By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Two major chess competitions are set to take place in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental this March, highlighting grassroots and elite-level play while offering Filipino players opportunities to qualify for international tournaments.

The Robinsons Bacolod Chess Festival will be held in the Main Atrium of Robinsons Place Bacolod from March 13 to 15.

The event is organized jointly by Robinsons Bacolod and the Chess Players Association of Negros Occidental, Inc.

The festival will feature three divisions: the Open Section, the 17-and-Under Category, and the 13-and-Under Category.

Winners will receive gift certificates, trophies, chess sets, and chess clocks as prizes.

Interested participants may contact national arbiter Joseph delos Santos or Leo Romitman for registration and additional details.

Meanwhile, Dumaguete City will host two national-level competitions later in the month.

The National Chess Federation of the Philippines, in partnership with the Dumaguete City government, the Negros Oriental provincial government, the Philippine Sports Commission, and Negros Club 64 Incorporated, will organize the National Youth and Schools Chess Championship and the Philippine Senior Chess Championship.

Both tournaments will be held at the Negros Oriental Convention Center from March 19 to 25.

Champions in these national events will earn the right to represent the Philippines in the Asian Schools and Youth Chess Championship and the World Seniors Chess Championship scheduled in Serbia in November this year.

The upcoming tournaments are expected to draw strong participation from chess players across the country, further strengthening the Philippines’ presence in international chess competitions./ASC, WDJ