Buntong-hininga!

Hi there!

For the non-Filipino readers, buntong-hininga simply means to heave a sigh of relief... as in hay! hay! hay! That statement pretty much describe what I've been feeling about chess in the land and the current happenings in our country. Politicos getting the suspension orders from DILG, cases filed against them etc.

Why can't we have the discipline for our own sake? Anyways, that question has been raised by almost everyone once (or maybe daily) in their lifetime.

Here is The Weekender of Mr. Manny Benitez:

Top juniors start fight for National Crown today

LEADING players of both genders, aged 20 and below, begin today their fight for the national junior crown at The Marketplace of Mandaluyong City, the same venue where 511 boys and girls competed for the age-group titles from Monday to Friday.

In fact, some of the winners in the Under-18 and Under-16 groups will likely turn up for this year’s edition of the five-day, nine-round National Junior Championships.

Among those expected to join the Big Fight are Under-18 champions Paulo James Florendo and Aices Salvador and some of their runners-up, and Under-16 champions Karl Victor Ochoa and Rulp Ylem Jose, also along with their runners-up. All of them were the favorites.

Winners of the National Juniors and the National Age Groups are to represent the country in the regional and global competitions to be held later this year abroad.

The country’s foremost child prodigy, 13-year-old IM Wesley So, did not take part in the Age-Group contests and is not expected to compete in the National Juniors, either.

Wesley, who is the reigning national open champion, already has one GM norm and need two more to become a grandmaster. He now has a GM rating, 2519, and ranks fourth in the country, next only to GMs Joey Antonio, Eugene Torre and Mark Paragua.

Sharing the limelight with Under-18 champions Florendo and Salvador were the winners in the five other age groups, but the most impressive in their victories were champions Jan Emmanuel Garcia of the Under-12 group and John Fleer Donguines, son of FM Fernie, of the Under-8.

Both swept through their events undefeated, Garcia beating all his nine rivals and Donguines all seven of them, too.

Garcia, who enters high school next month at the Ateneo, finished 2.5 points ahead of his closest rivals—Vince Angelo Medina, Prince Mark Aquino, Eugene Samonte and Aldous Roy Coronel.

One of the most exciting fights was the final encounter between Florendo and Jesus Alfonso Datu for the U18 crown.

Their lively exchanges attracted a large crowd with Florendo eventually outlasting Datu, who finished just half a point behind the champion’s 7.0.

It was a heartbreaking loss for Datu, who had to settle for fourth place under the tie-breaking formula adopted by the tournament arbiters.

In second and third places also with 6.5 points were Ivan Gil Biag and Leo Daylo Jr. Two others who had the same score were Nelson Mariano III and Andrew Delfin, who took the fifth and sixth slots.

The Age-Group Championships drew the biggest number of participants—511. Among the boys, the U16 group had the most contestants, 77, followed by the U14 61, U12 59 and U18 48. A total of 315 boys entered the event.
Among the girls, who totaled 195, the biggest group was the U12 with 43, followed by U14 34. U16 30, and U18 27.

The boy champions and their runners-up:

Under 8—John Fleer Donguines, Rhenzie Kyle Sevillano, Jeth Romy Morado, Robin Ignacio, and Danrev Garcia.

Under 10—Jerad Docena, Giovanni Mejia, Elijah Maliam, Homel Aristotle Cunanan, and Austin Jacob Literatus.

Under 12—Jan Emmanuel Garcia, Vince Angelo Medina, Prince Mark Aquino, Eugene Samonte, and Aldous Roy Coronel.

Under 14—Haridas Pascua, Loren Brigham Laceste, Lennon Hart Salvados, Marc Christian Nazario, Jesse Abucejo.

Under 16—Karl Victor Ochoa, Adrian Perez, Richelieu Salcedo III, John Ranel Morazo, and Jude Emil Fronda.

Under 18—Paulo James Florendo, Ivan Gil Biag, Leo Daylo Jr., Jesus Alfonso Datu, Nelson Mariano III.

The girl champions and their runners-up:

Under 8—Samantha Glo Revita, Marie Antoinette San Diego, Michella Felia, Sara Mae Pandy, and Mikaela Gutierrez.

