VIGAN CITY—A spot in the developmental pool of the national chess team awaits the champion of the 2017 Batang Pinoy Games.
No wonder a total of 165 young woodpushers gamely signed up for the Luzon leg of the weeklong sportsfest organized by the Philippine Sports Commission for athletes 15 years old and below.
Four gold medals are at stake in rapid chess for boys and girls 15-under and 12-under categories as action in 20 sports goes full throttle Monday in various venues around this charming city popular for its colonial Spanish era architecture.
“The national champion in chess will gain entry to the national pool where they will be financially supported by the PSC,” said PSC Commissioner Charles Maxey.
The highly touted chess squad from Dasmariñas City in Cavite, led by Daniel Quizon, Michael Concio Jr., Kylen Joy and Justine Mordido and Jerlyn Mae San Diego, began its campaign for supremacy at the start of the rapid chess event late Sunday at Baluarte Function Hall here.
The chessers will also play in the standard event that ends on Thursday and in the one-day blitz set Friday.
Competitions in basketball, lawn tennis and badminton also began Sunday with Pasig City chalking up its first win over Bulacan, 84-73, through the heroics of 15-year-old Joshua Balane at Caoayan Covered Court.
Over at Bantay Badminton Center, Bulacan’s Jeff Alissandro, John Javier Manalansan and Charles Alcarpio won their opening-round matches in boys’ badminton singles.
Representing the City of Malolos, Alcarpio downed Tarlac’s Philip Brian Eugenio, 21-9, 21-6; Manalansan ripped Peter Joseph Aguirre, 21-7, 21-4; and Alissandro easily topped Rodolfo Loyola III, 21-2, 21-4.
Laguna’s Roy Angelo Pedron and Charles Bagasbas also started on the right foot with Pedron demolishing Jazphel Centino, 21-3, 21-8, Bagasbas posting a hard-earned 21-8, 13-21, 21-12 triumph over Francis Amora of Ramon, Isabela.
In lawn tennis, Puerto Princesa City defeated Laoag City, 2-0, and Isabela toppled Naga City, 2-0, to progress into the quarterfinals of the boys’ team event.
Urdaneta City will face Tabaco City in the quarterfinals of the girls’ team event, Lucena City and La Union forged a showdown and Dasmariñas City and San Pablo City set up their own duel, along with the teams of Santa Rosa, Laguna and Pangasinan province.