NCFP wants control

Monday, January 16, 2012

THE country’s chess governing body, National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), wants to have total control on the way the game is being handled all over the country.

For a start, NCFP says no other chess clubs, association or organization may use the word “federation” in their name.

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“There is only one chess federation recognized by the Federation Internationale des Echecs (Fide), Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) here in the country and that is the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP). In line with this, we encourage all chess enthusiasts to become members and support the programs of the local chess governing body,” read the statement released by NCFP chairman and president Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. issued early this month.

Starting this year, all chess tournaments in the country--including local, inter-school, regional and or international tournaments—must be sanctioned by the NCFP.

“All NCFP members, especially the national and titled players, are prohibited to join all tournaments in the country not sanctioned by the federation and to compete in international events or tournaments without prior clearance, approval and coordination. The federation reserves the right to penalize the erring players,” the new guidelines added.

NCFP will issue a warning on the first offense, but a repeat violation may lead to the banishment or prohibition of a member or members from joining all tournaments sanctioned by the federation.

“National players will lose their slot on the Philippine team right away if found guilty of committing the aforementioned offense and lose the right to represent the country in all international tournaments,” Pichay said.

With NCFP overseeing all tournaments, players will no longer worry about non-guaranteed prizes, biased officiating, and unfair or uneven playing field.

The federation will also have a reliable and an updated local rating to ensure that the players, especially in non-master tournaments, are playing on an even field.