Under 10—Mira Mirano, Maria Yssabelle Semillano, Jemime Valdez, Dhona Yngayo, and Joerlz Gimony.

Under 12—Brena Mae Membrere, Arvie Lozano, Rowelyn Joy Acedo, Mariel Batulan, and Maria Teresa Betonio.

Under 14—Chardene Cheradee Camacho, Jan Jodilyn Fronda, Akiko Chairmaine Suede, Adelaide Lim, and Vianca Camille Canada.

Under 16—Kimberly Cunanan, Kathleen Anne Mendoza, Joy Demonteverde, Jedara Docena, and Andrea Ibañez.

Under 18—Aices Salvador, Rulp Ylem Jose, Marie Angeli Dimakiling, Jaquilyn Sales, and Ronna Reigner Senora.

The annual tournament was organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines under Team Unity senatorial candidate Prospero Pichay and is sponsored by the Tagaytay City Mayor Abraham “Bembol” Tolentino, NCFP secretary-general.


NO. 10 U.S. JUNIOR PLAYER IN TIE FOR FIRST TO FOURTH
Cholo Banawa tops LA County Open

FORMER Philippine Under-14 champion Joel “Cholo” Banawa finished in a tie for first to fourth in the Los Angeles County Open held at Monterey Park last weekend, April 28-29.

The 17-year-old California-based United States master, who ranks No. 10 among US junior players in the latest standings, turned back American Ryan Richardson in the fifth and final round to score 4.5 points from five rounds with three others.

Banawa (2391) landed the second prize on tiebreak, with the lone grandmaster in the 65-man field, 37-year-old Russian-American Melikset Khachiyan (2542), taking top honors.

Two others who finished with the same score, Eugene Yanayt(2356) and Robert Akopyan (2220), took the third and fourth prizes.

Carlos Garcia (2140) and John R. Williams (2067) tied for fifth and sixth places, followed by eight others led by Japanese-American Takashi Kurosaki in seventh to 14th with 3.5 each.

The young Banawa went through the event undefeated and conceded only one draw—with Yanayt.

Besides Richardson, Cholo’s victims were Henry Yan, Leo Raterman and Kurosaki.

With their parents, Cholo and his elder brother, Jouaquin “Jake,” left their Fairview home in Novaliches, Quezon City for the US in 2004.

Jake, a national master here, has retained his NCFP affiliation while Cholo, ranked No. 1 California junior player and No. 10 in the whole USA, is now a full-fledged member of the US Chess Federation.

Their team, “Ho’s the American Idol?”, tied for first to third in the recent American Amateur Team West Championship.

Jake and Cholo manned the top two boards of their team.

Last year, Cholo represented the US in the World Youth Festival in Batami, Georgia.
—Marlon Bernardino

Camer wins Rooty Hill weekend rapid in Sydney

FORMER Parañaque City non-master Angelito Camer captured the first prize in the weekend rapid tournament organized by the RSL Chess Club in Sydney’s suburban Rooty Hill.

Now a bus operator in Australia, Camer is recognized as one of the top players in Sydney.

“I entered the event to play with fellow Filipinos Living in Rooty Hill and elsewhere in Sydney,” he said in Tagalog.

Camer is coming home for a brief vacation next month to stand as one of the sponsors of the wedding of his friend, Verth Alora, in Anda, Pangasinan. He also plans to compete in local tournaments during his home leave.

In the RSL Rapid, Camer battled another Filipino, Francis Picart, to a draw in the seventh and final round to keep his leadership with 6.0 points from five wins and two draws.

In other thrilling final-round games, Noel Mangrobang took the measure of Rolando Gonzales while Davao City pride :evi Descallar defeated Rick Carballo.

Mangrobang settled for second prize with 5.0 points while Descallar and Picart shared the third and fourth prizes. They had 4.5 each.

Benny Galvez, a native of San Fernando City in La Union, tok the overall championship last week with an incredible score of 8.5 points out of nine games.

Three weeks ago, NMs Homer Cunanan and your correspondent shared top honors with 5.5 points from six games each.

Your correspondent visited Australia for 12 days during which he topped all Filipino entries in the Sydney Open in New South Wales.

The highlight of the annual event held in conjunction with the Pamaratta Festival in the Sydney suburb was your correspondent’s surprising victory over Russian Grandmaster Sergei Shipov in the the penultimate eighth round.—NM Marlon Bernardino

Ruben’s dazzling artistry

ONE thing can be said about many of the games of the late IM Ruben Rodriguez: dazzling and full of surprises, of fireworks erupting from tactical wizardry and artistry, but nevertheless often played with precision.

With the benefit of hindsight, one can say that if he had been given adequate support by the powers that were in Caissa’s realm, he should have been the country’s third grandmaster.

Of all the players who devoted all their time to the goddess Caissa, it was Rodriguez who was the best equipped.

Ruben was not only a brilliant chess player, he was a learned man—learned in the truest sense of the word—who lived a bohemian life because that suited best his artistic temperament. Besides, his was a truly free spirit that thrived on adventure, be it of the mind or of the emotion.

As recalled by journalist Ignacio Dee, IM Rodriguez spent much of his time reading not only chess books but also literary works, literature being the subject he majored in at college. In fact, Iggy recalls, Ruben could discuss intelligently with anyone any subject under the sun with gusto.

In chess, his search for artistry knew no bounds. In the prime of his career, his self-confidence and deep preparation enabled him to dazzle even the superstars of his era.

He often played with precision with either color although it can be said that he also had his share of blunders that players commit. But as a general rule, his resourcefulness bailed him out of trouble on many occasions.

• Ruben Rodriguez - Ljubomir Ljubojevic (YUG)
Rd. 11, Riga 1979
Queen’s Gambit, Tarrasch Defense (D32)

1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 e6 4.e3 d5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.d4 Nc6 7.Be2 Ne4 8.0–0 Be7 9.h3 On 9.dxc5 Be6 .0–0 10.Bd3 Bf5 11.dxc5 Bxc5 12.Na4 12.Qb3 Nd2 13.Bxd2 Bxd3 could lead to a draw Be7 13.b3 Qd6 14.Bb2 14.Nd4 Nxd4 15.exd4 Rae8! benefits Black Qg6 15.Ne1 Bxh3 Best was 15...Rad8 16.f3 Rad8 17.Qe2 Ng3 17...f5 was more precise 18.Bxg6 Restoring the equilibrium Nxe2+ 19.Kf2 hxg6 20.gxh3 b5 21.Kxe2 bxa4 22.Rc1 Rc8 23.bxa4 Rfe8 24.Nd3 Bg5 25.f4 Bf6 26.Bxf6 gxf6 27.Kd2 Na5 27...Kg7 was best 28.Nb4?? Handing over the advantage to the opponent: better was 28.Rxc8, e.g., 28…Rxc8 29.Nb4 Nc4+ 30.Ke2 Nd6, with equal chances f5?? Black loses his initiative Best was 28...Nc4+!, e.g. 29.Ke2 Rxe3+ 30.Kf2 Rxh3 31.Nxd5 Kg7! 29.Rxc8! Inferior is 29.Nxd5 Rcd8 30.Rc5 Nb7! Rxc8 30.Rc1 Not 30.Nxd5? because of 30...Rd8! Re8 31.Nxd5 Baiting his GM opponent Rd8?? Swallowing it hook, line and sinker 32.Rc8!!

After 32.Rc8!!
Surprise! Surprise!
32…Rxc8 33.Ne7+ Kg7 34.Nxc8 a6 34...Nc6 35.Kc3 f6 36.h4 was better 35.Nd6 Kf6 36.Kc3 Ke6 37.Kb4 Nc6+ 38.Kc5 Kd7? 38...Nd8 should be tried 39.Nb7 Missing 39.Nxf7, e.g., 39...a5 40.h4! Ne7 40.Na5 f6 41.h4 Kc7 42.Nb3 Kd7 43.Nd4 Nc8 44.Nc6 Ke6 45.a5 Nd6 46.Nb8 Ne4+ 47.Kc6 Nc3 48.Nxa6 Nxa2 49.Nc7+ Ke7 50.Nd5+ Kd8 51.a6 Mate is in the air, e.g., 51…Ke8 52.a7 Kf7 53.a8=Q g5 54.Kd7 gxf4 55.Ne7 Kg7 56.Qg8+ Kh6 57.Qh8#!
1–0

