Heating up

Hi!

Today is the big day for Philippine Chess! Today is the start of the first ever Battle of the Champions. Who do you think will win this one?

Anyways, let's try to read through Mr. Manny Benitez' The Weekender for some clues on this and other interesting chess news.

Wesley, Jem set for Battle of Shell Champions

THE country’s youngest but most promising young stars, IM Wesley So, 13, and Jan Emmanuel “Jem” Garcia, 11, are among the favorites when the Battle of Shell Champions kicks off tomorrow at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

So, 2003 Shell kiddies king, is the reigning national junior and national open champion while Garcia, 2006 kiddies champion, won the 2007 national under-12 crown with a perfect score of 9.0 out of nine last month.

Among the other Shell champions that the two will face are IMs Oliver Dimakiling, Idelfonso Datu and Ronald Dableo, as well as outstanding NM Oliver Barbosa.

With IM So (2519) as the top seed, 21 former champions have accepted the invitation to the three-day “Battle of Shell Champions” festival, which gets under way today on the ground floor of SM Megamall’s Atrium A.

Next in rank according to their ratings were IMs Dimakiling (2491), Datu (2457) and Dableo (2453).

Following them were NM Barbosa (2421) and FMs Sander Severino (2405) and Julius de Ramos (2315).

Non-masters Kim Steven Yap (2246) and Jem Garcia (2241) stand behind them among the rated players, followed by 11 unrated players, including four national masters who have been inactive: NMs Jake de la Cruz, Victor Lluch, Cedric Magno and Edgar Reggie Olay.

The unrated non-masters are Rodel Alsado, Ivan Gil Biag, Deniel Causo, Bryan Jose, Edsel Montoya, Sheider Nebato and 2006 junior champion Karl Victor Ochoa.

Former champions who did not join the tournament were GMs Mark Paragua and Nelson Mariano II and new IMs Julio Catalino Sadorra and Roland Salvador.

Sadorra lives in Singapore and Salvador in Italy.

U.S. NATIONAL OPEN

Sevillano wins third prize in Vegas
FRESH from his victory at the Lina Gurmette Memorial Day Classic in Los Angeles, California, IM Enrico Sevillano has won the third prize on tiebreak at the US National Open in Las Vegas, Nevada, the highest attained by a Filipino in that event.

Former US champion Hikaru Nakamura topped the tournament with 5.5 points from seven games.

It was Sevillano’s third win over the past month, having been the first Filipino ever to qualify for the US Championship in Stillwater, Oklahoma, where he finished 18th overall.

In Las Vegas, the Cebu-born star also had the distinction of holding GM Nakamura to a draw and beating Israeli GM Sergei Erenburg along the way.

Sevillano tied for second to seventh places with GMs Viktor Korchnoi of Switzerland and Grigory Serper of the US, American IMs Joshua Friedel and Renier Gonzales and Armenian IM Andranik Matikozian. They had 5.0 points each.

The former Asian junior champion, who now lives in California and plays under the US flag, started with a bang, making short shrift of his opponent in a French game with White, and then disposed of his next two opponents in quick succession.

Playing Black, Sevillano then faced No. 1 seed Nakamura in the fourth round, which saw both players trying to outwit each other in a highly tactical battle arising from a French Defense that soon became a wide-open game.

With his king dangerously exposed, Nakamura forced the draw with a series of checks ending in the 34th move.

But the biggest win by Sevillano came in the fifth when he outplayed GM Erenburg, who later conquered former US women’s champion Irina Krush.

IM Krush, in turn, had earlier upset reigning US champion Alexander Shabalov.

Playing White, Sevillano used the Alapin-Sveshnikov (3.c3) against the Israeli’s Sicilian Defense, temporarily sacrificed the exchange in mid-game skirmishes, and had a bishop, knight and rook, with five pawns, against Erenburg’s two rooks and four pawns in the endgame.

From then on it was a matter of time for Sevillano to convert his positional and material advantage into a full point.

• E. Sevillano (2493) – T. Brownscombe (2199)
Rd. 1, National Open, Las Vegas 2007
French, Advance Variation (C02)

1.e4 c5 2.c3 e6 3.d4 d5 4.e5 Nc6 5.Nf3 Be7 6.Bd3 Bd7 7.0–0 Qb6 7...cxd4 8.cxd4 Qb6 9.Be2 favors White 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.a4 Qc7 10.b4 Be7 11.Bf4 h5 12.Qd2 Nh6 13.Na3± a6 14.Rfe1 Rc8 15.h3 Qb8 16.Nc2 Bf8 17.Ne3 Qa7 18.Rad1 Rd8 19.Bc2 g6 20.Bg5! Rc8 21.Nxd5! The start of a brilliant combination exd5 22.e6 Bxe6 23.Qxd5 Be7 24.Rxe6!!

After 24.Rxe6!!

24...fxe6 25.Qxe6 Nf7 26.Qxc8+! Fritz lays out this mating line, 26…Bd8 27.Qe6+ Be7 28.Bb3 0–0 29.Qxg6+ Kh8 30.Bf6+ Bxf6 31.Qxf6+ Kg8 32.Ng5 Qxf2+ 33.Kxf2 Nce5 34.Bxf7+ Nxf7 35.Qg6+ Kh8 36.Qh7#! 1–0

• Sevillano,E (2493) - Erenburg,S (2574) [B22]
Rd. 5, National Open, Las Vegas 2007
Sicilian Defense (B22)

1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 e6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0–0 cxd4 8.cxd4 Be7 9.Nc3 Qd6 10.Bg5 0–0 11.Qd2 Nd5 12.Rad1 Nxc3 If 12...Bxg5 13.Qxg5 h6 14.Qh4 13.bxc3 b6 14.Qe3 Bb7 15.Qe4 g6 16.Qh4 Rfe8 17.Rfe1 Rac8 18.Bb5 h5 19.d5 exd5

After 19…exd5

White now sees a chance to launch a winning combination with the sacrifice of the exchange.

