Yat Sen student Russell Taloga and USP student Zen Borg will join Manoj Kumar at the 2017 Oceania Chess Zonal Tournament in New Zealand next week.
16‑year‑old Taloga makes his international debut, while 19‑year‑old Borg will play in his second tournament abroad.
Kumar who is the national champion says they are hoping to attain new titles and tipped Taloga and Borg to be the players to watch in the new season.
He says participating in these intense Oceania events will make them stronger players and they can aspire to be selected in the Olympiad team very soon.
The Oceania Chess zonal tournament will start in Auckland this Saturday.
The winners in the Open and Women's divisions will qualify for the Chess World Cup 2017, a 128‑player tournament which will be held in Georgia this year.
Fiji hosted the Oceania Zonal in 2013 and is bidding to host the 2019 tournament.
