Short spearheads Negros Int’l Open tournament entries

Grandmaster Nigel Short of England will be the man to beat in the 2017 Negros International Open Chess Championship set Oct. 11 to 19 at Ikthus Oshron Hall in Bacolod City.

Though already 52 years old, Short still wields sharp form with his Elo rating of 2698, highest in the field that also includes Vietnamese GMs Tuan Minh Tran and Duc Hua Nguyen and Indian GM Srinath Naranayan.

The local challenge will be led by GMs Joey Antonio and Darwin Laylo and International Masters Ronald Dableo, Oliver Dimakiling, Kim Steven Yap, Chito Garma, Joel Pimentel, Ronald Bancod, Richellieu Salcedo, and Haridas Pascua.

Living legend GM Eugene Torre will be unable to compete as he left Thursday night to join the Asian Seniors slated Oct. 9 to 15 in Auckland, New Zealand.

The 9-round Swiss System tournament, hosted by Piaya Network Broadcasting Corp. in cooperation with the A&V Negros Chess Club, dangles a top purse of $3,000.

Sponsors include Antonio Ivan Aguirre, Hugo Villanueva, Elvira Ezekwe, Cris Samson and Joefre Panagdato.

For inquiries, call Leo Romitman at 0917-7219094 or Jose Albao at 0933-2760249. —ROY LUARCA