A slot to the Philippine team bound for the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam next year is up for grabs in the ongoing National Women’s Chess Championships at the PACE building in Quezon City.
The tournament, which also dangles P135,000 total cash prize, aim to fuel the female woodpushers’ drive to make it to the biennial meet and hopefully land a SEAG medal in the division for the first time since 2011 in Indonesia.
In that edition, the PH women’s team went home with one silver medal courtesy of Rulp Yelm Jose in the standard, and one bronze from Catherine Pereña in rapid.
Pereña and Barbosa also won the mixed standard silver medal.
International Master Daniel Quizon has already secured a slot in the men’s team after ruling the recent National Championships in Mactan, Cebu.
Leading the field in the 11-round women’s championships are Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna and former winners Shania Mae Mendoza and Jan Jodilyn Fronda.
Also appearing in the event are Olympiad veteran Bernadette Galas, WGM candidate Kylen Joy Mordido.
Other participants are Marie Antoinette San Diego, Rinoa Mariel Sadey, Marian Calimbo, Ruelle Canino, Allaney Jia Doroy, Lexie Grace Hernandez and Francois Marie Magpily.
The event is backed by Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez, Chess Movement Inc. chair Dr. Ariel Potot, PCSO general manager Royina Garma, Endgame Sports founder Atty. Cris Aspiras, POC president Bambol Tolentino, NCFP chief Butch Pichay and Atty. Roel Canobas.