Qualifying tournament for the 2009 Asian Indoor Games kicks off today

It's a timely event for what seemingly timely bad weather itself. With non stop rains pouring over much of the Luzon islands, flooding some major streets of Manila, I guess there's nothing more appropriate name to brand this event as the "Indoor" Games. The AIG will take place September 8-11 at the Employees’ Lounge of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) Bldg. in Diliman, Quezon City. Focusing on chess, almost all the top grandmasters in the country will be seeing action. Two of the most charismatic and influential chess players in the country today, GMs Wesley So and Eugene Torre begged off from participating in the tourney.

Also seeing action in the single-round robin tournament are GMs John Paul Gomez, Mark Paragua, Jayson Gonzales and Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor, IMs Rolando Nolte, Barlo Nadera, NMs Emmanuel Senador, Rhobel Legaspi, Haridas Pascua, Julius Joseph de Ramos, Ali Branzuela and Christopher Castellano, Belsar Valencia and newly-crowned national 18-under champion Mari Joseph Turqueza.

This four-day tournament being held to determine the country’s representatives to the Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam on Oct. 30-Nov. 8.

Full article from Positive News Media Philippines