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Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship
The Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship is borne of the belief that the Filipino youth has the capacity to muster excellence and competitiveness through a global mental sport. Since 1992, the Shell companies in the Philippines set out to engage the minds of our youth through chess tournaments open to Filipino students under 20 years old and held in strategically located sites nationwide. To date, tens of thousands of youngsters have been motivated and credit chess playing as an activity that has positively contributed to enriching their lives.
In the Philippines, Shell has helped reinvigorate interest in chess through this truly grassroots activity. Among the winners who have graduated the ranks of tournaments and gained individual prominence in the field of chess playing:
- Grand Masters
GM Nelson Mariano II, GM Mark Paragua, GM Wesley So, GM Darwin Laylo and GM John Paul Gomez
- International Masters
IM Idelfonso Datu, IM Oliver Dimakiling, IM Ronald Dableo, IM Julio Catalino Sadorra, IM Richard Bitoon, IM-elect Oliver Barbosa and IWM Sheerie Joy Lomibao
- FIDE Masters
FIDE Master Roderick Nava and FIDE Master Sander Severino
- National Masters
NM Jan Emmanuel Garcia, NM Paolo James Florendo, WNM Jan Jodilyn Fronda, NM Reggie Olay, NM Cedric Magno, NM Victor Lluch, NM Jake dela Cruz, NM Julius de Ramos, NM Onofre Espiritu Jr., NM Arlan Cabe, NM Rodolfo Panopio Jr., NM Elmer Sumngat, NM Rodolfo Diaz Jr., NM Virgilio Vuelban, NM Exfelicos Bolico, NM Romeo Alcodia, NM Herbert Ciocon, NM Roland Perez, and NM Roland Castro.
They competed not only for glory, but to prove that our country is a breeding ground of individuals with exceptional talents and skills.
Chess is more than a sobering game that tests the limits of patience and reserves of mental stamina in the player. It is a sullen engagement that brings out the individual's character, and shapes his mettle to cope with the demands of any situation.
As Shell companies in the Philippines are committed to serve the cause of nation-building, the continuing involvement in this sport is part of our commitment to contribute to the over-all development and growth of the Filipino youth.
Since the tournament started in 1992, Shell has had the chance to meet thousands of youngsters who believe that the activity has positively affected their lives. They have come to appreciate the values that the game of chess has taught them. Discipline. Diligence. Sense of fair play. Maturity. Responsibility.
For many, these basic values that chess has fostered in their young lives will be useful tools in facing adulthood.
We believe that by providing opportunities for our young to excel and enhance their skills, we are also helping build a better tomorrow for our country and its citizenry.