By Lynde Salgados
Correspondent
INSPIRED by the Philippine Paralympic team’s success in the international arena, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) will be sponsoring a nationwide grassroots chess competition for people with disabilities starting on November 19.
Para chess team national coach, NM James Infiesto, however, clarified that amateur players from the grassroots level can only participate.
“Members of the national paralympic team are no longer allowed to play as we give chance to promising and mostly undiscovered talents from the different provinces in the country,” Infiesto told Gold Star Daily.
Over 150 para-athletes across the country are expected to compete in the 2021 Philippine Sports Commission – Pilipinas Para Games (PPG) Online Chess Competition until November 21.
“We are launching this project in a continued effort to address our need for a truly comprehensive grassroots sports development program for our para-athletes, and continuously harness their full potential,” said PSC Oversight Commissioner for para-athletes Arnold Agustin.
The PH Para Games already produced the first-ever Filipino world chess champion when Fide Master Sander Severino won the International Physically Disabled Chess Association (IPCA) online chess tourney in 2020.
Originally staged in three regional legs, the online chess competition will now be held in one nation-wide event, on six categories namely, Visually Impaired B1 Completely Blind Men, Visually Impaired B1 Completely Blind Women, Visually Impaired B2 Partially Blind Men, Visually Impaired B2 Partially Blind Women, and Physically Impaired Men and Physically Impaired Women.
The PPG is also held in partnership with the Philippine Paralympic Committee and the Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists on the classification of registered para-athletes.
The three-day competition starts on November 19 via Zoom, from 8 am to 5 pm.
Winners will receive medals, certificates of excellence, and cash incentives.
To prepare the national para coaches and technical officials for this competition, a Para-Chess Online Technical Workshop was held on November 7, featuring six of the country’s chess legends in GM Eugene Torre, GM Thomas Luther, GM Jayson Gonzales, IA/IO Casto Abundo, and IA/NM James Infiesto as resource speakers.
“In a pandemic, we are focusing on chess as it appears to be one of the best solutions for our para-athletes to get themselves going again in sports,” said Agustin.
Registered para-athletes can complete and send their requirements to pilipinasparagames@gmail.com and its official Facebook page. Official list of participants will be announced on November 12.
