MANILA---Limang veteran Filipino masters ang tumulak at nanguna sa kampanya ng bansa sa pag inog ng AQ Prime ASEAN Chess Championship (Standard Time Control, Invitational) Sabado (Peb. 11) na ginanap sa Great Eastern Hotel, Quezon Avenue, Quezon City.

Si Grandmaster (GM) John Paul Gomez ang tampok sa Philippine squad kasama sina GM Darwin Laylo, International Masters (IMs) Paulo Bersamina, Daniel Quizon at Rolando Nolte.
May Elo rating 2474, si Gomez ang highest-rated Filipino sa nasabing torneo.
"I will do my very best, for flag and country," sabi ng Binan, Laguna native Gomez.
Hindi naman nababahala si Laylo (2433) sa kanilang higher-rated foreigners na sariwa pa sa pagkampeon sa Philippine National Chess Championship Grand Finals na ginanap sa Malolos City Hall, Bulacan nitong Pebrero 18.
" I hope to do well in this event," sabi ni Laylo, pambato ng PCAP's Magic Mandaluyong Tigers team na nasa gabay nina Atty. Nikki De Vega at Atty. Krisanto Karlo Nicolas.
"The Champion of this event will have a chance to acquire an IM Title and GM Norm." sambit naman ni Tournament Director International Roderick Nava ng Kamatyas Chess Club.
Masisilayan din sa event na may pabuyang 2,000 US dollar sa magkakampeon na ang punong abala ay si AQ Prime Proprietor/President Atty. Aldwin Alegre ay sina GM Susanto Megaranto ng Indonesia,  IM Li Tian Yeoh ng Malaysia, IM Yoseph Theolifus Taher ng Indonesia, IM Mohamad Ervan ng Indonesia, GM Nguyen Van Huy ng Vietnam, FM Prin Laohawirapap ng Thailand at CM Dau Khuong Duy ng Vietnam.
Bukod kina Alegre at Nava ay inaasahan din magbubukas sa nasabing torneo ay sina Asia's First Grandmaster Eugene Torre, National Chess Federation of the Philippines chairman/president Rep. Prospero "Butch" Arreza Pichay Jr. at chief executive officer GM Jayson Gonzales.-Marlon Bernardino-