Wesley Wins Battle of GMs

Pinoy number one GM Wesley So has won this year's "3rd Battle of the Grandmasters" tournament in the Philippines. It was an emphatic performance for Wesley who has now bagged the event for a third straight year. For other tournament details, go to chess-results.com.

Thanks to Ignacio Dee I can show you the winner's last round victory over IM Richard Bitoon.

Battle of GMs
Bitoon, Richard
So, Wesley
B78

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 introducing The Dragon, a fave of Carlsen, Radjabov and Kasimdzhanov. 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. O-O-O Rb8 11. Bb3 Na5 12. h4 b5 13. Kb1 Nc4 14. Bxc4 bxc4 15. g4 More common is 15. Ka1 15... Qb6 16. Qc1 Qa5 17. Ka1 Rb6 18. Nde2 Rb7 19. g5 This and his previous move only seem to do black a big favour - opening up the long diagonal for the Bishop on g7! Nh5 20. Qd2 Rfb8 21. Rb1 Ng3! So eliminates one defender. It's over now. 22. Nxg3 Rxb2 23. Bd4 Rxa2+ 24. Nxa2 Rxb1+ 0-1

The event also served as the country's national championships, including that for the women. In a surprise result, last-minute replacement Ylem Jose who is, I am informed, the captain of the Far Eastern University women's chess team, finshed on top with 8.5 points. The question now is: should she get a guernsey for the Olympiad?

Note that the RP squad listed in this post is still subject to further review. It turns out that the names are only nominees.

RP 2010 Olympiad Team

I've just checked Olympiad registration site to find out about the RP squad and it looks like we now have a team. According to that site, the following will comprise both the Philippine men's and women's teams (in no particular order).

Abraham, Tolentino (Captain)
Gomez, John Paul
Laylo, Darwin
So, Wesley
Torre, Eugenio
Antonio, Rogelio Jr

Legaspi, Edmundo (Captain)
Perena, Catherine
Cua, Shercila
Cua, Sherily
Bernales, Christy Lamiel
Camacho, Cheradee

The men retain 3 players from two years earlier with So, Laylo and Gomez getting a guernsey. Villamayor is out and is replaced by another veteran, Antonio. Interestingly, the Pinoy legend Torre is back in for OTB action after his stint as captain in the last Olympiad. The skipper's duties go to some dude named Abraham Tolentino. I've never heard of him, so perhaps some of ourRP-based readers can elucidate.

On the distaff side, there's only one change to the lineup with Rivera dropped and replaced by another Cua, Shercily.

Asian Tournaments in RP

GMA News in The Philippines is reporting that 2 big events will take place in the country later this year, starting with the $55,000 Asian Continental Individual men's and women's championships in April.

"Aside from juicy cash prizes totaling $40,000 for the men’s side and $15,000 for the women’s, the 2010 Asian Continental Individual Championships will stake four berths to the 2011 World Chess Cup scheduled in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia", says the news service.

Paragua To Break World Record

The 500-board simul world record that is currently held by Iranian GM Morteza Mahjoob could soon be broken by Pinoy GM Mark Paragua. Marlon Bernardino reports that the Mark will aim for 600 boards!

Taking on mostly 600 patzers at the same time, well, that's always an achievement, ain't it. Frankly, GM Paragua, the first Pinoy to reach "Super Grandmaster" status as Bernardino reminds us, ought to try and return to that elite company. Stick to serious chess, not this sideshow stuff.

But then again, when you've got a giant like a certain Wesley So casting such a shadow, what can you do?

By the way, go to the FIDE database, select Philippines, list by rating, then search. I get zero results. Nada.

13th Pinoy GM from Malaysia

The resurgence of Philippine chess stepped up again yesterday as yet another Pinoy player finally reached the rank of grandmaster. IM Ronald Dableo defeated Indonesian GM Susanto Megaranto in the ninth and final round of the Malaysian Open to secure his third grandmaster norm. Dableo thus becomes the Philippines' 13th grandmaster.

Dableo actually finished the event with 7 points, the same as GM Parimarjan Negi, but the Indian had a superior tiebreak and so was declared overall winner.

In the final game Negi had to beat another Pinoy, IM Emmanuel Senador. Senador, who led the tournament going into that last bout, sadly had to settle for 6.5 points - the same as 8 others that included six grandmasters. However, Senador can be very happy that he goes home from KL with his first ever GM norm.

Among the Aussie contingent Melbourne pair FM Igor Goldenberg and Dromagoj Dragicevic tallied 5 points each.