20.Rxe7! Rxe7 21.Bxc6 Rec7 22.Bxb7 Rxb7 23.Bf6 Re8 24.Qg5 Rd7 25.Be5 Qe6 26.Qh6 f6 27.Qxg6+ Rg7 28.Qxf6 Qxf6 29.Bxf6 Rf7 30.Bd4 Re2 31.Nd2 b5 32.Be3 32.Kf1 Re8 gives White a big boost a5 33.a3 a4 34.g3 Rf6 35.Kg2 Kf7 36.Rb1 Re6 37.Kf3 R6xe3+ 38.fxe3 Rxd2 39.Rxb5 Rxh2 40.Rxd5 Ra2 41.Rxh5 Rxa3 42.Ra5 Ra1 43.c4 a3 44.Ke4 a2 45.c5 Ke6 46.Ra7 Kf6 47.c6 Ke6 48.c7 Kd7 49.Ke5 Re1 50.Rxa2 Rxe3+ 51.Kf4 Rc3 52.Ra7 Ke6 53.g4 Rc5 54.g5 Rc4+ 55.Ke3 Kf5 56.Kd3 Rc1 57.Kd4 Kxg5 58.Ra5+! If 58...Kf4 59.Rc5 Rd1+ 60.Kc4 Rc1+ 61.Kd5 Rxc5+ 62.Kxc5! 1–0

Two other Filipinos have won first prizes in other US events in the past—the late IM Ruben Rodriguez, who won the People’s Open in Hayward, California in 1974, and IM Cris Ramayrat, who became US blitz champion and also People’s Open co-champion along with Jay Whitehead in 1987.


Antonio wins Singapore joust, Sadorra runner-up
By Marlon Bernardino

TOP Filipino GM Joey Antonio has won the first Thomson Community Club Championship in Singapore on tiebreak points over his compatriot, new IM Julio Catalino Sadorra, for a Filipino 1-2 win.

The country’s No. 1 player dropped by the island city state on his way to the United States where he plans to compete in the cash-rich World Open to be held in historic Valley Forge in Pennsylvania later this month.

Valley Forge is where the American Revolutionary Army under General George Washington spent the winter of 1777.

Antonio flew to Singapore from Bangkok after escorting the Philippine contingent of young players competing in the ongoing Asean Age-Group Championships in Pattaya.

From Singapore, the Filipino GM will fly to the US for the prestigious World Open, which gets under way on June 27 and ends on July 4, the American Independence Day.

While Antonio won in Singapore, most of the boys and girls he had accompanied from Manila were fighting bravely in Pattaya to stop the Vietnamese, who went there in full force.

After four rounds, only 13-year-old Haridas Pascua of Mangatarem, Pangasinan, remained unbeaten.

The national under-14 and Palarong Pambansa champion played the role of hero especially in the third round when, struggling in the middle game to overcome an opening blunder in the Sicilian Pelikan, he suddenly turned the tables on his Singaporean opponent, Daniel Chan Yin-Ren.

“I was actually losing. I pretended to be more interested in the other games being played, making my rival think that I was about to give up,” Haridas told the Weekender in the vernacular.

When Chan relaxed, Haridas stepped up his counterattack and before the Singaporean realized it, his Filipino adversary was already threatening to mate him.

Chan did not know what hit him when he resigned on the 34th move, according to observers.

Pascua followed this up with another resounding win in the fourth round yesterday against the early tournament leader, Nguyen Van Hai of Vietnam

Among the other Filipinos with good chances of finishing among the winners were under-10 champions Jerad Decena and Paolo Florendo of Zamboanga in the under-18 group, who had 3.0 each.

Among the girls, under-8 champion Samantha Glo Revita and her runner-up Marie Antoinette San Diego, and under-12 champion Brena Mae Membrere also had excellent chances with 3.0 points each after four rounds.

Antonio, 45, who is from Calapan, Oriental Mindoro, accompanied his young compatriots to Thailand where he has won the yearly Bangkok Open championship three times.

He finished in Singapore unbeaten.

Sadorra, 21, who is based in Singapore, took the second prize with a fine performance to end up in a tie with Antonio in the Thomson club tournament, held from June 9 to 10 at the club’s headquarters on Thomson Road in the city state.

He is the country’s newest IM, having earned the title with a superb performance in the Philippine Open held in April at the Subic Freeport.

Behind the two Filipinos was Vietnamese GM To Hoang Thong in third place, followed by Koh Kum Hong of Singapore in fourth.

Two more Singapore-based Filipinos, architect Clyde Percusia, and Peter Aguilar, also made it to the top 10—Percusia in fifth and Aguilar in eighth.

Four Singaporeans rounded up the top 10—14-year-old Tan Wei Liang in sixth, Jimmy Ng seventh, Eugene Wee ninth and Benjamin Foo 10th.

Antonio’s trip to Singapore and the US was made possible by the Philippine Sports Commission under chairman William Ramirez. Joey is a sergeant with the HHSG Unit of the Philippine Army under Gen. Romeo Tolentino.

EXCITING GAMES IN ELISTA MATCHES

Candidates’ finalists in action

ONE good thing that the Candidates’ Matches have produced is the number of exciting and instructive games, particularly the decisive ones, played in Elista.

Unfortunately, however, some of the 16 candidates who qualified for the matches were either unprepared or off form. At least one of the finalists, Russian superstar Evgeny Bareev, is said to have his biorhythm—the rise and fall of one’s natural energy levels—at its lowest during the event.

According to Russian biorhythm experts in a posting on the Net, as reported by journalist Ignacio Dee, super GM Bareev had an average of minus 91 per cent in his physical, emotional, intellectual and intuitional energy levels at the time of the matches.

Despite this alleged handicap, Bareev managed to knock out super GM Judit Polgar, the world’s strongest-ever female player, in the first stage of the Candidates’ Matches to reach the finals.

Against Peter Leko, however, Bareev played poorly in the final stage, allowing the Hungarian superstar to be the first to qualify with a convincing 3.5-1.5 score from two wins and three draws.

Boris Gelfand of Israel followed suit, disposing of former US champion Gata Kamsky by the same score.

Kamsky, a former world title challenger, had not played chess. for a decade and made a comeback only last year after finishing his law studies.

At any rate, almost all the decisive games played in both stages crackled with tactical fireworks.