• Walter Shawn Browne - Ruben Rodriguez
Rd. 5, Lone Pine 1974
Sicilian Richter-Rauzer

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bg5 e6 7.Qd2 a6 8.0–0–0 Bd7 9.f4 Be7 10.Nf3 b5 11.Bxf6 gxf6 12.Kb1 Rc8 13.f5 Qb6 If 13...h6 14.Qe1 14.Bd3 14.Qh6! would have gained a clear advantage? h5 15.fxe6 15.Qf4 b4 16.Ne2 Qa5 fxe6 16.Ne2 Bf8 16...Qa5 17.Qe3 would have equalized 17.Nf4 On 17.Qf4 Rh6, with White having the edge Rh6 Better was 17...Bh6 18.g3 Qc5! 18.e5 fxe5 19.Ng6 Bg7 20.Be4 Nd4 21.Nxd4 exd4 22.Rhf1 Rc7 23.Qg5 Missing his best shot, 23.Rf8+!, e.g., 23…Bxf8 24.Nxf8 Bc6 24.Rde1 Bxe4 25.Rxe4 e5 26.Qf5 26.Nh4 should be played, e.g., 26...d5 27.Re2 Qc6! Wresting the initiative and lead 27.Re2 27.Rf2 Qc4 28.Qg5 Rf7 would have given White the lead Qc4 28.Ref2 d3 29.cxd3 Qg4 30.Nf8 Qxf5 31.Rxf5 d5 32.h3 If 32.d4 e4 e4 33.Rxd5 Bxf8 34.dxe4 Rg6 35.Rf2 h4 36.Rh5 Be7 37.Rh7 Re6 38.Rf4 On 38.Rh8+ Kd7 Rc4 39.g3 39.Rh8+ was best hxg3 40.Rg7 Bd6 41.Rh4 Rf6 More decisive was 41...Rexe4!?, e.g., 42.Rh8+ Bf8 43.a3! 42.Rh8+ Rf8 43.Rxf8+ Kxf8 44.Rg6 Ke7 45.Rg4 Be5 46.h4 Rc6 47.a4 b4 48.Rg5 Kd6 49.h5 49.Ka2 offered the only chance for counterplay: 49...Rc2 50.Kb3 Rxb2+ 51.Kc4 b3 50.h6 Rc1+!

After 50…Rc1+!
A sacrifice that clinches the point.

51.Kxc1 Bf4+! 52.Kd1 Bxg5! 0–1

And of course, Mr. Bobby Ang's Chess Piece:

European Championship

HERE are the 29 qualifiers from the European Continental Championship to the Khanty Mansysk World Cup which is scheduled to be held towards the end of this year.
8th European Championship
March 8-15, 2007
Dresden, Germany
1-7 GM Vladislav Tkachiev FRA 2652, GM Emil Sutovsky ISR 2637, GM Dmitry Jakovenko RUS 2708, GM Dusko Pavasovic SLO 2567, GM Ivan Cheparinov BUL 2646, GM Konstantin Sakaev RUS 2633, IM Artem Iljin RUS 2538, 8.0/11
8-17 Qualified by virtue of having the 10 highest tie-breaks: GM Andrei Volokitin UKR 2654, GM Jan Gustafsson GER 2588, GM Evgeny Tomashevsky RUS 2641, GM Zoltan Almasi HUN 2675, GM Vladimir Malakhov RUS 2679, GM Alexander Galkin RUS 2590, GM Viktor Laznicka CZE 2608, GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu ROM 2693, GM Vladislav Nevednichy ROM 2528, GM Konstantin Landa RUS 2608, 7.5/11
18-29 Qualified by virtue of winning KO matches: GM Sergey Volkov RUS 2640, GM Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2592, GM Pavel Eljanov UKR 2686, GM Boris Avrukh ISR 2644, GM Michael Roiz ISR 2605, GM Alexei Iljushin RUS 2501, GM Alexander Motylev RUS 2642, GM Sergei Tiviakov NED 2663, GM Bartosz Socko POL 2641, GM Evgeniy Najer RUS 2624, GM Grzegorz Gajewski POL 2540, GM Robert Markus SRB 2567, 7.5/11

As reported last Friday it was Tkachiev who won the top prize after the tie-break matches. Andrei Volokitin was leading almost the entire tournament but was taken down by Jakovenko in the last round. But you know what? If we look at performance ratings which factors in the strength of opposition against the actual points scored, none of the three top the list.

