MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos Roberto Racasa and Johann Randall Abrina are all set to strut their mental stuff for the 2010 UK Open International Memory Championships in London on August 26 and 27.

"We are ready," said Abrina, a registered nurse and a sports psychology UP student from Barangay WackWack, Mandaluyong.

"We hope to perform well," said Racasa, a chess player and former bet taker in a cock fighting arena from Barangka, Marikina.

Racasa and Abrina are part of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO)-Mandaluyong, Bagong Henerasyon RP Memory Team that left for UK on Tuesday.

The two received backing from a host of supporters, including Mandaluyong City mayor Benhur Abalos Jr., PCSO, Bagong Henerasyon Party-List Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, sportsman Hermie Esguerra, Philip Ella Juico, Dr and Dra Manny and Regina Canlas, Natrapharm-Patriot Group Inc., Filway Marketings Inc., Terry Capistrano and sports outfitter ACCEL.

"It will be a big challenge for our players, especially it would mark the first time that RP would field representatives, which in this case are Roberto (Racasa) and Johann Randall (Abrina)," said their team manager Aurelio" Reli" De Leon.

Completing the team is mental coach and chess master Almario Marlon Bernardino, Jr.

Secretary general Christopher Day of the World Memory Sports Council, which organized the tournament, said a total of 15 countries will compete in the Memory Championships.

Among those participating are three-time World Champion Ben Pridmore and past World Champion Andi Bell of the United Kingdom.
Competitors from Germany, Austria, Turkey, Netherlands, USA, Sweden, Norway, Italy, Austria, Ireland, Slovenia, Lithuania and Nigeria are also coming in.

The annual competition was instituted to challenge the limits of human memory consisting of 10 events like binary digits (5 minutes/30 min.), numbers (5/30 min), spoken numbers, speed cards, cards (10/30min/1 hour), random words, historic/future dates, names and faces, abstract images.