GM John Paul Gomez joins Touchmove in Roxas City chess tilt

Philippine chess grandmaster (GM) John Paul Gomez has confirmed his participation in the much-anticipated 4th edition of Touchmove, an Individual Open Rapid Chess Tournament scheduled for August 24 at the atrium of SM City Mall in Roxas City.

At 39 years old and from Laguna province, Gomez becomes the fourth grandmaster to enter the tournament, which will be held in a single day using a Swiss system format. Each player will have a time limit of 15 minutes, with a 3-second increment per move.

Gomez boasts an impressive track record, having won the Philippine National Junior Championship three times.

During the Olympiad, his draw against Czech GM Viktor Láznička in the 9th round secured his final GM norm and earned him the GM title in 2009, making him the 10th Filipino to achieve this distinction. He also finished as the top scorer for the Philippine team at the Olympiad.

The other three Philippine GMs registered to participate in the Touchmove event are GM Rogelio "Joey" Antonio, Darwin Laylo, and Daniel Quizon.-

Meanwhile, here is the list of the 18 male Philippine chess grandmasters.

1) 1974: Eugene Torre

2) 1976: Rosendo Balinas, Jr. (+)

3) 1993: Rogelio Antonio, Jr.

4) 2000: Buenaventura Villamayor

5) 2004: Nelson Mariano II

6) 2005: Mark Paragua

7) 2007: Darwin Laylo

8 ) 2008: Jayson Gonzales

9) 2008: Wesley So

10) 2009: John Paul Gomez

11) 2009: Joseph Sanchez

12) 2010: Roland Salvador

13) 2011: Julio Catalino Sadorra

14) 2011: Oliver Barbosa

15) 2011: Richard Bitoon

16) 2012: Rogelio Barcenilla

17) 2012: Enrico Sevillano

18) 2024: Daniel Quizon

GM John Paul Gomez