Booters, chessers, cricketers start Philippines SEAG campaign

MANILA, Philippines — A seasoned chess contingent aiming to make the right moves in the Cambodian version of the game. A determined men’s football side raring to make its mark just like its more successful female counterpart. A promising cricket crew facing its baptism of fire in the A seasoned chess contingent aiming to make the right moves in the Cambodian version of the game. A determined men’s football side raring to make its mark just like its more successful female counterpart. A promising cricket crew facing its baptism of fire in the

Before the fireworks for the 32nd edition of the biennial meet light up the skies next week, these early birds from among the 840-strong Team Philippines in Cambodia get the ball rolling for the campaign today in various battlefields in Phnom Penh.

Pinoy chessers hit the Royal University of Phnom Penh at 9 a.m. (10 a.m. in Manila) to vie in Ouk Chaktrang or Khmer chess, hopeful that mere months of training and familiarization would be enough to make them competitive against the hosts and other rivals who are more used to the game.

Barring last-minute changes, Edmundo Gatus and International Master Angelo Young are set to compete in the men’s singles 5-minute event while Grandmasters Joey Antonio and Darwin Laylo and IMs Paulo Bersamina and Jan Emmanuel Garcia are up in the men’s quadruples 60-minute events.

The Philippine Under-22 Azkals later take the field of the 50,000-seater National Olympic Stadium to kick off Group A hostilities against Hanoi SEAG bronze medalist Indonesia at 4 p.m. (5 p.m. in Manila).

Coached by former Azkals skipper Rob Gier and featuring the core of the Azkals Development Team (ADT), the U-22 booters look to improve on their 1-1-2 win-draw-loss performance last time and possibly make the semis for the first time since 1991 at home.

Gier’s troops, who are looking to sustain the momentum created by the FIFA Women’s World Cup-bound and Asean champion Filipinas, avoid playing in the “Group of Death” as they drew, aside from Indonesia, Myanmar, Timor-Leste and host Cambodia, as group opponents.

The other bracket pits defending champion Vietnam, 2021 runner-up Thailand, Hanoi Games semifinalist Malaysia, Singapore and Laos.

Shortly after the U-22 Azkals, Philippine lady cricketers plunge into action in the women’s T10 competition versus host Cambodia at 4:30 p.m. at the AZ Group Cricket Oval (5:30 p.m. in Manila).

The Philippines is sending 30 in the 2023 Games, where cricket is revived after being shelved in 2019 and 2021 following its introduction in 2017.