Final table is here.

3 Pinoys in Khanty-Mansiysk

He did it. GM Darwin Laylo not only books a seat in the World Chess Cup but he also took out the Zone 3.3 tournament that finished yesterday in Vietnam. Needing just a draw to secure first place, Laylo did better by beating his last round opponent, Singapore's GM Zhong Zhang rated 2613.

Below is my fave of his nine games from the event. It's a nice squeeze of Indonesian GM Megaranto.

2009 Zone 3.3, Vietnam
Laylo, Darwin
Megaranto, Susanto
E32

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Nbd2 b6 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 Bb7 7. g3 O-O 8. Bg2 d6 9. O-O a5 10. b3 Nbd7 11. Bb2 Qe7 12. Qc3 Rfe8 13. Rad1 Be4 14. Rfe1 c6 15. Nd2 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 Rec8 17. e4 d5 18. Qf3 Qd8 19. a4 Rab8 20. Ba3 dxe4 21. Nxe4 Nxe4 22. Rxe4 Nf6 23. Rf4 b5 24. d5 cxd5 25. axb5 e5 26. Rf5 Qe8 27. Bd6 e4 28. Qf4 Rb6 29. Bc7 Rb7 30. b6 a4 31. Rxf6 gxf6 32. cxd5 e3 33. bxa4 e2 34. Re1 Qd7 35. d6 Qc6+ 36. Kg1 Qd5 37. Qg4+ 1-0

As expected, GM Wesley So claimed the second place and he, too, will be off to the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. In fact, both So and Laylo will join fellow Pinoy GM Rogelio Antonio in the World Cup. Antonio had already earlier qualified courtesy of his 6th place finish in the Asian Individual Chess Championships held in May 2009.

Barcenilla is New Pinoy GM

Pinoy chess fans rejoiced today as they learned of news that yet another of their countrymen has become the next grandmaster. Campaigning in the Copper State International Chess Championships in Arizona, USA - international master Rogelio Barcenilla beat GM Zviad Izoria of Georgia to bag his third and final GM norm.

That game is available on the USCF website.

Barcenilla will be the Philippines' 12th grandmaster. The others are Wesley So, Eugene Torre, JP Gomez, Mark Paragua, Rogelio Antonio Jr., Darwin Laylo, Joseph Sanchez, Bong Villamayor, Jayson Gonzales, Nelson Mariano and the late Rosendo Balinas Jr.

Embarassment for RP Chess

Take it from me, there's plenty of Pinoys who want to bolt out of their country. Not too many folks want to get in. Except that is, if you're a chess player - like the mob of Uzbeks and one Kazakh who were apparently en route to the Asian Championships only to fail getting in because no one on RP bothered to help!

Chessbase has the juice on this apparent "scandal". They quote an open letter from GM Filippov.

We arrived at Kuala Lumpur on the 12th May, took a taxi and were at the Philippine embassy at 9:30 a.m. After submitting our documents, we heard back that we have to wait for five days. My claim that I had e-mailed documents and invitations a week ago was met with an open lie that they had received nothing, later replaced with "your documents were late anyway."

What can I say but welcome to Philippine bureaucracy! Read more here.

RP Launches National Academy

While a few of the regular furnishings of Australian chess are at it again over on ChessChat, this time over the format of the next Juniors Championships to be held in Hobart - the Phillippines, on the other hand, are getting on with the business of creating future grandmasters. RP's Department of Education and the national chess body signed a memorandum of agreement wherein both organisations will work towards an amazing target of "90 percent chess literacy and regain Philippine chess supremacy in Asia" through a new institution named the National Chess Academy.

Education Secretary Jesli Lapus was quoted as saying, "It is because chess is considered a game that encourages a higher level of thinking that DepEd this year will start teaching it in elementary and high school."

Apart from the aims mentioned above, other goals of the new NCA are to produce a Pinoy GM ranked in the top 10 in the world as well as to climb up to the top 10 in the Olympiad.

Next time you, my Aussie readers, spot an ACF official, tap them on the shoulder and ask: "So buddy, what's your plan for the future?"

And by the way, I wish all juniors and parents the best of time in Hobart. It's a gorgeous town with fresh, clean and crisp air. It's also been recently dubbed "Tasmanian Angel" by Monocle magazine.

Wesley Enters Top 100

The Philippines' GM Wesley So has achieved yet another milestone with the release of FIDE's April rating list. Fifteen year old Wesley moves ever closer to that coveted super-GM status thanks to his new rating of 2641. That places him in 89th spot among the Top 100 players in the world!

