THE leading professional chess enthusiasts in Negros are expected to clash anew for top honors on the 10th edition of the annual Negrense Professionals (Degree Holders) Individual Chess Tournament.

The tournament will reel off on November 14 at the Lobby of the Tops Millennium Plaza Bowling Lanes, corner 10th/Hilado Sts., Capitol Shopping Center, Bacolod City.

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The event which is organized and officiated by the Game Royale Aficionados of Negros, Inc. in cooperation with Tops Millennium Plaza and Globe Telecom is a 7-round Swiss system (1 hour20 moves + 1 hour to finish the game) competition which is open to all male and female chess players who are holders of any four-year baccalaureate degree.

Participants must know how to record chess games either through the Descriptive English Notation (P - K4 - PQB4) or the Algebraic Notation (e4 - c5) and must provide their own tournament size chess sets and chess clocks during all officially scheduled games of the tournament.

Registration for the event is P200 per participant and the deadline for registration is on Thursday, November 12, 6:00 p.m., at the venue of the competition. There will be no extension of the registration deadline, according to organizers.

Prizes awaiting the top finishers of the event are: for the Champion P3,000 gift certificate plus 42-inch, four-legged "King" trophy courtesy of former University of St. La Salle board 2 varsity player Vladimir "Vladi" Gonzales; for the 1st Runner-up P2,000 gift certificate plus 36-inch, four-legged "Queen" trophy courtesy of Mr. Ricardo "Cano" Tan, former sponsor of the long-running Ryan Rupert F. Tan Memorial Kiddies Chess Tournament which produced the likes of FIDE Master Hamed Nouri and National Masters Rolando Andador and Sander Severino; for the 2nd Runner-up P1,500 gift certificate plus 30-inch, four-legged "Rook" trophy courtesy of Sun-Gem Pharma; for the 3rd Runner-up P1,200 gift certificate plus 27-inch, four-legged "Bishop" trophy courtesy of Seland Industrial Supply through Mai Grace Galve, sales specialist; and for the 4th Runner-up P1,000 gift certificate plus 24-inch, four-legged "Knight" trophy courtesy of Mr. Rufo D. Gasapo, president of Bacolod Adventist Medical Center.

The 6th to 15th place finishers will each get Globe SIM and P100 worth load plus t-shirt courtesy of Ms. Ma. Sharon Villar Ciocon, Globe Telecom SM Center head.

For more information, interested participants may contact the following persons: Dr. Alfonso Teorima, tournament chairman, through tel. no. 432-3647 or mobile no. 0920-9041953; registration committee head Mr. Gilbert Villanueva through mobile no. 0926-4790537; and tournament director and chief arbiter Mr. Dodz Felisilda through tel. no. 707-0421 or mobile nos. 0917-6078373 and 0919-6581254./hcv