Nightmare on Pinoy Streets

Unbelievable! My beloved Philippines failed to win a single gold medal in the chess event of the 23rd SEA Games held in the Philippines. This is surely the tragedy of tragedies!

Fellow SEA neighbour Vietnam dominated the sport proving their rise as a superpower in the region. Now if only the 23rd SEA Games site can come online so I can quote the exact scores. But hey, that's Pinoy incompetence for you.

And are the FIDE dues paid yet? Nope, not yet. Just checked that. Totally hopeless.

Responding to comments that he had abandoned the team, GM Mark Paragua (a triple gold medalist in Vietnam 2 years ago), who did his nation proud recently in Siberia, had this to say: "I did not abandon the team. I did not qualify for the team".

He added, "The NCFP has to make up its mind whether to seed players outright or hold elimination. It would be unfair to remove one player to accommodate another".

From inq7.net.

Brains Beat Brawn

"The Western District Interschool Chess Championships were held last Friday attracting several schools from the west."

From Star News Group.

We're Back!

After a week in London, I'm back. I'm sure all my fans have been looking forward to it. I had planned for updates every now and then while I was away, but even 5-star hotels, it seems, still can't manage a decent net connection. And there was no way I was going to pay for a net cafe. Everything in London is mighty expensive!

The flight over was terrible. Were it not for the Qantas flat beds, I'd be absolutely beside myself. I mean, get this: you pay a fortune for the ticket but the food's absolutely terrible, there was no wine list, the Club Lounge was over-rated and, most of all, the on board chess program was a bloody patzer!

Actually that last one wasn't my biggest problem. The fellow next to me, supposedly an educated financial type, kept disturbing the air with his indigestion. It was an especially sharp odour - you know, like rotten cheese.

Anyway, I had a great time away. Even got to shoot a shot gun (clay shooting). So folks, we're back to normal coverage of chess. Coming soon is an interview with Australia's latest superstar!

Recess

Readers are advised that I will be visiting the United Kingdom between 5 December to 9 December. During this time the blog will be updated less frequently. Well, it all depends on my net access and how busy I will be. I will return Down Under on 12 December and I'll resume regular activities from then.

You may also have noticed that all comments submitted are now moderated, though I publish them completely unedited. The kerfuffle over the NSWCA AGM last Sunday, unfortunately, provoked a couple of unsavoury comments that do not fit the high intellectual standards we like to maintain. Of course, we also like to continue our existence without having to be distracted by some litigious petals.

Having said that, please continue to submit comments. You may be anonymous if you wish. In the words of a great Australian, "See youse all!"

Pinoy Duo Leading

At the Tagaytay International Convention Center (in the Philippines), Eugene Torre and fellow local Beverly Mendoza are leading the standard chess competition of the 23rd South East Asian Games.

Tempo reports. (Please note that these Tempo news items seem to disappear after a couple of days. So if you've clicked on one of the links I've posted previously, you'll see a blank page).

Paragua Eliminated

Pinoy player Mark Paragua was eliminated from the World Chess Cup event overnight, losing to Russian, Alexey Dreev. The mini match went into tiebreaks after both players split the points in their regulation games.

Paragua drew first blood in the first rapid game, but Dreev struck back quickly on the reverse with the White side of a Queen's Gambit Accepted. The two players were then forced into a blitz play-off with Dreev eventually prevailing 1.5-0.5.

