Philippine Sports News and Updates

Grandmasters Wesley So and John Paul Gomez head the top-notch roster of players vying for top honors in the SPEM Barley Essential Rapid Open which starts today at the Gateway Mall at Araneta Center in QC.

So, coming off a victory in the Corus Chess in The Netherlands, and Gomez, who clinched his GM title in the last Olympiad, are tipped to clash for the title along with fellow GMs Bong Villamayor, Joey Antonio Jr, Mark Paragua and Darwin Laylo and GM candidate Rolando Nolte.

QC Mayor Sonny Belmonte, Butch Pichay, National Chess Federation of the Philippines president, and Rep. Mat Defensor, will grace the opening of the two-day event ending Sunday along with QC Councilor Ariel Inton and SPEM Barley Essential president Michael Vargas.

Others seeing action are FIDE Master Jan Emmanuel Garcia, Haridas Pascua,Marc Christian Nazario, rising star and prodigies Gerard Docena, Vince Medina, Jeremiah Alfonso and Mcdomique Lagula.

Registration is ongoing with fee pegged at P275 with kiddies getting a discount at only P150.

The SPEM Barley Essential Rapid Open, sponsored by SPEM Health Care Center, is a brainchild of Perla Tan, SPEM Barley Essential business center of Tacloban City for Region 8.

Links

• Philstar.com