• L. Aronian (2759) – A. Shirov (2699)
Rd. 1, WCC Finals, Queen’s Gambit Accepted (D20)

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.e4 e5 4.Nf3 exd4 5.Bxc4 Nc6 6.0–0 Be6 7.Bxe6 fxe6 8.Qb3 Qd7 9.Qxb7 Rb8 10.Qa6 Nf6 11.Nbd2 Bd6 12.b3 0–0 13.Bb2 Bf4 14.g3 Bh6 15.Ba3 Nxe4 16.Bxf8 Nxd2 Better than 16...Rxf8 17.Nxe4 Rxf3 18.Nc5, with a clear advantage 17.Nxd2 Bxd2 18.Ba3 Qd5 19.Qc4 Qxc4 20.bxc4 Ne5 20...e5 21.Rfd1 Bc3 22.Rab1 should equalize 21.Rab1 Rd8 22.c5 Nc4 23.Bc1 d3

After 23…d3

According to Iggy Dee, GM Sergei Shipov (the Russian titan beaten by Weekender contributor Marlon Bernardino in the Sydney Open last April) said in a published analysis that Shirov missed 23...Ba5!, e.g., 24.Rb7 a6 25.Ra7 d3 26.Rxa6 d2 27.Rd1 Kf7 28.Ra7 Kf6 29.Bxd2 Bxd2 30.Rxc7 Ra8 31.c6 Rxa2 32.Rb7 Ra8 33.Rb5 Rc8 34.Rc5 Nd6 35.Rxd2 Ne4 36.Rdc2 Nxc5 37.Rxc5 Ke7 38.Kg2 Kd6!

24.Rb7 c6 25.Bxd2 Not 25.Rxa7? because of 25...Bxc1 26.Rxc1 d2! Nxd2 26.Rd1 Ne4 27.f3 Nc3 28.Rd2 Nxa2 29.Rb3 Nc1 30.Rb1 Ne2+ 31.Kf2 e5 32.Ra1 Rd5 33.Rxa7 Rxc5 34.Rxd3 White is winning Nd4 35.Rd2 35.f4 may be tried, e.g., 35…Rc2+ 36.Kf1 Rc1+ 37.Kg2 Rc2+ 38.Kh3! h6 36.f4 Nb5 37.Ra8+ 37.Rb7 exf4 38.gxf4 Kh7 is playable Kh7 38.f5 Nd4² 39.g4 Rc3? 39...h5 offers the best option, e.g., 40.gxh5 Rc3 40.Rb2 h5? 41.Rbb8! 1–0

• Gata Kamsky (2705) – Boris Gelfand (2733)
Rd 3, WCC Finals, Queen’s Pawn Opening (D02)

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.Bf4 c5 4.e3 Nc6 5.Bb5 cxd4 6.exd4 Qa5+ 7.Nc3 Bg4 8.0–0 e6 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 Stronger than 10.gxf3 Ba3 11.Rb1 Bxb2! Rc8 11.Rfd1 Be7 12.Bf1 0–0 13.Ne2 b5 14.c3 b4 15.Qd3 Qb6 16.cxb4 Nxb4 17.Qb3 Ne4 18.a3 Nc6 19.Qxb6 axb6 20.b4 g5 21.Be3 Nd6 22.Nc1 f5 23.Nb3 Nc4! 24.b5 Nd8 25.a4 Nb7 26.Bc1 f4 Not 26...Kf7 because of 27.Nd2! 27.Be2 Bb4 28.Ra2 Nbd6 29.Bd3 29.Bd2 would allow Black to equalize, e.g., 29…Bxd2 30.Nxd2 Nxd2 31.Raxd2 Ra8 Ra8! 30.Kf1? Fritz says 30.Bd2 is viable: 30...Bxd2 31.Nxd2 Nxb5 32.Nxc4 dxc4 33.Bxc4! Nxb5!

After 30…Nxb5!

Securing the advantage, says Fritz

31.Rc2 Nbd6 32.Bd2 Rxa4 33.Bxb4 Rxb4 34.Nc1 Nf5 35.Bxf5 Rxf5 36.Nd3 Rb3 37.Ra2 Rf7 38.Ke2 Nd6 39.Rda1 Best was 39.Ne5, but Black would still be way ahead Nb5 40.Kd2 Nxd4 41.Rc1 If 41.Ra4 Nb5 Rb5 42.Rc8+ Rf8 43.Rc7 Ra5 44.Rb2 Rf7 45.Rc8+ Kg7 46.Ne5 46.Rxb6 won’t be of much help, e.g., 46…f3 47.g4 Ra2+ 48.Rb2 Rxb2+ 49.Nxb2 e5! Rb7 47.h4 gxh4 48.Rb4 Ra2+ 49.Kd3 Nf5 50.Rxf4 Rba7 51.Rc3 51.Rc2 is no salvation, either: 51...Kf6 52.Nd7+ Kg5 53.Rxa2 Rxa2, and Black is still way ahead R7a3 51...Kf6! was even stronger, e.g., 52.Nc6 Rg7 53.Nb4! 52.Rxa3 Rxa3+ 53.Ke2 b5 54.Rg4+ Kf6 55.Nd3 Ra8 56.Kd2 e5 57.Rb4 e4 58.Nc5 Rg8! If 59.g3 hxg3 60.fxg3 Rxg3 61.Rxb5 Nd4!, and wins. 0–1


Right from the start of their final match, Leko showed he had prepared meticulously for the event by smashing the Caro-Kann Defense erected by Bareev.

Remember the game featured in last Sunday’s main story? That was Leko’s win in the third round, also against Bareev’s Caro-Kann.

The Russian made a mistake of again testing Leko’s mastery of this opening system as White, having seen how the Hungarian made mincemeat of his pet Caro-Kann in their initial encounter.

Leko, a former child prodigy who spent his childhood mastering chess to the exclusion of almost everything else, is known for preparing deeply and well for matches and tournaments.

• Peter Leko (2738) – Evgeny Bareev (2643)
Rd. 1, WCC Finals, Caro-Kann, Modern Line (B17)

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Nd7 5.Ng5 Ngf6 6.Bd3 e6 7.N1f3 Bd6 8.Qe2 h6 9.Ne4 Nxe4 10.Qxe4 Qc7 11.0–0 b6 12.Qg4 Kf8 13.Re1 c5 14.c3 Bb7 15.Qh3 Rd8 16.Be4 16.Bg5 allows Black to equalize: 16…Rc8 17.Be4 Bxe4 18.Rxe4 Kg8 Bxe4 17.Rxe4 Nf6 18.Re1 g6 18...Kg8 would have equalized, e.g., 19.dxc5 Bxc5 20.Qh4 19.b3 Kg7 20.dxc5 Bxc5 21.Bb2 Rd5 22.c4 Rh5 23.Qg3 Bd6 24.Ne5 Rd8 25.h3 Rf5 26.Re2 Bc5 26...Kh7 27.Qc3 should keep the balance 27.Rf1 Kh7 28.Qh2 28.Qc3 was more precise: 28…Bd4 29.Qxd4 Rxd4 30.Bxd4! g5 28...Ne4! was best: 29.Rxe4 Rxf2! 29.Ng4 Bd6 29...Qxh2+ deserves consideration, says Fritz, e.g., 30.Kxh2 Bd6+ 31.Kh1 Be7, with equal chances 30.g3 Nh5 31.Ne3 Bxg3 32.fxg3 Rxf1+??