It was the 31-yr old Slovenian GM Dusko Pavasovic who performed best. He faced the toughest opposition and scored victories over super-GMs Loek Van Wely, Alexander Moiseenko and Zahar Efimenko. Four of his five wins were with Black – take a look at his high-wire act:

Van Wely,Loek (2674) - Pavasovic,Dusko (2567) [D31]
8th ch-Euro Dresden GER (7), 09.04.2007

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c6 4.e4

This is the Marshall Gambit in the Slav. I have played hundreds of games as Black and can attest that it is completely sound. Let us follow this for several more moves before commenting further.
4...dxe4 5.Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+

Black is a pawn up but the absence of his dark-squared bishop is going to tell on him.
8.Be2 Na6 9.Bd6

I had an opponent in the Internet Chess Club who almost always played 9.Bf8 here, with the obvious point that 9...Kxf8 is met by 10.Qd8 checkmate. Soon I found out that the correct reply to this move is 9...Qxg2! (9...Ne7 10.Bxg7 Rg8 is complicated) 10.Qd6 Bd7 11.Bf3 Qg5 12.h4 Qf6 13.0–0–0 0–0–0 14.Rd3 h5 15.Ne2 e5 and Black is two pawns up and on his way to consolidation.

9...Qxg2!?

This move has always been considered beyond the bounds of acceptable risk, but in the modern chess setting with computer-assisted analysis players have been more and more willing to invest several hours of time to calculating such "risky" lines and get definitive conclusions.

10.Qd2

The move 10.Qd4 brought Jobava (white) victory in the Batumi European Team Championship. I think Pavasovic (black) is willing to go into this because he had an improvement ready. In fact, I suspect it might be: 10...Nh6 11.0–0–0 Nf5 12.Qd2 and now Black has the powerful move 12...Qxf2! available. In the actual game Black missed this and continued 12...Nxd6 13.Bf3 Qg6 14.Bxc6+ bxc6 15.Qxd6 and with his king stuck in the center Black was in deep trouble. Jobava,B (2566)-Potkin,V (2493)/ Batumi Ech 2002 1–0 34.

Another possibility: 10.Bf3 Qg5 11.Ne2 Ne7 12.Rg1 Qa5+ 13.Kf1 e5 14.Bxe7 Bh3+ 15.Bg2 Bxg2+ 16.Rxg2 Kxe7 17.Rxg7 Rag8 was also favorable for Black. Arbakov,V (2445)-Nikitin,A (2471)/ Alushta 2002 0–1 (56).

10...Nf6

Of course not 10...Qxh1? 11.0–0–0 Qe4 12.Bg3 f6 13.Qd8+ Kf7 14.Bd6 h5 15.Bd3! time for Black to resign.

11.Bf3 Qg6 12.0–0–0 e5 13.Ne2
[13.Bxe5? 0–0 lets Black off the hook]

13...Bg4 14.Rhg1 0–0–0

Black's "risky" play has borne fruit. White's problems are: (1) the bishop on d6 instead of being a thorn on his opponent's side has become a liability - Black threatens the awkward ...Ne8, (2) he has to watch out for attack motifs based on ...Nb4 and ...Nxa2. Black cannot play it now because the b4 square is closely guarded, but once the queen on d2 moves it becomes a distinct possibility, (3) the biggest problem, of course, is that Black is two pawns up, and White has to drum up something right away.

15.Qe3?!

I am not sure this is the best. Perhaps he should have put the question on the bishop right away with 15.h3 Ne8 16.c5 (both 16.Bxg4+ f5 and 16.Rxg4 Qxd6 lead to a better endgame for Black) 16...Bxf3! 17.Rxg6 hxg6 18.Qe3 e4 Black has more than enough compensation for the queen but White is still fighting.

