PASIG City Mayor Vico Sotto will be the guest of honor and speaker during the PCAP Chess Festival on Friday, Sept. 23 at the Estancia Mall in Pasig City.

Sotto will give the inspirational remarks during the 5 p.m. event also serving as the awarding ceremony of the PCAP Second Conference and opening ceremony of the season-ending PCAP Third Conference.

Joining Mayor Sotto during the colorful opening ceremony are Congressman Roman Romulo, Asian Chess Federation executive director Toti Abundo, Games and Amusements Board officer-in-charge Atty. Ermar Benitez and Ortigas Land Corporation president Junie Jalandoni.

Newly-crowned PCAP-GM Wesley So Cup champion Pasig Pirates, led by homegrown talents Kevin Arquero and IM Eric Labog, Jr., will receive their chmpionship trophy from PCAP founding president Atty. Paul Elauria and chairman Michael Angelo Chua.

Sotto, Elauria and Chua will also formally declare the opening of the PCAP Third Conference.

Coach Susan Grace Neri will lead the invocation.

Also in the three-day program are the awarding of the Best Player of the Conference, Best Import, and Finals MVP, as well as special plaques of appreciation.

Raffle of prizes will also be held for registered participants and guests.

Activities will resume on Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sept. 25 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We would like to thank Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto and the Pasig Pirates for hosting this three-day chess festival,” said Arty. Elauria, adding this will also mark the first over-the-board competition of PCAP since its inception in late 2020.

Online chess competitions will resume the following playing day, however. This will be the sixth conference of PCAP.

So far, PCAP has already produced four champions: Laguna Heroes (2021 All-Filipino), Iloilo Kisela Knights 2021 Wesley So Cup), San Juan Predators (2021 Third Conference) and Pasig Pirates.

San Juan became the league’s first back-to-back champion after topping the 2022 All-Filipino against Iloilo.

Last July, Pasig became the fourth team to win the championship by ruling the 2022 GM Wesley So Cup against former winner Iloilo.

Currently, PCAP has 24 member-teams divided into two divisions, the Northern Division and Southern Division.

Northern Division teams are San Juan Predators, Laguna Heroes, Pasig Pirates, Caloocan Load Manna Knights, Manila Indios Bravos, Rizal BATCH Towers, Quezon City SImba’s Tribe, Cavite Spartans, Olongapo Rainbow Seven, Mindoro Tamaraws, Cagayan Kings and Isabela Knights of Alexander.

In Southern Division are Iloilo Kisela Knights, Davao Eagles, Negros Kingsmen, Camarines Soaring Eagles, Palawan Queen’s Gambits, Surigao Fianchetto Checkmates, Toledo City Trojans, Cabu City Machers, Cagayan de Oro-Misamis Oriental, Zamboanga Sultans, PCL and Tacloban Vikings.