PH punches ticket to World Curling Championships

Manila Times - Nov 12, 2026

The Philippine national men's curling team clinched a spot in the 2027 World Curling Championships. Despite trailing 3-4 in the final round of their round robin match against Australia on Wednesday at the qualifying event in Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom, the Marc Pfister-led squad secured a 2-point final to defeat Australia 5-4. The Filipinos earlier trailed in the match 1-4 before launching their successful comeback. "The victory officially locks up a playoff berth and earns the team promotion to the World Curling Championships," the Curling Winter Sports Association of the Philippines said. "Beyond the immediate championship berth, the promotion marks a monumental step forward for the program as they begin accumulating crucial world ranking and qualification points toward the 2030 Winter Olympic Games," it added. The 2027 World Curling Championships will be held in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, while the next Winter Olympic Games will take place in France in 2030.

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Manila AQ Prime Assets dominates PCAP elims

Manila AQ Prime Assets dominated the elimination round of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines (PCAP). Under the stewardship of team owner Atty. Aldwin Alegre and team manager Jojo Legaspi, Manila AQ Prime Assets delivered the most dominant elimination round campaign in PCAP history as the team swept the Alpha Division of the Wesley So Cup with a pristine 25-0 record, finishing as the only undefeated team in the league. From their opening-week routs against Mindoro (21-0), Laguna (19-2), and Pasig (17.5-3.5) to high-stakes clashes against title contenders like the San Juan Predators (14-7) and Toledo-Xignex Trojans (17-4), Manila proved virtually untouchable in the tournament. The International Master Ricardo de Guzman-led team capped the elimination round by rallying from a blitz deficit to defeat IIEE-PSME Quezon City Simba's Tribe (14-7) before shutting out OCM Cebu Niños in the rapid round for a 19.5-1.5 victory. With his stellar performance, De Guzman was named Most Valuable Player. The other members of the team are Grandmaster Mark Paragua, IM Eric Labog Jr., National Master Dale Bernardo, Woman International Master Kylen Joy Mordido, IM Ronald Dableo, IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia, Fide Master Christian Mark Daluz and Indian import IM Padmini Rout. "Another proud moment for the Manila AQ Prime Assets squad. You've shown the chess world the true spirit of a fighter. We are all incredibly proud of you," Alegre said. Meanwhile, the members of the Manila team shifts their momentum from online dominance to the international over-the-board arena with the staging of the AQ Prime International Chess Open Championship on Nov. 18-24, 2026, at the Asian Institute of Tourism in Diliman, Quezon City. The AQ Prime tournament, held in partnership with the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) and under the auspices of the Asean Chess Confederation—will welcome local and international masters. The weeklong Fide-rated standard chess tournament features the Master Open (2000-above) and Challenger (1999-below) divisions. The 9-round Swiss System tournament underscores AQ Prime's commitment not only to championship-caliber team play, but also to creating world-class competitive platforms for Filipino chess talents.