After 32…Rxf1+??

A fatal mistake. 32...Qxg3+ was the saving resource, e.g., 33.Qxg3 Nxg3.

33.Nxf1! Rd1 34.Re3! 1–0

The Sicilian was a favorite defense system also among the candidates.

• Gata Kamsky (2705) – Boris Gelfand (2733)
Rd. 5. WCC Finals, Sicilian Rossolimo (B52)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 g6 7.0–0 Bg7 8.d4 cxd4 9.Nxd4 0–0 10.f3 Rc8 11.b3 d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Nxd5 If 13.cxd5 Rxc3 e6 14.Bh6 exd5 15.Bxg7 Kxg7 16.c5 If 16.Nb5 a6 17.Qd4+ f6! Na6 Better than 16...Rxc5 17.Nf5+ Qxf5 18.Qd4+ Kg8 19.Qxc5, with White having the edge 17.Nc2 Nxc5 18.Qd4+ f6 19.Ne3 Ne6 20.Qh4 If 20.Qxd5 Qxd5 21.Nxd5 Rc2 Rc5 21.Rad1 d4 22.Ng4 Rf8 23.Rfe1 Rh5 24.Qg3 Rd5 25.Rd2 Qd6 26.Qh4 h5 27.Nf2 g5 28.Qe4 Re5 29.Qb1 Rxe1+ 30.Qxe1 Rd8 31.g3 Nc5 32.Qe2 a5 33.Qb5 b6 34.a3 Qe6! Black now has overwhelming advantage 35.Rb2 d3 36.b4 axb4 37.axb4 Nb3 38.Qa4? Nd4 39.Kg2 Nc2 Missing the decisive 39...Nf5!, e.g., 40.Qa7+ Kh8 40.Rxc2 dxc2 41.Qxc2 g4 42.fxg4 hxg4 43.Kg1 Rd4 44.Qc7+ Kg6 45.Qc2+ f5 46.Qc3 Rc4 47.Qd2 Kh7 47...Qe5 might be quicker 48.h3 gxh3 49.Nxh3 Qc6 50.Qe3 Rc1+ 51.Kf2 Qc2+ 52.Kf3 Rf1+ 53.Nf2 Rxf2+!!

After 53…Rxf2+!

White is kaput: 54.Qxf2 Qe4#! 0–1

• A. Grischuk (2717) – S. Rublevsky (2680)
Rd. 1, WCC Finals, Sicilian Scheveningen (B85)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 d6 7.0–0 Nf6 8.Be3 Bd7 9.a4 Be7 10.f4 Nxd4 11.Qxd4 Bc6 12.b4 0–0 13.b5 Be8 14.e5 Qc7 15.b6 Qc6 16.Bf3 d5 17.Rae1 Nd7 18.Nxd5 exd5 19.Bxd5 Qc5 Best was 19...Qc8!, leading to equality 20.e6 Better than 20.Bxb7 Rb8 21.Qd3 Qb4! Qxd4 21.Bxd4 Nf6 21...Bf6 22.Bxf6 Nxf6 23.Bxb7 gives White the edge 22.Bb3 22.Bxb7 is dubious because of 22…Rd8 23.c3 Bxa4 24.Bxa6 Bc6! Rd8 23.Bxf6 Bc5+ 24.Kh1 gxf6 25.e7 Bxe7 26.Rxe7 Bc6 27.Rc7 Rd2 28.Re1 Rf2 28...Kg7 29.Rg1 favors White 29.h3 Rxf4 Better but inadequate was 29...Kh8 30.Ree7 Rf1+ 31.Kh2 Rf2 If 31...Kg7 32.Bxf7 Kh6 32.Rxc6! bxc6 33.Rxf7!!

After 33.Rxf7!!

A double whammy.

33...Rf4 Not 33...Rxf7 34.b7! 34.c3 Re4 35.Re7+! The final touch: 35…Kh8 36.Rxe4! 1–0

Like most Russian players, super GM Sergei Rublevsky prepares extensively for any event and this usually shows in his wide opening repertoire. Like most players, he also has his pet opening systems and in Elista he favored the Scotch Game when playing White and the Sicilian with Black.

His preparations proved inadequate, however, against his much-higher rated compatriot, megastar Alexander Grischuk, who is regarded as one of the fiercest players when in fine form: As a result, Sergei lost with Black in a Sicilian encounter in their first game.

In their second game, Rublevsky sued for peace early on although playing White in a—you guessed it—Scotch duel, offering a draw on the 18th turn.

In the third they again battled to a draw, but this time it went as far as the 49th turn of a sharp Sicilian game, with Grischuk suing for peace this time.

Finally, in their fourth encounter, Rublevsky turned in a fine win with White in another Scottish debate.

