A TOTAL of $35,000 or a little less than P2 million will be up for grabs in one of the biggest chess events in the country this year, the Manny Pacquiao Chess Association (MPCA) International Tournament, to be held Robinsons Place in General Santos City on December 8-14, 2023.
The weeklong event is expected to draw around 150 participants in the individual open event set on December 8-12 and the team competition on December 13-14.
"For seven days, General Santos will be the chess center of the world, and we look forward to hosting the tournament of brilliant minds," said former senator Manny Pacquiao, who is hosting the event as part of his 45th birthday celebration.
Pacquiao, meanwhile, thanked Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Richard Bachmann, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino, National Chess Federation of the Philippines chairman and president Prospero Pichay Jr., and Robinsons Place GenSan for supporting the tournament.
The tournament offers $5,000 (P284,000) to the individual champion and $1,300 (P75,000) to the champion team.
MPCA organizers Jonas Silvano, John Salcedo and Orly Ortega said this is the first of a series of tournaments they are planning to hold in the country. They said they plan to stage at least three international tournaments next year.
"We are truly convinced that the MPCA will become a global festival of chess," said Pacquiao.