GM TORRE, GM VILLAMAYOR TO HOLD SIMUL CHESS IN MALL OF ASIA

PHILIPPINES brightest hope GM Wesley So won his 30-board simultaneous exhibition in Fresno Chess Club (FCC) in California, over the weekend.

The 15-year-old So, currently world’s no.97 in the latest September RP-Fide rating list who hold 2644 is scheduled to play in the SPICE CUP 2009 Category organized by GM Susan Polgar on September 19 to 29 at the Texas Tech University in USA.

However, Filipino IM Oliver Barbosa, who won 20 US chess title begged off the said competition.

Meanwhile, GMs Eugene Torre and Bong Villamayor will hold a simultaneous chess exhibition on Sept. 18 starting at 10 a.m. dubbed as “Buhawi and Hagibis Chess Challenge” at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

The event is one of the highlights of Diwa Learning System’s participation in the 30th Manila International Bookfair, slated Sept. 16-20, also at SMX.

Earlier this year, the Department of Education issued a memorandum for the inclusion of chess in the curricula on Grades 3 to 6 and high school students in the subject “Edukasyon sa Pagpapalakas ng Katawan” or Physical Education.

Diwa’s Scholastic Enhancement Materials or SEMs entitled Buhawi (for high school) and Hagibis (for elementary) have been promoting the use of chess in classroom instructions through its regular column called “Chess Bits” and “Junior Chess.”

SEMs are a new genre of scholastic premium quality materials that enhance learning. It is a component of Diwa’s Superior Learning Experience strategy, which is a collaboration of the company’s wide range of educational resources that are designed to elevate a student from one who studies to a student who learns; a teacher who lectures to a teacher who educates and a school that instructs to a school that trains.For information, log on to www.diwa.ph

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO.