The grand finals qualifiers of the Infinitum Chess Battlegrounds. | Contributed photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines— The stage is set for the grand finals of the Infinitum Chess Battlegrounds on Saturday, February 1, at Robinsons Galleria Cebu.
Twelve of the best woodpushers from the tournament’s six qualifying editions will battle for chess supremacy in this unique format, organized by chess arbiter Kevin Yap and his brother, International Master (IM) Kim Steven Yap.
Competing in the grand finals are Edelyn Vosotros and John Dave Lavandero, winners of the first edition, alongside Michael Joseph Pagaran and Dennis Navales, who topped the second edition.
They will be joined by Joel Pacuribot and Angelo Tan from the third edition, Jupiter Sevillano and Michael Piar from the fourth, and Arena Grand Master (AGM) Venancio Loyola Jr. and Maria Kristine Lavandero from the fifth. Completing the lineup are National Master (NM) Rommel Ganzon and Ian Villareal, champions of the sixth edition.
The tournament follows the Infinitum Chess variant, played on a semi-10×10 board. While using standard chess pieces, the game introduces a key twist—each player starts with only six pawns and an additional special piece called the Wizard.
This distinctive chess format was first introduced by Cebuano chess patron Boojie Lim in the early 2000s. Over the years, it has gained popularity among mainstream chess players, offering a fresh and strategic challenge to the game.
Aside from the tournament, IM Kim Steven Yap and NM Merben Roque will take on 39 young woodpushers in an exciting simultaneous exhibition match.
The tournament kicks off at 10 AM, followed by the exhibition match at 1 PM.
RELATED STORIES
Chess Infinitum tourney: NM Ganzon, Villareal secure grand finals spots
Natividad tops Cebu Chess Infinitum Tournament
Read Next
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
