MANILA, Philippines — Chess world No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura arrived in Manila on Sunday to compete in the inaugural WR Bughouse Championship, which begins Monday at Grand Hyatt Hotel in Bonifacio Global City.
Nakamura entered the country with German Wadim Rosenstein, founder of WR Chess, which is organizing the tournament that carries a $100,000 prize pool.
On social media, Nakamura said he was in Manila for the competition and noted it was his 63rd country visited through chess travel.
The two-day tournament will feature 52 teams competing in bughouse chess, a format in which captured pieces are passed to a teammate for use on a second board. The event will award $50,000 to the winning team.
Several international grandmasters are entered, including Awonder Liang of the United States, Anton Smirnov of Australia, Timur Gareyev of the United States, and Novendra Priasmoro of Indonesia.
Local participants include Daniel Quizon, Eric Labog, Darwin Laylo, David Elorta, Janelle Mae Frayna, Ruelle Canino, Pau Bersamina, and Jem Garcia.
The competition will open with a 12-round elimination phase at 4 p.m. on Monday. The top eight teams will advance to the knockout stage on Tuesday.
Nakamura will also hold an autograph-signing session from 10 a.m. to noon on a first-come, first-served basis.
In bughouse chess, players compete in pairs on adjacent boards, with captured pieces passed between teammates and used in ongoing play. Each player is given five minutes per game, with no increment. Matches are decided by checkmate, resignation, or time forfeiture.