WCC 2005
Paragua, Mark
Black "Dreev, Alexey

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 a6 6. a3 Nbd7 7. b4 g6 8. Bd3 Bg7 9. O-O O-O 10. Bb2 b5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. e4 Nb6 13. Ne5 Bb7 14. exd5 Nfxd5 15. Rc1 Nxc3 16. Bxc3 f6 17. Ng4 Qd6 18. h4 Bc8 19. Nh2 Be6 20. Re1 Bc4 21. Bb1 Rfe8 22. Qf3 Bd5 23. Qh3 Be6 24. Qf3 Bd5 25. Qh3 Bh6 26. Rcd1 Be6 27. Ng4 Bg7 28. h5 Bxg4 29. Qxg4 f5 30. Qf3 Nd5 31. Bb2 Qf4 32. Qxf4 Nxf4 33. hxg6 hxg6 34. g3 Nd5 35. Ba2 Kf8 36. Rxe8+ Rxe8 37. Kf1 Rd8 38. Ke2 Ke7 39. Rc1 Kd6 40. Bxd5 Kxd5 41. Kd3 Rh8 42. Rc5+ Kd6 43. Bc1 Rh1 44. Bf4+ Kd7 45. Bd2 Ra1 46. Bc1 Ra2 47. f3 Bf8 48. Rc2 Ra1 49. g4 Bd6 50. gxf5 gxf5 51. d5 cxd5 52. Kd4 Rb1 53. Rc3 Bg3 54. Kxd5 a5 55. bxa5 b4 56. axb4 Rxb4 57. Rd3 Rb5+ 58. Kc4+ Kc6 59. f4 Rc5+ 60. Kb4 Rxc1 61. Rxg3 Rf1 62. Rc3+ Kb7 63. Rc4 Ka6 64. Rd4 Re1 65. Rd6+ Kb7 66. Kc5 Ra1 67. a6+ Kc7 68. Rc6+ Kd7 69. Rg6 Ra4 70. a7 Kc7 71. Rg8 1-0

Meanwhile the top players like Shirov, Kamsky, Ponomariov and Bacrot have made it. For my money, I'm betting on Kamsky to win the whole thing. It's certainly satisfying to see this powerful American making a come-back.

Lane Goes Down

In a tragic day for Australia, the country's sole representative at the World Cup, international master Gary Lane, went down to Baadur Jobava in Game 1 of the second round. It was a tough struggle with the game lasting 88 moves.

The good thing about having dual loyalties is that you can always have a 2-way bet. So I am happy to say that Pinoy chesser GM Mark Paragua managed to hold Russian super-GM Alexy Dreev to a draw.

World Cup, Khanty Mansyisk RUS
Dreev, A.
Paragua, M.
D20

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e5 4. Nf3 exd4 5. Bxc4 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 Nc6 7. O-O Nf6 8. e5 Nd5 9. Nb3 Nb6 10. Bb5 Qd5 11. Nbxd4 Bd7 12. Bxc6 Bxc6 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 14. Bg5 h6 15. Rc1 Qd5 16. a3 hxg5 17. axb4 g4 18. Ng5 Qxd1 19. Rfxd1 Rh5 20. f4 gxf3 21. Nxf3 Rc8 22. b5 Nd7 23. Re1 Kf8 24. Re4 Rh6 25. Nd4 Rh5 26. Nf3 Rh6 27. Rd1 Ke8 28. Rg4 Rg6 29. e6 Rxe6 30. Rxg7 Rg6 31. Rh7 Nf6 32. Rh8+ Rg8 33. Rxg8+ Nxg8 34. Ra1 Ra8 35. Kf2 Nf6 36. Ke3 Ke7 37. h3 Ne8 38. Kf4 Nd6 39. Nd4 Kf6 40. Re1 a6 41. Ra1 Re8 42. bxa6 bxa6 43. Kf3 Rb8 44. Rxa6 Rxb2 45. g4 Rb4 46. Ke3 Rc4 47. Nf3 Rc3+ 48. Kf4 Rc4+ 49. Kg3 Kg7 50. Ra2 Ne4+ 51. Kg2 c5 52. h4 Rc1 53. Re2 Nf6 54. Ne5 Nd5 55. Rd2 Nf4+ 56. Kg3 Ng6 57. Nxg6 Kxg6 58. Rd6+ Kg7 59. Rc6 c4 60. g5 c3 61. Kg4 c2 62. Kh5 Kf8 63. Rc7 Ke8 64. Kh6 Rh1 65. Rxc2 Rxh4+ 66. Kg7 Rf4 67. Re2+ Kd7 68. g6 fxg6 1/2-1/2

Getting the Boot

Here's a story that I can personally relate to. A few years ago, when the Galleries Victoria was finally opened in Sydney, a few chessers from Hyde Park immediately took up positions in the very comfy food hall. It was perfect under any conditions, rain or shine. Problem is, a few guys were too noisy and just plain foul-mouthed. Pretty soon, the building management, Ipoh, decided to kick us out.

It looks like a bunch of chess players in Rochester, New York have just sufferred the same fate. From newsday.com.

Australian Chess Magazine

Earlier today, I had mistakenly identified Shaun Press as the publisher of Australian Chess Magazine. In fact, he published the Australian Chess Forum - which is now defunct.

