GM Torre, Bugayong invited to open chess tournament 

Asia's first grandmaster Eugene Torre and Shimmer & Shield Car Coating president and CEO Jeff Bugayong invited to grace the opening ceremony the 3rd D' Engineers Cup rapid chess tournament on Saturday at the Koten Enterprises Inc. corporate office in Pasay City.

Torre and Bugayong are expected to deliver inspirational messages to the 16 participants of the one-day rapid event to be played under the Armageddon time control of 10 minutes for the white and 9 minutes for the black pieces. It will also follow the double-elimination format where a player is ousted after losing two games in the tournament.

The tournament, backed by Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines (IIEE), offers P7,000 cash prize and a painting from Life 'N Arts to the champion.

The tournament is part of the Philippine Technological Council-World Engineering Day (PTC-WED) and National Engineering Month celebration. "This is the second time that we will join hands with Koten Enterprises Inc. as venue of a big sports event," said tournament director IIEE national past president Engr. Allan Anthony Alvarez.

Koten's corporate office also served as the venue of the one-day rapid chess tournament last year.

Also invited as guest during the opening ceremony are CIDG Director Nicolas Torre III; Santo Tomas, Pangasinan Mayor Dickerson Dauz Villar, National Chess Federation of the Philippines board of director Judge Gonzalo Mapili; Former Philippine Ambassador to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka & Maldives Leo Tito Ausan Jr.; and board of Electrical Engineering chairman Francis Mapile.

Among the chess players seeing action in the tournament are 12-time Philippine Open champion Grandmaster Rogelio "Joey" Antonio Jr., 2-time Asian Senior champion International Master Jose Efren Bagamasbad and National Master Almario Marlon Bernardino Jr.

Antonio, Bagamasbad and Bernardino are also set to compete in the Australian chess circuit next month such as the 2025 Melbourne International Open on April 7-14 in Melbourne, the 2025 Doeberl Cup on April 17-21 in Canberra and the Sydney International Open Chess Championships on April 23-27 in Sydney.

Also competing in the 3rd D' Engineers Cup are IM Chito Garma, IM Angelo Young, Fide Master Narquingden Reyes, FM Noel Dela Cruz, NM Gerald Ferriol, NM Romeo Alcodia, Sherwin Tiu, Narquingel Reyes, Jeremy Marticio, Dr. Fred Paez, Reymond Ompod and Atty. Rodolfo Enrique "Rudy" Rivera.