Battle of the Champions Results

Hi!

I was surprised the other day to receive an email from our chess friend, NM Erwin Carag with a file attachment containing the list of players joining the Battle of the Champions. And then I received the following another email from him containing the basic requirements of a chess player or something to that effect.

Yesterday, Erwin, surprised me once again, and continued to do so, this time, giving us updates on the recent happenings of the Battle of the Champions thru the SMS system. We are to be grateful for his efforts and generosity. Here they are:

Received June 18, 2007, 10:04 PM

Battle of Chess Champs Update:

Round of 16 players.

Wesley So vs. Barbosa
De Ramos vs. Tolentino
Dimakiling vs. Datu
Garcia vs. Biag
Lluch vs. De LA Cruz
Olay vs Causo
Dableo vs. Alsado
Nebato vs. Severino
Game starts 10 am. 4 will remain and on Wednesday, champ of champs will emerge.

Received June 18, 2007, 10:12 PM

Eliminated are Jose, Magno, Montoya, Yap and Ochoa. Tomorrow's matches will be best of 2. If tied at 1-1, a sudden death game called Armageddon set-up will be done to break the tie.

Received June 19, 2007, 2:35 PM

IM So vs. FM Severino
NM Tolentino vs IM Dableo
Ivan Biag vs Jake De LA Cruz
IM Dimakiling vs. NM Reggie Olay
ROUND OF 8 players na. Sander Severino, paraplegic, is ASEAN Paralympic Gold medalist in chess.

Received June 19, 2007, 5:50 PM

So eliminated Severino, 1.5-0.5.Nalo dapat Sander 2nd game. Dimakiling eliminated Olay. Biag wns vs Jake De La Cruz. Dableo defeated Rustom Tolentino in the tiebreak. Bukas So vs. Biag. Dimakiling vs. Dableo. Round of 4 players.

Received June 19, 2007, 7:52 PM

Please pass the update results to Tito Manny Benitez.Encoding of games will be done by Boy Rabe....... Many attest that the organization and officiating of Shell Battle of Champs is far better than some previous tourneys. TNX. As Frank Sinatra would say, start spreading the chess news.

And we also received emails from US and RP NM Marlon Bernardino

So, 2 others show way in Shell Battle of Champs


Teenage chess whiz Wesley So downed Sheider Nebato in 27 moves of a Pirc Defense to join two others at the helm with two victories at the start of the Shell Battle of the Champions chess tournament at SM Megamall's Atrium A yesterday.

The 13-year-old So, one of the four IMs seeing action in the event among champions of the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championships series, opened his bid with a victory over Rodel Alsado then stamped his class over Nebato to show the way in the five-round Swiss system elims.

But So, who topped the kiddies division of this annual event sponsored by Pilipinas Shell four years ago, is expected to have his hands full against fellow IM Oliver Dimakiling, his third round opponent. Dimakiling, the 1999 Shell active chess champion and veteran of the Asian Games, dumped Bryan Jose in 27 moves of a Two Knights game for his second win, while Julius de Ramos, the 2001 kiddies' titlist, humbled 1996 winner Edgar Reggie Olay of Davao in a marathon 54-move win of an English Opening to create a three-way tie for first. "I'll just the give my best each game," said So, the youngest Filipino to play in the Olympiad in Turin
last year, in Filipino. The three-day event, the highlight of the 15th anniversary celebration of the Shell active chess, gathers the winners of the annual talent-search, put up by Pilipinas Shell in 1992 to help develop the sport and discover players in the countryside. IM Ronald Dableo, the former Asian Zonal champion,
trounced Bacolod City's Edsel Montoya in 31 moves of a King's Indian Attack to lead the 1.5-point scorers, who include Jan Emmanuel Garcia, Davao bet Victor Lluch and former UE standout Jake dela Cruz. Garcia, at 11 the youngest in a field of 21, and Lluch halved the point in 20 moves of another Pirc game while dela Cruz, who split the point with Dableo in the opening round, downed Deniel Causo in 36 moves of
a Center Counter duel. Paraplegic and Southeast Asian ParaGames gold medalist
Sander Severino led a big group of one pointers following a 29-move victory over Karl Victor Ochoa in a French encounter. "I lost in the first round, I'm glad I came back with a win in the next," said the 21-year-old, Silai City, Negros Occidental native and former national kiddies champion who won three gold medals when the ParaGames was staged in Manila two years ago. Joining him were IM Idelfonso Datu, Rustum Tolentino, Jose Bryan, Nebato, Alsado, Cedric Magno, Ivan Gil
Biag and Olay. The last three rounds of the elims were being played at presstime with the top 16 advancing to the knockout stage starting today. The top four players will then knock each other out tomorrow with the winner taking home the top purse of
P40,000, the champion's trophy and the bragging rights as the best of the best among the Shell chess winners.

