By Jerome S. Galunan, Jr.

Grand Master (GM) Nigel Short of England won his opening game of the 2017 Negros International Open Chess Championship at the Osbron Hall of Ikthus Equipping Center in Bacolod City, defeating Woman International Master (WIM) Jan Jodilyn Fronda in 37 moves, taking the lead in the tournament.
Vietnamese GM Nguyen Doc Hoa and National Master (NM) Merben Roque also notched wins, while GM Karen Grigoryan of Armenia drew Filipino NM John Marvin Miciano.
The winner of the open category will take home $3,000, with the runner-up and third place competitors earning $2,500 and $2,000, respectively. Meanwhile, the winner of the Challenger’s Cup wins P25,000, with the runner-up awarded P20,000, and P15,000 for third place./WDJ