre, John Paul Gomez, Mark Paragua and Rogelio Antonio Jr. – are also expected to see action for their respective teams.

Aside from the P100,000 top prize, the runner-up and the third placer will also receive P60,000 and P40,000, respectively.

Other cash prizes at stake are P30,000, P20,000, P10,000, P8,000, P7,000, P5,000, P5,000 for fourth to 10th placers.

Individual board one to five topnotchers will also receive P3,000 each and gold medals.

NCFP executive/events director Willie Abalos said each team may field a minimum of four and a maximum of five players, including only one titled player (grandmaster, International master, FIDE master or national master). Source: GMANewsTV