Still on the local news, we have news from Marlon:

1ST PANTALAN-ADUANA EXECUTIVE CHESS TOURNAMENT


Executive Chess Aficionados were all invited to join the 1st Pantalan-Executive Chess Tournament on June 23, 2007 Saturday 10:00am at Pantalan Restaurant near grandstand of Luneta, Manila. Re-elected Hon. Senator Gregorio Honasan and NCFP President Congressman Prospero "Butch" Pichay will be guests of honor and grace the occassion by officially inducting the Officers of Pantalan-Aduana Executive Chess Club.

Attractive Prizes will be at stake by the champion receiving the 12 inches Colored TV ACL, 2nd Place Standard Floor Fan 16", 3rd Place is the Standard Rice Cooker while the Category Prizes is the Best Senior (50 above) Carribean Airpot and a surprise item for the Monaliza Games (Brilliancy).

Club President Loren Tabilog cited that the new group will strive to support the chess development program now that what is doing by NCFP and especially this is a redux! for all chess executives to join and come out to play with their peers to the club's venue (Pantalan). In the oathtaking ceremony, other prominent personalities that are invited in the event are Congressman Mat Defensor who is also the current Chairman of NCFP-National Chess Federation of the Philippines and the NCFP Directors Dr. Jenny Mayor, Willy Abalos and Atty. Edmundo Legaspi. Grandmaster Eugene Torre and GM Candidate Jayson Gonzales are also included in this undertaking.

Registration fee is only Php 700 inclusive of food and a membership to PAECCI-Pantalan-Aduana Executive Chess Club, Inc. and for inquiries please contact Pres. Tabilog at 2433392 or 09208273610.

FEU WOODPUSHERS DOMINATES 1ST LETRAN-CALAMBA CHESS

FAR EASTERN UNIVERISTY (FEU) bet Christian Arroyo is the inauguration over-all champion of this year's Letran-Calamba Chess Tournament last Sunday at the 3rd Floor St. Martin de Porres Bldg., Colegio de San Juan de Letran, Brgy. Bucal, Calamba City, Laguna. The seven round Swiss-system tournament is attracted by 181 pawnpushers.

Arroyo, who hails from Cagayan de Oro City scored of 6.5 points, the same output of Macapagal Paquital of Davao City and Allan Cantonjos of Gingoog City, however according to tournament organizer Dr. Alfredo Paez, Arroyo, after the tie break points was applied the former (Arroyo) gained the most superior quotient to enroute the championships trophy. The triumvirate split the combined purse of P18,000.

Adjudge category winner were Rommel Ortillo (top Letran Male), Rochell Espina (top Letran Female), MC Austine Philip Redondo (top Letran High School), Dr. Jenny Mayor (top Executive), Apolinario Regalado (top Senior), Ervil Villa (top Laguna player), Vicente Vargas (top Unrated), Christian Nanola (top Kiddie), Jayson Mercado (top Junior), and Ronna Reigner Senora (top Lady).

Meanwhile, Chief arbiter engineer Joel Hicap said Ali Branzuela of Paranaque City, Raymond Salcedo of Zamboanga City, Jony Habla of Novaliches, Quezon City and Roel Abelgas of Cavite finished with identical 6.0 points apiece to share fourth to seventh placers.