To top off that wonderful news, Wesley has also just retained this year's edition of "Battle of the GMs".

Better Thinking Through Chess

I was kinda moved by this. Lisa Luhay teaches five subjects, all for USD$16,000 before taxes! Latterly she included chess in her school's curriculum. The results were outstanding.

Every one of my students learned to play chess this year. What's more, they all began to think more clearly and often, and think before they acted. Achievers blossomed and borderline drop-outs are now making the honor roll and are seriously thinking about college and jobs that do not involve fries or result in an orange jumpsuit and leg irons.

Think of the potential. During a time when funds are running dry, if they've not already evaporated, and handwringing about how to turn children into thinkers seems to be growing, a chess movement in education could be just what we need to begin to revive education.

Many of my students face the threat of expulsion for not being able to pay their tuition. Other students have been accepted to college, but have failed to find any funding. This is absurd and sad.

Read more in Why my students asked Obama to play chess with them.

And in a somewhat related news, the Philippines' Department of Education has announced that chess will now be part of physical education classes among grade 3-6 elementary school students throughout the country. Excellent development for a country that is slowly clawing its way back to being an Asian superpower in this wonderful game.

Sanchez Grabs GM Norm

It looks like the Philippines is set to have it's eleventh ever grandmaster. IM Joseph Sanchez finished the just completed 23 Cannes International Open with 6.5 points from nine games, enough for him to bag his third and final GM norm. All he needs to do now, of course, is raise his rating to the required 2500 level mark and he'll be a GM.

Bobby Ang reports that Sanchez led the tournament until the last round when he was finally beaten by the Morrocan GM Hichem Hamdouchi. GM Bauer was declared winner on tiebreak.

Below are the list of Pinoy GMs to date.

Eugene Torre
Rosendo Balinas Jr (deceased)
Rogelio Antonio Jr
Buenaventura Villamayor
Nelson Mariano II
Mark Paragua
Wesley So
Darwin Laylo
Jayson Gonzales
John Paul Gomez

Inside Philippine Chess, Book 2

As we find ourselves again in the festive season, I'm sure some of you are busy creating your wishlist for Santa. For yours truly, top on that list is Chessbase 10. The starter package will do, thank you very much Santa dearest. And would you believe that I still don't even have a single copy of the "My Predecessors" series? Yes, those books are also on my list.

But one item that really ought to be on anyone's wishlist is book two of "Inside Philippine Chess" by RP-based columnist and ex-Olympiad team captain, Bobby Ang. The book is basically a selection of many articles by Bobby from over the years.

Like the first volume, which was published eight years ago, this second book chronicles some key events in Philippine chess history, the important personalities and the chess games that were so crucial to bringing glory to RP chess. Here’s the list of chapter headings:

• GM Eugene Torre, the Legend
• GM Rosendo Balinas Jr., Conqueror of Odessa
• Remember the Tagle Variation
• NM Ramon Lontoc Jr.
• The Bandal Clan
• IM Andronico Yap (1961-1990)
• Filipinos in the Olympiads (1956-2006)
• Bong Villamayor, GM in 42 Days
• GM Nelson Mariano
• GM Mark Paragua, Final GM Norm
• FIDE Master Anton Paolo del Mundo
• Favorites

The chapter on Balinas alone is essential reading. Who knows, it might have been his careless remark to Polugaevsky that prompted the Russians to invite him to Odessa, apparently to teach him a lesson. But here was this lone Filipino who took on the might of Soviet chess and won! Balinas topped the Odessa International in1976 with 10/14, finishing above the likes of Alburt, Savon, Tukmakov and Tseitlin.

Take a look at his win over the 1971 USSR Champion, Vladimir Savon.

Odessa 1976
Balinas, Rosendo Carrean
Savon, Vladimir A
A73

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 e6 4. Nc3 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. e4 g6 7. Nf3 Bg7 8. Be2 O-O 9. O-O Nbd7 10. a4 Qe7 11. Nd2 a6 12. f4 Rb8 13. Kh1 b6 14. Nc4 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Qxe4 16. Nxd6 Qe7 17. Nxc8 Rbxc8 18. Bxa6 Rcd8 19. Qb3 Nf6 20. Qxb6 Rxd5 21. Qb3 Rd4 22. a5 Ne4 23. Qf3 c4 24. Be3 Rd3 25. Rfe1 Bxb2 26. Bxc4 Rc3 27. Rab1 Rxc4 28. Rxb2 Qa3 29. Rb5 Re8 30. Re5 Rxe5 31. fxe5 Qxa5 32. Rf1 Qd5 33. Bh6 Rc3 34. Qf4 g5 35. Bxg5 Rc6 36. Bf6 Nxf6 37. exf6 h6 38. Qxh6 1-0

Well, you know, as they say, “RESPECT!” But it wasn’t always so. In the 1968 Olympiad (Lugano, Switzerland) the Philippines managed to defeat England in a preliminary match 2.5-1.5. It provoked the then England skipper, IM Harry Golombek, to remark, “[T]hese little pygmies can play chess!”