• S. Rublevsky (2680) – A. Grischuk (2717)
Rd. 4, WCC Finals, Scotch Game (C45)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nxc6 Qf6 6.Qf3 bxc6 7.Qg3 h5 8.h4 Nh6 9.f3 d5 10.Nc3 Bb4 11.Bd2 dxe4 12.0–0–0 e3 13.Bxe3 Bxc3 14.bxc3 0–0 15.Qg5 Nf5 16.Qxf6 gxf6 17.Bf4 Be6 18.Ba6 18.Bd3 was better Nd6 19.Bxd6 cxd6 20.Rxd6 Rab8 21.Rxc6 Bxa2 22.Kd2 Rfd8+ 23.Bd3 Be6 24.Ra1 Rd7 25.Rc5 f5 26.Ke3 Re7 27.Kf4! Rb2 28.g3 Kg7 29.Kg5 Rd7 30.Ra3 Rb1 31.Rca5 Re1 32.Rxa7 Rd8 33.Ra1 Re5 34.R1a5 Re1 35.Bxf5 Bd5 36.Kf4 36.g4! was his best shot Rf1 37.Be4 Bxe4 38.Kxe4 Re1+ 39.Kf4 Rc8 40.Rg5+ 40.Rf5 might be quicker, e.g., 40...Kg6 41.g4 Rc4+ 42.Kg3 hxg4 43.Raxf7 Rc6 44.fxg4 Rxc3+ 45.Rf3 Rg1+ 46.Kf2 Rxf3+ 47.Rxf3, and White surges ahead Kf6 41.Ra6+ 41.Rf5+ makes it even easier for White Ke7 42.Re5+ Missing 42.Rxh5!: 42...Rc4+ 43.Kg5 Re5+ 44.Kh6 Rxh5+ 45.Kxh5 Rxe5 43.Kxe5 Rxc3 44.Ke4 Rxc2 45.Ra5 Rc4+ 46.Kd3 Rc1 47.Rxh5 Rg1 48.g4 Rh1 49.Re5+ Kf6 50.Rf5+ Kg7 51.h5 Re1 52.Rf4 Ra1 53.Ke3 Ra3+ 54.Kf2 Ra2+ 55.Kg3 Ra1 56.Rf5 Rh1 57.Kf4 Rh3 58.Kg5 Rh1 59.f4 Rh2 60.Rd5 Ra2 61.h6+! Kg8 62.Rd8+ Kh7 63.Rd7 Kg8 64.h7+ Kh8 65.Rxf7 Ra7!? 66.Rf8+!

After 66.Rf8+!

White’s pawns prevail. 1–0

In their final two games within the regulation period, the two Russian rivals played two short draws (first a Sicilian and then a Scotch) as Grischuk cleverly went for the rapid playoffs where he knew his quicker wits could probably do the trick. And he was right—Rublevsky lost with White playing the Scotch both times!

• S. Rublevsky (2680) – A. Grischuk (2717)
Rd. 7, WCC Finals Playoff, Scotch Game (C45)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nxc6 Qf6 6.Qf3 bxc6 7.Qg3 h5 8.h4 Nh6 9.f3 d5 10.Nc3 Bd4 11.Bd2 Rb8 12.0–0–0 Safer than 12.exd5 Qe7+ 13.Kd1 Nf5! Be5 13.f4 Bd4 14.Qd3 Bg4 15.e5! Bxc3! 16.Qxc3 Not 16.bxc3 because of 16…Qe7 17.Qa6 0–0!, and Black is ahead Qe6 17.Re1 0–0 18.Be3 Rfd8 19.Qc5 Not 19.Bxa7 Ra8 20.Qc5 d4! a5 20.Kb1 a4 21.Bd3 Bf5 22.Rc1 22.Be2 was more precise Bxd3! 23.cxd3 Nf5 24.Bf2 Rb5 25.Qxc6 Rdb8 26.Qxe6 Rxb2+ 27.Ka1 fxe6 28.Rb1 a3 29.Bc5 Nxh4!

After 29…Nxh4!

The knight is immune: 30.Rxh4?? Rxb1#!! It’s the beginning of the end.

30.Rxb2 axb2+ 31.Kb1 Nxg2 32.f5 Nf4 33.fxe6 Nxd3 34.Ba3 Nxe5 35.Kc2 Nc4 36.Bc5 Nd2 37.a4 b1=Q+! 38.Rxb1 Nxb1 39.a5 Rb5 If 40.Be7 c5. Actually Black missed the best shot, 39...h4! 0–1

• S. Rublevsky (RUS) – A. Grischuk (RUS)
Rd. 9, WCC Finals Playoff, Scotch Game (C45)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 Nf6 7.Qe2 d6 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 g5 10.Bg3 Qe7 11.h4 Rg8 12.hxg5 hxg5 13.0–0–0 Be6 14.Rh6 0–0–0 15.Nd5 Bxd5 16.exd5 Ne5 17.Bxe5 dxe5 18.Qf3 Rd6 19.Nd2 Ne8 20.Rh5 Nf6 21.Qf5+ Kb8 22.Rh6 Ne8 23.Qh7 Qf8 24.Rh1 Nf6 25.Qf5 Nxd5 Best was 25...Qc8! 26.Ne4?? Fritz says 26. would have restored the balance Ne7! 27.Qh7? Weak. Best was 27.Qf3! Rxd1+ 28.Kxd1 f5 Missing 28...Ng6! 29.Bc4 fxe4 30.Bxg8 Nxg8 31.Qxe4 a6 32.Rh8 Ka7 33.Qxe5 Qf7 34.Qxg5 Nf6 35.f3 Qd7+ 36.Qd2? Qb5! 37.c3 Nd5 38.Rh1? Be3 39.Qe2??

After 39.Qe2??

A horrendous blunder. White resigns seeing that 39…Nxc3+ ends it a!l, e.g., 39…bxc3 40.Qb1#!! 0–1

BOBBY ANG’S BUSINESSWORLD COLUMN, CHESS PIECE (1)
Candidates’ Matches

The first round of the Candidates’ Matches are over. Here are the results:

WCh Candidates s/f Elista RUS (RUS), 27 v-3 vi 2007
(First-named is the winner)
GM Levon Aronian ARM 2759 vs GM Magnus Carlsen NOR 2693, 7.0-5.0
GM Peter Leko HUN 2738 vs GM Mikhail Gurevich TUR 2635, 3.5-0.5
GM Sergei Rublevsky RUS 2680 vs GM Ruslan Ponomariov UKR 2717, 3.5-2.5
GM Boris Gelfand ISR 2733 vs GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov UZB 2677, 5.5-3.5
GM Gata Kamsky USA 2705 vs GM Etienne Bacrot FRA 2709, 3.5-0.5
GM Alexander Grischuk RUS 2717 vs GM Vladimir Malakhov RUS 2679, 3.5-1.5
GM Evgeny Bareev RUS 2643 vs GM Judit Polgar HUN 2727, 3.5-2.5
GM Alexei Shirov ESP 2699 vs GM Michael Adams ENG 2734, 5.5-3.5

There were two routs – The Frenchman Bacrot had lately begun a new profession as a poker player and arrived in Elista in poor form, with no second and no special preparation. After an opening draw the American Gata Kamsky ran off three straight victories to become the first player to qualify for the second round.

The 1985 USSR co-champion Mikhail Gurevich also lost rather heavily. His ultra-sharp style could not deal with the solidity of Peter Leko.

