Veteran Juniors campaigners Jan Emmanuel Garcia, Loren Brigham Laceste and Gerald Ferriol and Kiddies standouts Paulo Bersamina, Jan Nigel Galan and Jan Jodilyn Fronda head the elite field vying for top honors and the P30,000 cash prize in the 20-and-under division and P20,000 in the 14-and-under class.
The next four placers in the Juniors division will receive P20,000, P15,000, P10,000, and P7,500 respectively, while the Kiddies division placers will receive P15,000, P10,000, P7,500 and P5,000 respectively, as programme sponsor Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation puts up additional prizes for third and fourth placers in both categories.
Competition is expected to be fierce in the nine-round Swiss system finals with focus on the four players who posted perfect scores in the seven-leg, four-month long eliminationss. They are Batangas leg winner Jeremiah Alfonso of FEU, Cebu leg champion Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano of SWU and Iloilo leg titlist Noel Vincent Crucero of SPED-ISEC in the Kiddies division and Joel Pimentel of St. Benilde School-Bacolod, who topped the Juniors category in the Iloilo elims.
Three out-of-school youths – James Ryan Fernandez, Sherwin Tiu and Bernardo Ruelo, Jr. – are also raring to prove their worth in the finals of this annual sports event that has produced talents such as grandmasters Wesley So, Mark Paragua and Nelson Mariano II.
The top three winners in the Juniors and Kiddies divisions of each leg gained berths in the finals with the Davao stage producing four each, including Neptali Batucan III, Mohamad Sacar, Jester Andoy and Adrian Dimakiling (Juniors) and Austin Jacob Literatus, Jeazzir Kline Surposa, Aglipay Oberio and Danilo Engay, Jr. (Kiddies).
Other players seeing action in the championship are NCR finalists Christian Nañola, Mari Joseph Turqueza, Patrick Erle Florendo; Tuguegarao elims topnotchers Mark Lester Asejo, Alder Baldwin Jallorina, John Ranel Morazo, Leonardo Abalos, Jr., Batangas leg qualifiers Vince Angelo Medina, Jerad Docena, Sheider Nebato and Nelson Mariano III; Naga finalists Michael Angelo Manansala III, Ronnel Cantonjos, Andres Buendia II and Paulo James Florendo; Cebu top finishers Godfrey Villamor, Marq Gabrielle Balbona, Lennon Hart Salgados and Recarte Tiauson, Iloilo topnotchers Adelaide Joie Lim, Jerich Cajeras, Venancio Loyola and Argie Nobleza.
The Shell Active Chess programme, which supports the empowerment of the youth as part of the company’s overall Sustainable Development commitment, is sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and is backed by Shell Fuels, Shellane, Shell Helix, Shell Rimula, Shell Advance and McDonald’s, in cooperation with SM Supermalls, LCC Mall – Naga, and Brickstone Mall – Tuguegarao City.
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