ONLINE chess has been added to the drastically reduced league calendar, while esports is also likely to be held if and when the NCAA 96th season goes ahead.
“Okay naman (plans of having esports in the league’s calendar),” NCAA 96th season Management Committee chairman Fr. Vic Calvo, OP, of host Letran told Malaya-Business Insight.
“Iyong (online) chess ay plantsado na,” he added.
With the health risks and uncertainties brought about by the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA is eyeing to kick off its new season early next year.
The country’s oldest collegiate league is planning to hold only the four mandatory sports — basketball, volleyball, swimming, and track and field — due to the financial repercussions inflicted by the coronavirus crisis.
The remainder of the NCAA 95th season was shut down for good mid-March at the start of the government-imposed quarantine protocols to curb the spread of the contagion.
Events such as indoor volleyball, football, lawn tennis, soft tennis, track and field, beach volleyball, and cheerleading were scrapped.
Arellano University ManCom representative Peter Cayco said the plan of holding esports such as Mobile Legends will still be approved by the Policy Board.
“Ipapa-approve pa ang esports (to the Policy Board),” said Cayco.
“Online chess is a derivative naman of chess which is a regular event of the NCAA. Special event lang iyan.”
In the maiden esports tourney in the 30th Southeast Asian Games in Manila last year, the Philippines bagged three gold, one silver, and one bronze medals from DOTA 2, Starcraft II, and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, while International Master Jan Immanuel Garcia also won a mint in online chess.