The Australian Chess Magazine is alive and well. That is published by Brian Jones. To subscribe, go to www.chessaustralia.com.au

Power and Dishonour

There was a time when men honoured their words.

Last Sunday, I walked into the NSW annual general meeting (AGM) with the expectations of a new a day in our chess leadership. The ancien regime has, for a long time now, been a dying geriatric, barely able to stand. Starved of new ideas and beset with controversy and crisis, the NSWCA, under the leadership of one Bill Gletsos, was a marked body.

More than a month before the AGM, the first whispers of revolt began. I was in the Philippines in '86 and, I tell you, I know a revolution when I see one. Led by two ex-Olympiad captains, Jason Lyons and Peter Parr, we can now reveal the main players of that rebel faction. They are: Andrew Bird, Laura Moylan, Nicholas Kordahi, Brett Tindall and the gentleman player, Max Fuller.

But seeing the need for long-term harmony, Jason sought no blood - figuratively speaking, that is. Instead, he approached the incumbent president, Bill Gletsos, to see if a more amicable plan could be adopted to ensure a smoother transition. Says Jason, "My motivation for being upfront with Bill was to create harmony and continuity in what is a very fractured and political landscape".

On 13 October this year, Jason made the following public announcement:

For the record, there's no ambush. I had a coffee with Bill last week to discuss my nomination at the November AGM. I outlined my intentions and we had a good chat. Bill said that he would support my nomination.

I updated him on others who are joining me in seeking election to Council, at least one of which (sic) he was already aware of, and I expressed the wish that he remain on Council. Bill said he'd like to take up the Ratings portfolio again (the current holder of this position has recently moved to far north NSW).

This was the first sign that the AGM will see a bloodless coup. With that, we allowed ourselves a big sigh of relief. After all, at the end of the day, we are all friends.

Yet what transpired last Sunday is something that will either kill you with laughter or make you weep. It all depends on your politics.

As we now know, Mr Gletsos delivered a surprising bombshell by declaring, last Sunday, that he was standing for the presidency. For Mr Lyons, a FIDE international arbiter and organiser of the prestigious QVB Chess Festival in 1999 - it was a shot well below the belt. By all accounts, it appears that there was some kind of agreement between Mr Lyons and Mr Gletsos and which the latter had reneged on.

Mr Lyons:

It is absolutely unequivocal that Bill agreed to not run for President. I did not ask him for this - I simply stated my intentions, to which he explained he was only in the position in a de facto sense, having acquired a vacant Presidency when he was VP. He welcomed my candidacy, in conjuction with the other team members I had assembled, and offered his full support.

Of course, this is bluntly disputed by Bill. The well-informed Canberra chess personality, and himself an Olympiad player as well as publisher of the highly regarded (but now defunct) Australian Chess Forum, Mr Shaun Press had this to say on an Australian chess bulletin board: "[W]hat I heard was promised was that BG (Bill Gletsos) would be happy to continue as Ratings Officer if Jason became President. This was 'interperated' (sic) as Bill was not standing [for the presidential post], when it seems that no such statement was actually made."

Mr Press' statement is consistent with what Mr Gletsos informed me last Sunday when I queried, "Where is Jason's mob?" It is also corroborated by Jason himself.

Some 10-15 minutes before the scheduled commencement, word filters outside the meeting room that Bill is running. No-one is certain. Suddenly everyone's talking. Parr approaches Bill, some sort of argument ensues, I enter the conversation, and Bill offers this gem: "I never said I wouldn't run for President, I only said that if you were President, I would be the Ratings Officer."

It's all a bit confusing. While I am not familiar with Mr Gletsos on a closer personal basis, he has always struck me as honourable and trustworthy. Thus, it's important that he make a public statement sooner than later. It is rather odd that several days have passed and despite all the shots fired his way from various angles - so far, there has been no formal communication from our president. He seems content to leave us all guessing. This cannot be a good start to his 2006 tenure.

Mr Gletsos must make a statement now to tell his side of the story. Or else, we the chess public can feel no confidence whatsoever in his leadership.

I will leave the last word to Jason Lyons: "I'll continue to support ACF initiatives, the GP if I can help in some way, Olympiad Appeals and the like, and Junior Chess. But these blokes have lost me."