15...h5 16.h3

After 16.h3
16...Rxd6! 17.Rxd6 Nb4

Black threatens mate on c2 as well as ...Nxa2.

18.Qb3 Qh6+ 19.Kd1 Bxf3 20.Qxf3 Qh7! 21.Nc3

[21.Qb3 to stop ...Qc2+ is not a solution, because then comes 21...Ne4! attacking the rook and it has nowhere to go. Even 22.Qxb4 Nxd6 the knight is immune to capture because of ...Rd8]

21...Qc2+ 22.Ke1 e4 23.Qf5+ Kb8 24.Rxg7 Nd3+ 25.Kf1 Qc1+ 26.Kg2 Nf4+ 27.Kg3 Qg1+ 28.Kxf4 Qxf2+
[28...Qxg7? 29.Qxf6 it is White who wins]

29.Kg5?

After 29.Ke5! White still has the chance to survive, but he must have been tired by all the calculations he has had to do.

29...Qg3+ 30.Kxf6 Qxd6+ 31.Kg5
[31.Kxf7 Rf8#]

31...Qh6+ 0–1

In Dresden, 17 of the top 19 players were undefeated. Most of the GMs played solidly and played more to avoid loss than to win. Sakaev, for example, took a 102-move draw Tomas Petrik. At the time they shook hands most of the pieces and pawns were still on the board – they had been shuffling their pieces back and forth for 50 moves without a single pawn move or piece exchange!

The winner, Vladislav Tkachiev, played for a win only with White and went for short draws with Black. Even the wild attacker Emil Sutovsky took several short draws at the end to ensure his qualification.

Pavasovic is not a well-known GM, but it seems to me that he was the one who deserved the title of European Champion.

Wake-up Call

2007 PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL OPEN CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP
El Centro, Legenda Hotel, Subic Freeport Zone
April 11-19, 2007

Final Top Standings
1-3 GM Wang Yue CHN 2656, GM Zhang Zhong CHN 2621, GM Ni Hua CHN 2654, 7.0/9
4-5 GM Wang Hao CHN 2638, GM Zhao Jun CHN 2554, 6.5/9
6-8 GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami IRI 2599, GM Susanto Megaranto INA 2530, GM Li Shilong CHN 2552, 6.0/9
9-21 Li Chao CHN 2525, GM Eugene Torre PHI 2532, GM Utut Adianto INA 2587, GM Varuzhan Akobian USA 2574, IM Oliver Dimakiling PHI 2491, FM Julio Catalino Sadorra PHI 2407, IM Wesley So PHI 2519, GM Mark Paragua PHI 2532, Zhang Ziyang CHN 2323, GM Rogelio Antonio Jr PHI 2539, Mirabeau Maga PHI 2352, Anthony Makinano PHI 2310, IM Ronald Bancod PHI 2375, 5.5/9

Total of 59 participants

TODAY we turn over the mike to guest writer Manny Benitez, a veteran chess journalist:

“Whether we like it or not, the disastrous results for Filipino players (and fans) of the just-ended Philippine Open in the Subic Freeport show in the clearest light how we have fallen behind in this game of kings. We must take it as a wake-up call that should be heeded with earnest and decisive action.

“For too long, we have procrastinated about our training programs. We have refused to send trainers abroad. We were so myopic in our vision that we refused to bring excellent trainers from Europe or the United States for fear that they would bump off our local trainers.

“For too long, we ignored the signs that we were just too far behind other countries in this game we used to dominate in this part of the world. As early as the seventies and eighties, when our teams failed to win any prize in the yearly Asian Cities Championships in Hong Kong, we should have done something about it in all earnestness.

“Those portents of doom and gloom were many. I remember, for instance, the disaster that befell our players at the start of the new millennium, when a Chinese GM captured the Asian continental crown in Kolkata. Not one of our players, not even the formerly redoubtable Torre, came home with a prize.

