WITH HUGE purses at stake, the silver anniversary chess tournament of the Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association (CEPCA) has attracted some of the best rated and non-rated chess players today at the SM City Cebu.
Around 150 wood pushers, mostly Cebuanos, will be competing in a nine-round Swiss system format tournament that is the biggest tournament the group has organized.
A total of P50,000 worth of cash prizes await the winning wood pushers of the two-day tournament.
The champion of the tournament will bring home P10,000, the runner-up gets P7,000 while third placers receive P5,000. Fourth and fifth placers also get P3,000 and P2,000, respectively.
Even sixth to 10th players will receive P1,000 each, while the rest of the top 20 cast will get a consolation prize of P500.
The top three finishers in the kiddies, ladies, and Cepcans category A and B will all receive corresponding cash prizes.
Among the top players in the tournament include National Masters (NM) Merben Roque and Elmer Sungat, FIDE Master Anthony Makinano, Arnold Cadiz, Rogelio Enriquez, Edsel Montoya,
Rommel Ganzon, Richard Natividad, Voltaire Sevillano, Allan Salientes, Alan Pason, Carlos Moreno III, Bryle Arellano, Joel Pacuribot and the Balbona siblings.
Registration fee is pegged at P150 for ladies and kiddies (14 years old and below), P200 for Cepcans and seniors, and P300 for regular players. The tournament will officially start today at 1 p.m.