Pro chess league slates Dec. 20 draft

The Queen’s Gambit, a hit Netflix limited series, has ignited the interest of playing chess globally as millions begin to pick up the mental indoor sport online, and the sudden popularity of the game certainly comes at an opportune time for the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP), the first professional chess league in the country recognized by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB).“I consider this establishment of the PCAP as another milestone for Philippine chess,’’ said Asia’s first Grandmaster, Eugene Torre, during the virtual 2020 Philippine Professional Sports Summit organized by the GAB over the weekend.

According to Torre, the PCAP will initially field in 24 member-teams with 10 players for each squad after the league held its first national tryouts online two months ago.“[There will be] 240 players or 240 families [who] will greatly benefit in this opportunity to have a career in chess,’’ said Torre, who made history in the 1974 Olympiad in Nice by becoming the first GM in Asia.

PCAP founding president-commissioner Paul Elauria has scheduled the first-ever player draft on Dec. 20, with the inaugural games expected to kick off early next year. INQ