It is Time to Get into Chess

Can you be considered a "professional" if you're a chess player in the Philippines?  I looked at the meaning of the word "professional" and it says a professional is someone that is "engaged in a specified activity as one's main paid occupation rather than as a pastime".

Chess is not a spectator sport. It is very difficult to find sponsors for chess tournaments compared to basketball or boxing. This makes it very difficult for anyone to pursue chess as a profession or as a main source of income. Earning money in chess to support oneself or your family is practically impossible in the Philippines. Even the highest-ranked player in the Philippines would not have an easy time earning a decent income unless they play abroad.

The good news about professionalizing Philippine chess is the creation of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP). Chess players and enthusiasts are excited about the future of Philippine chess with the emergence of PCAP.

Chess is well suited for Filipinos. We are not disadvantaged by height and other physical limitations. Wesley So gave this advice to Filipinos: Get into chess!

“No one can guarantee that if you train in chess you will become a grandmaster. No one can guarantee you will go on to make your living at this sport. But I can guarantee this – if you train your brain with chess, you will go much farther ahead in life than if you train with your body for other physical sports.”

Now that almost everything is online due to the pandemic, the popularity of chess has surged. With a lot of people quarantined and isolated at home, chess has become not only a means to while away the time but as a way to interact, communicate and compete.