“I remember more recently the disaster at the Turin Olympiad, the gloom that settled upon us after the First GMA Cup, the losses of our ill-trained Asian Zonal team in Doha, Qatar, and the miserable showing of our top players in the Southeast Asian Zonal championships in Phu Quoc, Vietnam.

“Ironically, too, Tagaytay’s victory in the 2004 Asian Cities lulled us once again into complacency, and in Tehran earlier this year, we lost the crown to Pavlodar of Kazakhstan. Luckily, and I really mean luckily, we managed to hold on to second place, thanks mainly to 13-year-old gold medalist Wesley So.

“And now, we try to justify our humiliation at the hands of visiting grandmasters right on home turf by saying that “the Chinese are really very strong.” No, the Chinese did not achieve that strength overnight. Yes, China has grown into a giant in chess in three decades while the Philippines has shriveled into a dwarf. And to think that our players outclassed the Chinese in the seventies! Pathetic, really.

“Let’s call a spade a spade. We Filipinos are too conceited to admit our weaknesses. Why, our players don’t even want to have their games published because they fear that their chess “secrets” will be known by their rivals! What secrets are they talking about? If they mean their bankruptcy of ideas, then I agree.

“One solid proof of how Philippine chess has stagnated is the fact that we still rely on Torre to take up the cudgels for the rest of our so-called masters who may not even know who Ruy Lopez was or that chess originated in Asia. Ignorance—that is the bane of Filipino players!

“Now, let’s get down to work.”

Thanks, Manny, for that wake-up call.

Panopio scores only win vs Chinese GMs

In the first round NM Rodolfo Panopio Jr was able to get in our first and only lick against the Chinese GMs by running roughshod over Zhao Jun. Here is the game:

Zhao Jun (2554) - Panopio,Rodolfo (2242) [C12]
Phil Open, Subic Bay Freeport Zone (1.8), 11.04.2007

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4

This is the MacCutcheon Variation of the French, which has lately undergone a rebirth with its adoption by GMs Morozevich, Korchnoi and Glek.

5.Nge2

The main line goes 5.e5 h6 6.Bd2 Bxc3 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qg4 and now both 8...g6 and 8...Kf8 have their adherents.

5...dxe4 6.a3 Be7 7.Bxf6 gxf6

Jun Panopio wants a fight and so unbalances the position. There is nothing wrong with 7...Bxf6 8.Nxe4 Nc6 9.c3 0–0 10.N2g3 e5 11.d5 Nb8 12.Nxf6+ Qxf6 13.Bd3 c6 14.dxc6 Nxc6 15.Qc2 g6 16.0–0 Be6 the position is equal. Polgar,S (2345)-Dolmatov,S (2580)/ Rome 1989 1/2 (23).

8.Nxe4 b6 9.Qd2?!

I am not quite sure what the idea is behind this rare move. Usually, if the queen wants to get out of the way of queenside castling it will position on f3 where it attacks both the a8-rook and the f6-pawn. The main line here is 9.N2c3 Bb7 10.Qf3 c6 11.0–0–0 f5 with equal chances.

9...Bb7 10.Qf4

Here we see the problem - by putting his queen on d2 white takes away the natural retreat square for the knight. After 10.N2c3 f5 11.Ng3 h5 12.0–0–0 h4 13.Nge2 c6 14.Nf4 Qd6 15.Bc4 Bg5 16.g3 Nd7 17.Rhe1 0–0–0 It is Black who has the better outposts for his pieces. Panov,V-Levenfish,G/ Tbilisi 1937 0–1 (41).

10...Nd7 11.h4

Played specifically to avoid any ...Bg5 nonsense after White castles queenside.

11...f5 12.N4c3 Nf6 13.f3 Qd6 14.Qe3 0–0–0 15.0–0–0
[15.Nb5 attacking queen and a7-pawn does not win anything. Black simply plays 15...Qd7 and White cannot capture the a7-pawn because ...Kb8 will win it]

15...a6 16.Kb1 c5 17.Na4 Kb8 18.Qb3 Ka7 19.Rd3?

After 19.Rd3
Very careless, as Black's next move will reveal.

19...Qc7!
Threatening ...c4.