RP team wins three golds, four silvers in blitz event

Short on number but long in heart, the young kids omprising the 27-man Philippine
chess delegation won a bucket of medals, including three glittering golds in the blitz event of the 8th Asean + Age Group Chess Championship at the Jomtien Thani
Hotel in Pattaya, Thailand.

After the smoke of battle cleared, Haridas Pascua, Vince Angelo Medina and the boys' under-12 squad composed of Medina, Dominique Lagula and Eugene Samonte emerged with the gold medals, giving the Filipino delegation something to cheer about halfway
in the week-long tournament being held in this world-famous tourist destination located some two hours from Bangkok.

Informed of the result of the blitz tournament,National Chess Federation of the Philippines president Rep. Prospero "Butch" Pichay said the young players
and their parents deserve all the credit for the youngsters' inspiring performance.

"Natutuwa ako na maganda ang naging performance nila. Marami pang laban kaya sana magtuloy-tuloy pa. Salamat sa kanila at sa kanila na ring mga magulang na
matiyagang nagbabantay sa kanila," said Pichay.

Pichay, NCFP secretary general Mayor Bambol Tolentino and PSC Chairman William Ramirez supported the delegations' trip here in Pattaya.

Pascua, the 13-year old whiz from Pangasinan who currently leads the field in the standard event with a perfect score of 6.0 points, racked up eight of a possible nine points in the eliminations.

In the four-man cross-over semis, the Mangatarem, Pangasinan native easily disposed of Singapore's Neubronner Shannon Scott, before beating another Singaporean, Fide Master Chua Zheng Yuan Terry, to clinch the gold medal in the U-14 category.

Pascua's eight points in the elims, together with the five submitted by La Salle Greenhills' Alfonso Baldomero Ramos also handed them the team bronze in
their class. In the boys' Under-12, the ten-year old Medina finished second with 6.5 points while compatriot Dominique Lagula third with 6.0 in the eliminations to
arrange a clash in the semifinals. Medina blanked Lagula in the semis, 2-0, before outsteadying Pham Hoai Nam, 2-1, in the two-round playoff that stretched into a one-game playoff.

Medina, a Grade 5 student at the Cavite School of Life, also anchored the RP boys' under-12 squad to the team gold, as his score, together with Lagula and
Samonte a tournament-best 18.

The Filipinos added four more silvers, one of which should have been a gold, if not for the clear bias of a Vietnamese arbiter.

Marie Antoinette San Diego lost in the three-game playoffs for the finals, 2-1, to settle for silver in the girls under-8, but should have won the gold if her first game with Vietnamese Nguyen Thanh Thuy Tien was declared a draw, as per Fide rules.

San Diego and Thien actually both had no time left when the Vietnamese player called the attention of the Vietnamese arbiter. The arbiter, in clear violation of Fide rules, declared his compatriot the winner.

Later, head of delegation Willie Abalos and coach GM Joey Antonio confronted the arbiter but the latter could not adequately explain his actions. But organizers still ruled in favor of the arbiter. San Diego also joined forces with Samantha Glo Revita for the team silver (14 points).

The other silver medal came courtesy of 9-year old Jerad Docena, a native of Bohol, who reached the under-10 finals, only to fall short against Tran Tuan
Minh of Vietnam.

The trio of Kimberly Cunanan, Generose Razo and Kristine Rose Mariano in the girls' Under-16 also picked up another silver after collecting an aggregate of 11.5 points. But Cunanan, who finished third in the elims, lost to Vietnamese Hoang Le My Anh and settled for one of two bronzes in her category.

Other bronze medal winners in yesterday's blitz event include Chardina Cheradee Camacho in the girls' 14-under; Emmanuel Eumir Songcuya, Joel Pimentel and Angelo Joshua Nuestro for the Under-16 team; Aices Salvador and Susan Grace Neri in the U-18 team event, and Brena Mae Membrere and Ma. Leonora Daylo in the girls' Under-12 team.

Whew! Busy chess, Chess in the Philippines!