2 Filipino grandmasters join Touchmove chess tourney

The two active Philippine chess grandmasters (GMs) confirmed their participation as early registrants among the 128 aspiring players in the 4th Touchmove Invitational Open Rapid Chess Tournament, which will be held at the atrium of SM City Mall in Roxas City, Capiz on August 24, 2025.

Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr., the third Philippine chess grandmaster, has played in many Olympiads.

Darwin Laylo, the 7th Philippine chess grandmaster and a veteran of the Philippines Olympiad team, is also playing.

Antonio, 63, was a chess champion in Sydney, Australia; Bacolod City; and Baguio City, where he became a GM in 1993.

Laylo, 45, was the champion at the 2006 Malaysian Open, the Bad Wiessee Tournament in Germany, and the 2007 Asian Chess Championship in Cebu City, where he earned his GM norm in 2007.

Expected to compete are arena masters, national masters, FIDE masters, international masters, and grandmasters from across the country. Active and rated woodpushers from Luzon, Mindanao, Cebu, Negros Island, Panay Island, and Capiz have expressed their intent to compete in this highly anticipated 64-square chessboard showdown.-Marlon Bernardino-