by Marlon Bernardino

MANILA---Siblings PH chess wizards Ivan Travis and Jericho Winston Cu will be seeing action in the 36th Singapore National Age Group Chess Championships slated on December 27 to 30, 2019 at the 1 Expo Drive, MAX Atria @ Singapore Expo in Singapore.

Last September, siblings Ivan Travis and Jericho Winston alongside Ryan Taguba and Gregory Pe spearheaded Xavier School Chess Team A coached by Rolando "Rolly" Yutuc making them into an over-all champion in the 2019 Interscholastic Sports Association (ISSA) Grade School Division chess tournament held at the Brent International School Manila in Biñan, Laguna.

"We'll be up against strong and more seasoned players in this tournament and I hope my luck continues there. Right now, I'm in deep preparation, doing more practice games," said Ivan Travis who will be competing in the Boys Under 10 division where he will possibly encounter the top seed Candidate Master (CM) Goh Zi Han of Singapore (elo 2094).

Jericho Winston, on the other hand, also expressed his readiness to compete against some of the best young woodpushers. "It's certainly one of the most challenging tournament for us because of all the promising  young talents that are expected to be there. We'll just play one game at a time and make sure every round is important," Jericho Winston said.

Siblings Ivan Travis and Jericho Winston Cu Singapore chess campaign supported by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) thru its Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director FA Red Dumuk.

Also playing in the tournament are Jayson Jacobo Tiburcio (Boys Under 11), Dastan Earl Bueno (Boys Under 9), Jewelle Iris  Anacio (Girls Under 7) and Jillianne Cait Keesha Micarsos (Girls Under 7) all carrying the Philippine flag and hopes to bring honor and prestige to our beloved nation. -Marlon Bernardino-