20.dxc5 b5 21.Rxd8 Rxd8 22.Nac3 Nd7

Compare this postiion with that of the 19th move. Black's pieces are all in active positions while White's are getting in each other's way. In particular, his h1–rook is not easily developed.

23.Nc1 Nxc5 24.Qa2

Where else? The "sacrifice" 24.Qxb5 axb5 25.Nxb5+ Kb8 26.Nxc7 Kxc7 might give better chances, but Black's pieces are too active for it to work.

24...Bf6 25.Nd3
[25.Bxb5 is simply met by 25...Bxc3]

25...Bxc3 26.bxc3 Na4 27.Qb3 Nxc3+ 28.Kb2 Rc8 29.Kc1 Bd5 30.Qb2 e5 31.Nb4 Qc5 32.Nxd5 Qxd5 33.Bd3 e4 0–1

White resigns. 34.Bf1 is met by 34...Qd1 mate.
A very impressive game by Jun Panopio!

Bicol chess festival begins in Legaspi
THE Region V (Bicol) Chess Championships got under way yesterday at the People’s Hall of the Albay Provincial Capitol in Legaspi City.

Among the top favorites are NMs Ronald Llavanes and Onofre Espiritu.

Two other national masters, Carlo Lorena and Celestino Cain, are expected to give them a good fight for the P30,000 top prize.

The first runner-up will get P15,000, the second runner-up P10,000 and the third runner-up P5,000.

The event, which ends tomorrow, is being held under the auspices of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines.—Marlon Bernardino

FROM MY SWIVEL CHAIR

Let’s give ’em a better venue

PARENTS have complained to the Weekender about the not-too- healthful conditions at the place where the National Age-Group Championships were held for four days. I went there myself and found the complaints valid: not only was the playing hall overcrowded, the air-conditioning was not efficient.
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IN the first place, the hall was too small to accommodate the over 500 people—children and their parents—who went there. By my estimate, it could comfortably take in only 200 adults maximum. But even for children, the hall just wasn’t commodious enough.
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THE diamond-shaped dais serving as the stage had hollows on two sides that proved to be a pitfall for anyone hurrying to see or talk to someone onstage. I saw with my own eyes a mother who fell onto the floor with a bang. She told me she had hurt her shins. What if it was a child who fell down?
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THE air itself was not too clean: the trophies that had been placed on the table had gathered dust. I know because I was chosen by tournament director Willie Abalos to award the prizes in place of big boss Butch Pichay. After the rites, my hands were grimy.
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I WOULDN’T be surprised if some of those who competed in the four-day tournament would get sick. I myself have been coughing and suffering from an itchy throat since I first went there on Tuesday, opening day. As Botvinnik has emphasized, to be a good chess player, one must be in good health.
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I UNDERSTAND that La Salle is more than willing to have the NCFP use its gym and auditorium in Greenhills for children’s tournaments. The NCFP board should make the right choice, and not just the right move. No single individual must hold sway over the board’s collective judgment.
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IT was disappointing to find no news about the results of the age-group competitions in yesterday’s sports pages. To a daily newspaper’s staff and readers, today’s news is tomorrow’s history. The tournament ended early enough on Friday afternoon for yesterday’s morning dailies to get the news. But nothing of that sort came out.
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A LITTLE bird told me that there are those in the NCFP who believe the press is not a necessary component of the country’s chess development program. Whoever entertains this cockeyed notion has no appreciation of the role the press plays in a democracy. But do players care at all?
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Can you imagine a boxing bout between, say, Manny Pacquiao and Eric Morales without any report about it appearing in any newspaper in the world? Do you think tournaments can make chess popular even if the results aren’t read in the papers or heard on radio and seen on TV?
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ANY public event without any publicity will amount to nothing as far as promoting anything is concerned. A news item is better received than advertising jingles repeated with sickening regularity on radio or TV.

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Guys, Sir Manny wants to spread the word. If you or someone you know is interested to receive the complete The Weekende (TW), please write me here your email add and I will forward it to him.

Hey, before I go, I just felt that the tandem of The BANG and Mr. Manny B. is doing tremendously well in promoting chess thru their works, chess journalism! Thanks much and congratulations!

And that's The Weekender for now.