1 vs 600 Ironmind: 200 more just checked in

Here comes another 200 courtesy of Diliman Preparatory School in Quezon City who wants to test the endurance of GM Jayson Gonzales. We still don't have the exact number of registered participants at this moment (remember that even the registered ones might not show up on the date) but filling up around 200 students, that is more or less 33 percent of the maximum allowed participants of 600 is a huge factor. The question now is, will the organizers make it just in time for July 31 including the reserves?

DPS WILL SEND THE BIGGEST NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS IN CHESS MARATHON--COSETENG

BY: Marlon Bernardino

THE Diliman Preparatory School will send the biggest number of participants in the country’s attempt to break the world record in simultaneous chess exhibition. Former senator Nikki Coseteng, the school’s president, vouched her support in the event slated on July 31 to August 1 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. “I always believe that Filipinos have sound mind and body,” said Coseteng.

Two Time-Olympian Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales will showcase the fortitude of Filipinos in the ultimate test for mind and body endurance as he face 600 opponents simultaneously.
He is expected to play at least 24 hours and walk around 50 kilometers before finishing all matches. Gonzales needs to notch a minimum of 480 points or equivalent to 80-percent of the possible score.

Around 200 of his opponents will come from DPS, including twins Patricia and Kenneth Go. They are the top two players in their division during inter-school competition in Quezon City according to DPS media head Roberto “Robbie” Pangilinan, co organizer of Mindoro journo Noli Sangil Cruz.

The current record is held by Iranian GM Morteza Mahjoob, who played against 500 players last August 13 at the Englab Sports Complex in Tehran, Iran. Marlon Bernardino