Sixteen countries, including top Grandmasters from China, India and Iran will compete in the 17th Asian Continental Chess Championships, also known as the 2nd Manny Pacquiao Cup, scheduled Dec. 9 to 19 at the Tiara Hotel in Makati City.
China’s GMs Wang Hao (2730), Wei Yi (2728) and Ni Hua (2683), Iran’s GM Parham Maghsoodloo (2689), and India’s GM Baskaran Adhiban (2682) and GM S. P. Sethuraman (2664) are among the woodpushers to watch out for in the tournament sanctioned by National Chess Federation of the Philippines president Butch Pichay and sponsored by Sen. Manny Pacquiao and the Philippine Sports Commission.
China’s WGM Guo Qi, who took home a silver in both the team and individual event of the 2014 World Chess Olympiad in Tromso, Norway and is currently rated 2368, is the top seed in the women’s division while China’s WGM Wang Jue (2367) and India’s WGM Padmini Rout (2341) are also expected to battle it out for the crown.
GMs John Paul Gomez, Darwin Laylo and Joey Antonio, a slew of promising IMs in Jan Emmanuel Garcia, Haridas Pascua, Marvin Miciano, Paolo Bersamina and recently-crowned ASEAN seniors chess champion International Master Chito Garma, will spearhead the country’s challenge in the men’s division and WGM Janelle Mae Frayna in the women’s side.
An automatic GM title and norms will be given to the champion.
The top five finishers in the men’s side will also earn slots to the World Chess Cup 2019 set Nov. 4 to 30 in Khanty-Mansyisk, Russia where the top two will automatically booked a berth to the Candidates Tournament serving as the last qualifying tournament before the next World Championship in 2020.
The top woman will advance straight to the Women’s World Cup, which is similar to the men’s World Cup.
A total of $50,000 many pot will be given away including $10,000 to the men’s titlist and $6,000 to the women’s winner.