A CHESS tournament kicks off Barangay Tablon’s week-long sportsfest, highlighting its fiesta revelry starting today at the newly-refurbished Barangay Tablon gym in Cagayan de Oro.
With P300 registration fee, the Barangay Tablon Fiesta Individual Open Chess Tournament is guaranteed to be a strong one with participants—including a handful of Class A players from Manila—vying for the major cash prizes of P12,000, P10,000 and P7,000 for the top-three finishers.
Early favorites include National Masters Rustum Tolentino and Levi Mercado, former FEU stalwarts Lennon Hart Salgados and Alfred Rapanot and top non masters Johnnel Balquin and Jeriel Manlimbana.
Local talents Eutemio Coquilla and Nazario Ubanan may also pull off a surprise against the big guns. Coquilla shone in the recent 2nd Pacman Random Chess in General Santos City. While Ubanan won the Goldcrest Marketing Incorporation Random chess tourney on Thursday in Cagayan de Oro.
Explore MisOr Chess Cooperative head Fr. Vic Arellano said cash prizes will also be at stake for the top-4 Tablon, top-4 Class B and top senior performers as well as the top winners in the elementary category.
After the chess tournament, Kagawad Bobby Jacutin said Tablon chair Romeo Bacarro and his Council will host the cash-rich 2nd Tablon Inter-Collegiate Invitational basketball tournament on Jan. 14 and 16 at same venue.
A total of P75,000 in cash prizes will be up for grabs in the inter-collegiate tourney, featuring the city’s top senior varsity teams, namely Cagayan de Oro College Scorpions, SPC Sharks, Xavier University Crusaders and Liceo de Cagayan University Titans.