There can be no doubt that the most fiercely fought match was the one between the leader of the Armenian school of chess, Levon Aronian, vs the 16-year old phenomenon from Norway, GM Magnus Carlsen.

Aronian showed up in Elista with Arianne Caoili as his walking inspiration, seconded by GMs Gabriel Sargissian (incidentally also his best friend and long-time rival for no. 1 in Armenia) and Vladimir Potkin, while Carlsen was with his dad and GM Kjetil Lie.

The Candidates’ matches were originally scheduled for 2006, but various delays pushed it back by a year, and the one who was affected most by this was Aronian, because Magnus Carlsen was only a promising prodigy in 2006, not likely to put up much of a fight. However, in the one year since then he had been toughened up by participating in a series of super-tournaments (Tal Memorial, Corus Wijk aan Zee, Linares) and he is a lot stronger now, how much Aronian was to find out.

Levon drew first blood with a brilliant victory in the first game but Carlsen shocked him with a nice endgame finesse in game 3 to equalize. They then exchanged wins in game 4 and 5 and wound up the match with a hard-fought draw in game 6 to end deadlocked at 3-all.

The playoffs saw the two players scoring a win and a draw each and it was only in the 2-game blitz match that Aronian managed to decision his very persistent opponent.

After playing over the games it is clear to me that Aronian is the stronger player, since in many of the games Carlsen was struggling out of the opening (especially with Black) and only pulled through due to his great resourcefulness and tactical brilliance. Magnus is of course only 16 years old and this experience will surely serve him in good stead in his future chess battles.

Let’s take a look at the games.

Carlsen,Magnus (2693) - Aronian,Levon (2759) [C84]
WCh Candidates s/f Elista RUS (1), 27.05.2007
Spanish Opening (Ruy Lopez)

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6

In these past few years the Ruy Lopez is back in vogue, in large part due to players like Aronian who showed a lot of new ideas to fight for the full point. I only need to point out his game against Peter Leko in last year's Linares tournament - he made the Ruy Lopez look like a forced win for Black!

4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.d3

Carlsen of course knows about how badly Kramnik mangled Aronian's Marshall Attack in their recent match, and did not want anything to do with what Aronian might have prepared for him.

6...b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a4 Rb8 9.axb5 axb5 10.Nc3 0–0 11.h3

Black has a very bad score (around 25%) with this line. What could Aronian have in store?

11...Nb4!?

The idea is to quickly play ...c7-c5. The most common move here is 11...Be6 and after 12.Nd5! (12.Bxe6 fxe6 13.Ne2 Qd7 14.Ng3 Ra8 Black is OK) 12...Bxd5 13.exd5 Nb4 14.d4 e4 15.Ng5 c5 (It is not yet time for 15...h6 since White plays 16.Nxe4 Nxe4 17.c3 and wins back the knight) 16.dxc6 d5 17.f3! White gets a lot of compensation for the knight: 17...h6!? 18.fxe4 hxg5 19.exd5 Nbxd5 20.Bxg5 Qb6 21.Rf5 Rbd8 22.c3 Qxc6 23.Qf3 with a strong initiative.

12.Ne2

If 12.d4?! Black proceeds with his main idea of 12...c5 and the b3-bishop is in trouble.

12...c5 13.Ng3

There are a lot of tactical shots here. For example, the "normal" 13.c3 is refuted by 13...Nxd3! 14.Qxd3 c4 15.Bxc4 bxc4 16.Qxc4 Be6 Black has good compensation for the pawn.

13...Be6 14.Bxe6 fxe6 15.c3 Nc6

Black is at least equal. The doubled pawns on the e-file are a strength rather than a weakness, because now the traditional Ruy Lopez weaknesses on d5 and f5 are covered. Another triumph for the Ruy Lopez!

16.Re1 Qd7 17.d4

Aronian's treatment of the Ruy Lopez usually involves play down the f-file. Here he does it again.

17...exd4 18.cxd4 c4!

Now Black can try to exchange off all the pieces (if white allows it, of course), since any endgame is in his favor - the two pawns on the queenside guarantee it.

19.Bg5 h6 20.d5?

Magnus should probably go for equality with 20.Bxf6 Bxf6 21.e5.

20...exd5 21.Bxf6 Bxf6 22.Qxd5+ Rf7!

Apparently overlooked by Carlsen - he had been hoping for 22...Kh8 23.e5! taking advantage of the pin on d6.

23.Qd2
[23.Nf5 is met with 23...Nb4! 24.Qxd6 Qxd6 25.Nxd6 Rd7 26.e5 Nc2 Black is winning material]

23...Ne5 24.Nxe5 Bxe5 25.Ne2
[25.Nf5 d5]

25...Rbf8 26.Rf1

After 26.Rf1

26...Rf3!

In the olden days this would have been described as "a bolt from the blue". Nowadays we are used to such combinations, but it is very pretty nevertheless.

27.Ra3?!
[27.gxf3 Rxf3 leads to a mating attack]

27...Rxa3 28.bxa3 Qc6 29.Nd4 Bxd4! 30.Qxd4 Ra8 31.Ra1 c3 32.Qb4 Qc5 33.Qb3+ Kh8 34.Ra2 Ra4 35.Re2 Rxa3 36.Qd1 Ra8 0–1

Pairings for the second round, which started last June 6, are:

Aronian - Shirov
Leko - Bareev
Rublevsky - Grischuk
Gelfand – Kamsky

If I were you, I’d go to www.chessclub.com, get a free 7-day trial account, download the interface (either blitzin, which is what I recommend, or dasher), log in around 8 pm, and watch the games live with GM commentary. You won’t regret it!

BOBBY ANG’S BUSINESSWORLD COLUMN, CHESS PIECE (2)
Youtube Chess

MANY years ago the world made fun of us nerds. They make jokes about how we preferred to sit in front of a computer rather than sit around in a bar drinking beer and making inane attempts at humor. They snickered when we were distressed that a fire in a Japanese factory created an artificial shortage of memory chips, or when we fretted that the newly released Pentium chips had a bug which affected floating point calculations. They even made stupid shows like “Revenge of the Nerds” which pictured nerds as autistic juveniles completely devoid of social graces.