Florencio Campomanes, serving as captain for RP, shot back, “[O]f course we can you big hairy ape.”

This one is among the many little stories which the reader will find in the chapter, “Filipinos in the Olympiads (1956-2006)”. However, if I had any criticism of this book at all, it is that this chapter does seem inadequate. For such a long history in the big event, RP in the Olympiad could probably fill a whole book!

(As an aside, and speaking of a nation’s history at the Olympiad, I can inform you that at least two well-placed men, independent of one another, each began to write about Australia's experience at this event. Very sadly, both projects are presently on hold).

The section on “Favorites” is a collection of shorter articles including one about Bobby Fischer’s connection with the Pinoys. Our writer, Mr Ang, puts it very simply in the end about the great Fischer: “[Y]ou should remember only his games. Forget about the man.”

Finally, for a nation with a long chessic history, it is inevitable that an opening system should find its original roots in a Filipino. Take for example the now popular “English Defence”. Did you know that this was once known as the “Henrysky Opening”, named after a certain Pinoy man Henry Mariano? But how then did it become the English? Here’s a hint: Tony Miles “stole” it! Bobby Ang gives the following game as the system’s debut in an important tournament.

Hastings 1976
Farago, Ivan
Miles, Anthony J
A40

1. d4 b6 2. c4 Bb7 3. Nc3 e6 4. e4 Bb4 5. Qc2 Qh4 6. Bd3 f5 7. g3 Qh5 8. Be2 Qf7 9. f3 fxe4 10. fxe4 Nf6 11. d5 O-O 12. Nf3 Qg6 13. Bd3 Qh5 14. O-O Na6 15. a3 Bxc3 16. bxc3 Nc5 17. Be3 Nxd3 18. Qxd3 exd5 19. exd5 Nxd5 20. cxd5 Rxf3 21. Rxf3 Qxf3 22. Rd1 Ba6 23. Qd2 Bc4 24. Bf4 d6 25. h4 Rf8 26. Kh2 Be2 27. Rg1 Re8 28. Rg2 Bc4 29. Rf2 Qe4 30. Qd4 Bxd5 31. Qxe4 Rxe4 32. h5 h6 33. g4 Rc4 0-1

“Inside Philippine Chess Vol. 2” deserves to be on your shopping list for Christmas. A must-read for Pinoy chess lovers, especially. If you’re interested in reading more of Bobby Ang’s columns, go to Indochess.

Estimo: RP Chessers Doomed

This seems like it's a badly timed opinion piece given that there is still one more round to play, but I suppose Sammy Estimo just had to vent.

Our team to the Dresden Chess Olympiad was doomed even before it left. Its composition—from a faulty national qualifying system—and board assignments were pitiful.

Top officials of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), led by Prospero Pichay and Abraham Tolentino, could not be persuaded to include veteran Grandmaster Eugene Torre in the lineup, and that presaged the sorry campaign of our team, once a board terror in previous Olympiads.

Read more in RP chess squad doomed from the start.

Eugene Torre Speaks Out

Here's something in my inbox from Bobby Ang that I thought we better post quickly. This ought to clarify once and for all the behind the scenes story involving Eugene Torre and the RP Olympiad qualification tournament which he, of course, "missed".

The Philippine Grand Finals, which also served as the qualifier for the Olympiad team, took place from July 1-13, 2008. GM Eugene Torre’s letter of request for inclusion to the Chess Olympiad Team dated June 16, 2008 was handed, a day or two later, to the NCFP. The request to be seeded, therefore, was made two weeks BEFORE the Finals, and not during nor after. Mr. Recah Trinidad posted this letter belatedly, on Sept. 25, in his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, without mentioning the date. GM Torre wants it to be known that he had nothing to do with the publication of this letter, for it led to the wrong impression that he asked to be seeded even after the composition of the Philippine team was announced. The unfortunate timing of this column was a disservice both to Mr. Prospero Pichay, the President of the NCFP, and also to Eugene himself as it may have left a lasting negative impression on both parties that neither of them deserved. So a good advice to everyone contributing his opinion is to exercise a little caution and show some respect. Be responsible. Temper the enthusiasm to contribute an opinion based merely on hearsay or rumor (or maybe even from some unseen hand). Let us not heap additional garbage to that already clogging the Internet.

