THE forthcoming Negros International Open Chess Championship on October 11 to 19 in Bacolod City will be a battle of great minds with seven grandmasters seeing action, including five foreigners.
After English Grandmaster (GM) Nigel Short (2698) has confirmed his participation, another top GM also made sure his entry – 22-year-old Karen Grigoryan (2586) from Armenia.
Named GM in 2013, Grigoryan was the Armenian U14 champion in 2008; European U16 champion in 2010; winner of the G. Kasparyan Memorial-Young Masters also in 2010; titlist of the 2011 Youth Stars Tournament, the Armenian Championship 2011, the Albena Open 2012, and the Open Internacional Escacs Vila de Sitges in July 2013.
Completing the short list of GMs in this weeklong tournament are Vietnam’s Tuan Minh Tran (2547) and GM Duc Hua Nguyen (2499), India’s Srinath Narayanan, and Filipinos Rogelio Antonio Jr. (2438), and Darwin Laylo (2421).
Having this group of GMs, International Masters, Fide Masters, and National Masters playing in the Negros Open, lead sponsor Antonio Aguirre yesterday said that he expects that Negros chess will be recognized in the global chess community as bedrock of potential chess masters and world-class players.
Leading the long list of International Masters are Minh Thang Tran of Vietnam alongside Filipinos Oliver Dimakiling, Haridas Pascua, Ronald Dableo, Chito Garma, Kim Steven Yap, Joel Pimentel Jr., and Richelieu Salcedo, Women IMs Jan Jodilyn Fronda and Marie Antoinette San Diego.
Also seeing action are FM Sander Severino and FM Roel Abelgas.
Other IMs expected to confirm their respective entries are Rolando Nolte, Roderick Nava, Ronald Bancod and Hamed Nouri while, FMs include Narquingden Reyes, FM Mari Joseph Turqueza and Alekhine Nouri.
A dozen of NMs are also expected to challenge the top boards along with Negros Occidental top woodpushers.