Now, thankfully, it is the other way around. With the advances in technology the nerds have taken over the world – nerd talk and geek speak have become sexy. Now we laugh at the primitive hunks who shake their heads when we talk about logging in to a virtual private network. And we very cruelly needle them about how to configure their outlook to accept multiple POP servers when in fact we know that this is all greek to them.

Our children are quickly adapting to the modern world as well. My daughter, Roanne (well, I am Roberto and my wife is Anne, so what else can we name our daughter?) is only 11 years old but carries around a laptop, takes videos with her mobile phone and posts them on her own website. She also connects through wifi to make VOIP phone calls or log in to a chat server to keep in contact with her friends. Did I say she was only 11 years old?

Many years ago we would take pride in networking our own room to provide for multiple computers, flat screen LCD monitors, sub-woofer, wireless LAN, printers, etc. Roanne assimilated all that technology easily. Nowadays, whenever I buy some new gadget (such as the new travel router, ideal if you go around a lot – just hook it up to your hotel’s wifi and suddenly you have wireless internet in the hotel room), I would hand it to her and request that she study the manual and then teach me how to use it. The danger of that, of course, is that sometimes Roanne likes the new gadget so much it never gets back to you. And did I say she was only 11 years old?

Roanne was the one who taught me about youtube. One night, out of curiosity I did some searching and discovered a lot of rare footage. For example, there is this Bobby Fischer park bench interview from back in the 60s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnAQN_iwNoA>, or, even better, a Bobby Fischer tribute to the tune of “the young and the restless” .

If you allow yourself to wander around a bit more you will see Korchnoi severely berating Sofia Polgar after he lost their blitz game or even Kasparov losing to a Pepsi vending machine (!). Don’t believe me? Watch this

Heck, my daughter even made me watch “I’d Rather be Green than be Blue” and thus commit the ultimate heresy for a Jesuit-educated dude like me .

Time was when you would scour the last four Chess Informants to prepare for your next opponent. This was good enough until 15 years ago – by then you had access to chess databases and would prepare by reviewing ALL the Chess Informants (currently 98 volumes), NIC Yearbooks (83 all in all), Chessbase Magazines (117 issues) plus several dedicated openings databases.

Then, by the late 90s, even this was not enough. You had to go to the Internet Chess Servers and review the games the players have been using for their daily dose of blitz contests.

I remember back in 1999 during the FIDE World Chess Championship in Las Vegas that GM Jose Becerra lost with Black to GM Aleksej Aleksandrov in the first of their two-game match. That night I was logged in to the Internet Chess Club and noticed Becerra playing all comers in blitz and in his white games he used the King’s Gambit. Hmmm ... I thought ... this was very risky ... what if Aleksandrov was also logged in and noticed it. Next day it all came to pass – Becerra was smashed in the King’s Gambit:

Becerra Rivero,Julio (2546) - Aleksandrov,Aleksej (2619) [C33]
FIDE-Wch k.o. Las Vegas (1.2), 01.08.1999
King’s Gambit

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Bc4 c6 4.Nc3 Nf6 5.Bb3 d5 6.exd5 cxd5 7.d4 Bd6 8.Qf3 Bg4 9.Qf2 0–0 10.Bxf4 Re8+ 11.Kf1 Ne4 12.Nxe4 Rxe4 13.Bd2 Nd7 14.Nf3 Nf6 15.Bg5 Bf4 16.Re1 Rxe1+ 17.Qxe1 Bxg5 18.Nxg5 Qd6 19.Qg3 Qb6 20.Qf4 Re8 21.h3 Bh5 22.c3 h6 23.Nf3 Bxf3 24.Qxf3 Ne4 25.Kg1 Qd6 26.Rh2 Ng3 27.Qxd5 Re1+ 0–1

Now, with the popularity of youtube, it becomes even more complicated.

In the 5th round of the 2006 Hoogeveen Essent Tournament, Judit Polgar faced Mamedyarov.

Polgar,Judit (2710) - Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar (2728) [C95]
Hoogeveen Essent Crown 10th Hoogeveen (5), 27.10.2006
Ruy Lopez

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0–0 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 Re8 13.Nf1 Bf8 14.Ng3 g6 15.b3

Judit used this move three times in her 1993 match with Spassky, and it has since caught on.

15...d5!? 16.Bg5

The move with which Judit was able to defeat Spassky. [16.exd5 Nxd5 17.dxe5 Nxc3 18.Qd3 (18.Qd4 Nxe5! 19.Qxc3? Nxf3+ 20.gxf3 Bg7) 18...Nd5 19.Bg5 Qc8 20.Qd4 Bg7 21.Nf5!? gxf5 22.Bxf5 Re6 23.Qh4 Nf8 24.Nd4 c5 25.Rac1 Qc7 26.Nxe6 fxe6 27.Bb1 Rc8 Black's two knights are looking good. Polgar,J (2540)-Beliavsky,A (2640)/ Munich 1991 0–1 (42) ; 16.dxe5 Nxe5 17.Nxe5 Rxe5 18.f4 (18.Bf4 Re6!) 18...Rxe4! 19.Nxe4 dxe4© Black has compensation for the exchange]

16...h6 17.Bh4

This is pure provocation for Black to win a piece. White accepts.

17...g5 18.Nxg5 hxg5 19.Bxg5 exd4! 20.e5!

White has to open the diagonal for his white-squared bishop.

20...Rxe5 21.Rxe5 Nxe5 22.cxd4 Nc6 23.Nf5?

The losing move. Correct is 23.Nh5. See the discussion below.

23...Bc8!

After destroying the f5-knight, White's attack dissipates.

24.Rc1 Bxf5 25.Bxf5 Qd6 26.Bh4 Ne7 27.Bg3 Qb4 28.Bb1 c6 29.Be5 Bg7 30.a3 Qxa3 31.Rc3 Nd7

White has to stir up something now or else Black will consolidate his piece advantage.

32.Rg3

Mamedyarov did his homework well. 32.Bxg7 does not work because of 32...Kxg7 33.Qg4+ Kf8 34.Qxd7 is met by 34...Qb2!