That came from Bobby's column today for Business World Online. Read more here.

Torre is Dresden Bound

He gets to go to the Olympiad after all. GMA news is reporting that the National Chess Fed of the Philippines has appointed GM Eugene Torre as the non-playing captain of the men's team.

Legend Torre in the Lead

We shouldn't be surprised, not at all, but frankly I almost couldn't believe it! That Pinoy legend Eugene Torre is currently in the joint lead, with Zhang Zong, on 6.5 points in the ongoing 3rd PGMA Cup in Manila.

Torre began with 5 straight wins, beating grandmasters Li Shilong and Kazhgaleyev before coming to a momentary halt with a draw against GM Zhang Zhong in the sixth round. Then Torre posted another win in the seventh against yet another GM, Li Chao of China, before finally losing his round 8 game to GM Mikhail Mchedlishvili.

Where is Wesley So, you wonder?

The kid is way down in twenty-third spot with just 4.5 points! Again, almost unbelievable. All his recent foreign forays must have taken their toll. In round 2, the current Pinoy number 1 lost out to compatriot IM John Paul Gomez in this super sharp French Advance. A pretty finish, too.

3rd PGMA Cup
So, Wesley
Gomez, John Paul
C11

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qd2 b5 9. a3 Bb7 10. Ne2 Be7 11. Ng3 O-O 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Qf2 Ne4 14. Nxe4 dxe4 15. Nd2 f6 16. exf6 Bxf6 17. O-O-O Ne7 18. g3 Rc8 19. Nc4 Nd5 20. Nb6 Qc7 21. Nxc8 Rxc8 22. Bd4 e3

Position after 22...e3

23. Qe2 Nxf4 24. gxf4 Bxh1 25. c3 Qxf4 26. Bh3 Bf3 27. Bxe6+ Kh8 28. Qxe3 Bg5 29. Bxc8 Qh4 30. Bxg7+ Kxg7 31. Rg1 Bg2 0-1

As for the Aussie, IM Alex Wohl, the man must be enjoying too much of the local cuisine. He's nowhere near in it, having posted only 3.5 points from his eight games.

NCFP Launches New Site

The National Chess Fed of the Philippines has a new website. Not exactly in keeping with the current fad of web 2.0 sites, with that sort of misty look, but it's definitely an improvement from the last version. The only big problem I've noticed is that clicking on "Tournament" forces you to upgrade your browser! Is that Netscape I see?

Screenshot courtesy of Fireshot

In other RP news, the 3rd PGMA Cup begins today and will finish on the 13th September. It's a pretty damn strong tournament. And just announced this week will be a match between Wesley So and the country's first GM, the legenday Eugene Torre. Here's an item from Marlon Bernardino in the Cebu Daily News.

Torre vs So

Last Friday, RP's Inquirer newspaper reported on an upcoming match between Pinoy legend Eugene Torre and Wesley So. The players will fight over a prize totaling some P1 million (about AUD$25,000 / USD$22,5000).

Read here.

Chess Critic Renews Attack

While GM Wesley So battles it out in the World Juniors and while the rest of his team-mates are no doubt preparing for the Dresden Olympiad, the higher echelons of Philippine chess today comes under renewed attack. But first, a reminder of this and later, this parry from Bobby Ang.

The latest salvo over this "oursourcing" issue comes from the pen of one Sammy Estimo. Our Pinoy readers will need no reminding that Mr Estimo has lately been an ardent critic of the NCFP and, in particular, its current head Prospero Pichay. Just read my posts here, for example. Quoted in today's Philippine Daily Inquirer, Estimo writes:

The NCFP is a rudderless sports boat being run by two or three officials.

Important policy decisions are arbitrarily made and rammed down the throats of chess players. Grandmasters and national players are banned without due process only to be allowed to play again depending on the temper and caprices of NCFP leaders.

GMs Eugene Torre and Joey Antonio opted to be out of the Philippine team for the first time in 19 Olympiads.

Between them, they hold practically all national chess titles since 1970.

This is their way of protesting the uncertain state of Philippine chess under the present NCFP leadership, whose legitimacy is still pending before a court of law because the reigning officials were allegedly put into office by only 36 out of more than 500 voting clubs nationwide!

Read more in RP chess: Splendid or sick0?