A Grandmaster from Armenia is set to reinforce the team of Iloilo Kisela Knights (IKK) in the upcoming GM Wesley So Cup which kicks off on May 15, 2021.

Hovhannes Gabuzyan will serve as import of the Iloilo-based professional chess team, as they try to improve its last conference standing.

The Armenian chess GM was hailed as champion of the 2021 Armenian Chess Championship, the same title he got in 2017. At the age of 17, Gabuyzan earned the GM title after topping various tournaments in Armenia and even outside his country.

In 2010, he was hailed Olympic Champion in the U16, being a member of the Armenian National team. He also ranked second in the European Youth Chess Championship (U-16), after he became a GM in 2012. In 2014, he topped the 75th Armenian Chess Club 1st League, before winning the Bulgarian Chess Summer 2015, Golden Sands A Tournament. It was in 2016 that Gabuyzan won the World University Chess Championship.

He became a member of the Armenian National Chess Team in 2017-2018, where he won first place in the UTRGV Chess team at President Cup, Final Four tournament in New-York, USA.

For IKK owner Leo Sotaridona, he said Gabuyzan, being a national champion speaks highly of himself.

“He is also considered a brother to us, being the chess coach of our very own, Alekhine Nouri (the youngest Fide Master of the Philippine and of the world). He is rated close to 2600, so he is expected to provide tremendous help to our top two boards,” he added.

For Sotaridona, their goal is to improve the winning performance than the previous using the data from the first conference as feedback. “I’d been gathering evaluation feedback from each player that we can use to improve future performances. We are also continuously building more training resources that the whole team can use.”

The team’s assistant manager Hubert Canto also welcomed the new import, citing, he will inspire the homegrown players to be better on the board.

“Of course he’s the current Armenian champion. He will be of big help for our team, could be a great coach, mentor and inspiration for our team to strive hard to become champion for the second conference of PCAP,” he added.

In the second conference, all the 24 teams which took part in the inaugural All-Filipino Conference won by the Laguna Heroes will be back to vie for trophies and bigger prizes.

The champion team will receive P150,000 while the runner-up will get P75,000. The third placer will have P40,000, while the fourth placer will take home P20,000. Top individual performers – Best Import, Player of the Conference, and Finals Most Valuable Player – will get P10,000 each.IMT