32...Nxe5 33.dxe5 Qb4 34.Rg4

[34.Qh5? Qe1+ 35.Kh2 Qxb1]

34...Qc3 35.f4 d4 36.Kh2 Nd5 37.f5 d3 38.Qxd3 Qxe5+ 39.Rg3 Nf6 40.Qf3 Rd8 0–1

This loss cost Judit her solo victory. After the game she mentioned to her opponent that White probably had a draw somewhere. In reply Mamedyarov revealed his preparation and demonstrated to her the best defence. This was filmed by Peter Doggers and put on display on his weblog http://www.chessvibes.com/?p=329

On the 23rd move Judit Polgar played 23.Nf5 and lost. What Mamedyarov is showing in the video are the moves 23. Nh5 Be7 24. Bxf6 Bxf6 25. Qd3 Kf8 26. Qh7 Bxd4 27. Qh6+ Ke8 28. Re1+ Ne5, which leads to the following position.

After 28...Ne5

After Mamedyarov played ...Ne5 in the video he holds the knight and says to Judit: “after this crucial move White has nothing more than a draw.”

One week later, in the opening round of the Tal Memorial, Shirov played into the same line and everything went as the Mamedyarov analysis goes up to the time the draw is agreed upon. Naturally, Shirov was very irritated after the game when the video was pointed out to him.

That’s right – nowadays, to prepare for a game, aside from searching all of those databases, special collections, opening monographs, informants, yearbooks, electronic magazines, you also have to search the latest chess videos. Good luck with that.

FROM MY SWIVEL CHAIR

Kudos to Shell on 15th year of chess

PILIPINAS SHELL deserves commendation for helping promote chess actively nationwide for 15 years now. The best proof that this multinational corporation has done a lot for Philippine chess comes from its array of champions: top players like GM Mark Paragua, IM Wesley So, FM Jan Emmanuel Garcia, et al.

—0—

TOMORROW some of these young titans like Wesley and Jem will see action in the “Battle of Chess Champions” at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong. It will be three days of fun for them and other former Shell champions among the juniors and kiddies.

—0—

BESIDES the two young stars, among those who have accepted Shell’s invitation are the likes of IMs Oliver Dimakiling, Idelfonso Datu and Ronald Dableo, along with national masters like Oliver Barbosa, all of them former Shell champions. Indeed, their names read like the Who’s Who in Philchess. May the best man win!

—0—

IT’S good to know things are settling back to normal after the nerve-wracking, nationally divisive and even dangerous national and local elections. Best proof that it’s now back to the boards is the presence of Filipino youngsters in the Asean Age-Group Championships in Pattaya, Thailand.

—0—

WHATEVER the outcome of the Pattaya competitions, it is to be hoped that the focus of our chess leaders will continue to be on the training of gifted boys and girls. To keep up with the rest of the region and the world, a national chess training program should be established in all public and private schools.

—0—

HOW strong is the chess community as a voting bloc? Judging by the results of the elections, it’s not too influential. At this writing, there is real danger that no senatorial candidate identified with the chess community will make it. We still have a congressman and a city mayor at least, though.

—0—

IT seems that chess and politics don’t mix. Perhaps it would be wiser for the NCFP to align itself with the corporate, not the political, world. Shell’s steadfast support of chess is the best evidence that corporations are more reliable than government institutions, which can be swayed by partisan winds and whims.

—0—

AS far as The Weekender is concerned, the backbone of chess is a chain of clubs in the country. Setting up a chess club in every barangay should be the primary goal of the NCFP—that is, training through the schools and club formation through the barangays.

—0—

THIS puts the QMC Chess Plaza Club in the mainstream of chess development in Metro Manila. Right now, the club leadership is striving to get a solid corporate backing so that it can promote its objective of making itself a potent recreational center for the youth of Quezon City and its environs.
—0—

Food for thought: Why is it that the maximum allowable amount to be spent by a candidate in a poll campaign is way above his lawful monthly pay, if elected?

And another email from NM Erwin Carag who also writes on his blog (http://www.chess-spectator.blogspot.com), not sure though if it is updated but I believe this one is a must-read:

THE BASIC REQUIREMENTS / QUALITIES FOR BEING A GOOD CHESSPLAYER ACCORDING TO NM ERWIN L. CARAG (IA)
1. thorough knowledge of the game of CHESS
2. sharp intellect and memory
3. good mathematical and analytical ability
4. good decision-making (assessment and judgment)
5. ability to concentrate and think – focused, resourceful, innovative, full of ideas
6. personal discipline

7. healthy mind, heart and body – endurance, resistance, stamina
good mood, fighting spirit, courage, strong nerves, positive thinking

8. drug-free (not drug dependent)against vices and other social ills of the society

9. honest, reliable and dependable – good-natured, clear conscience
fair in play, with integrity

10. displays true sportsmanship, humble and a fine individual (gentleman / lady)

a. gracious in defeat, magnanimous in victory
b. not boastful
c. cool head
d. Defeat means lessons are to be learned.

It is not bad to be defeated. It is bad to stay defeated.

CHESS IS A SPORT (GAME).

11. well-mannered, respectful of the rights of others, has good personal virtues
observes proper chess conduct and etiquettes, follows rules
and regulations to the fullest

12. presentable, observes cleanliness, good grooming follows dress code
health and environment-friendly, hygienic

13. punctual, always present, time-conscious, not tardy
on time, beats deadlines, no cramming, always prepared

14. competitive and plays with inspiration – healthy chess competition

15. friendly with chess acquaintances

Chess is beneficial because it fosters goodwill and camaraderie among chessplayers.

16. understands that chess is played worldwide (global, universal) by different languages, cultures and races patriotic but not individualistic good teammanship (teamwork), unity despite of personal differences

17. possesses good study habits and work ethics proper approach to the game of chess – scientific, holistic research studious, hard worker, patient, willing to learn, coachable

CHESS IS A SCIENCE.

18. no elitist-star complex, reasonable, level-headed, broad-minded, open-minded

19. generous, not selfish or greedy, always willing to share ideas

20. uses chess to educate others

CHESS IS AN EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL TOOL.

21. knows that chess is a medium for self-expression and personal style. Even the visually impaired (blind) and the physically challenged handicapped) can play chess.
-appreciates the aesthetic elements of chess.

CHESS IS AN ART.

22. good role model

23. good chess servant

a. ability to sacrifice
b. apply the chess lessons and principles in everyday life (good values)
c. teach, promote and propagate chess for the benefit of the youth and the future generation
d. Chess benefits mankind. Chess makes people happy.

24. love of chess – interest,enthusiasm, intensity, passion,involvement, commitment
25. love of Christ, God (God-fearing chessplayer)

Chess is a wonderful gift from God and the excellent talent and skills
in playing chess must be nurtured.

That's it for now!