GAEV chessfest promises topnotch competition

NINETY chess players so far had confirmed their participation while more national caliber woodpushers are expected to register and beat the deadline for the 2010 George Aguirre, Atty. Eugenio Villasor Villanueva, Jr. (GAEV) chessfest slated August 22, making this year’s edition a barn-burner of a tourney.

National Master Bryll John Arellano is set to defend his title against top quality opponents such as National Masters Alfred Acaling lll of Cadiz City and Alan Severino of Bacolod City.

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Expected to throw their proverbial hats into the table are US Master Rodrigo Atutubo of Talisay City, NM Sander Severino of Silay City, NM Edwin Tan of Victorias City and NM Rodolfo Toledo of Bacolod City.

The seven-round Swiss system event is organized by the Game Royale Aficionados of Negros Inc. headed by Dr. Alfonso Teorima. It is open to male and female Negrense woodpushers who know how to record chess games, either through the Descriptive English Notation or Algebraic Notation. Players must provide their own tournament chess sets and chess clocks.

Cash prizes, trophies, medals and chess sets and equipment are in line for winners in the different categories and age-groups.

A registration fee of P200 is required for each participant. Deadline for registration is 6PM of August 20. Ang Sugbahan of the Top’s Bowling Drive-In Restaurant along 10th Hilado Streets, Capitol Shopping Center, Bacolod City will be the venue for the tournament.

For more information, interested participants may contact tournament director and chief arbiter Dodz Felisilda through telephone number (034) 707-0421 or mobile numbers 0919-658-1254.

This tournament is sponsored by US-based chess patrons Antonio Ivan Aguirre and Engineer Hugo Villanueva.

Ivan, the youngest brother of George Aguirre, the co-author of a casebook on computer fraud and another book entitled "Internet Fraud Casebook". He is also a martial arts instructor and a former college chess varsity of La Salle-Bacolod (now USLS).

Villanueva is a US-based businessman and practicing professional electrical engineer. He is the fourth and youngest son of the late lawyer Eugenio Villasor Villanueva, Jr., a US Senior Chess Master and a former college chess varsity of West Negros College (now West Negros University).