NCR Chess

Hey there!

NM Erwin Carag sent me this:

TURQUEZA, FRONDA TOP PALARONG NCR CHESS TOURNAMENT

Mari Joseph ‘MJ” Turqueza of Quezon City and Jan Jodilyn Fronda of Manila are the winners in their divisions in the 2007 – 2008 Palarong NCR Chess Tournament which was held at the Valenzuela Convention Center last February 18 – 21, 2008.

Turqueza, 3RD year HS student of Diliman Preparatory School (DPS) defeated Joel Pimentel of La Salle Greenhills in the 7TH round and thus earned the right to represent NCR in the yearly Palarong Pambansa this coming April 20 – 26, 2008 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

“MJ has been successful lately because of his full dedication to chess, uttered his father Atty. Gene Turqueza and chess coach NM / IA Erwin Carag of Diliman Preparatory School.”

Turqueza topped the recent NCFP Executive Tournament and the Bgy. Aldana Las Piñas Chess Tournament.

Turqueza will be joined in the Palarong Pambansa by Richelieu Salcedo of Mandaluyong in the HS boys division. Quezon City also topped the team event, courtesy of MJ Turqueza and Avhix Alfonso. In the HS girls, Jodilyn Fronda and Cherry Mejia both Manila players won the event. In the elementary boys, Melvin Kenneth Baltazar and Homel Cunanan are victorious while in the elementary girls, Arvie Lozano of Makati and Jean Karen Enriquez of Marikina are the clear winners.

I wonder what happened to our young star Emmanuel Garcia of Ateneo de Manila.

Still on teaching chess for the Palarong Pambansa, I have a mixed feelings about this. Remember my 10 year old female student from Imus Pilot elementary School who spends time at my place, the last time for a week, to study chess with me. She is now in Laguna to participate in the STACAA (formerly STRAA) which is a quaifying tourney for Palarong Pambansa. She requested to join me again before going there but somehow it didn't push thru only to find out another chess teacher gave them (together with the team) a group lessons. This and the fact that the chess teacher belongs to the Cast of Clown Federation in the province who bad-mouths ICAinc.

I don't know if I feel bad because she might be given the tutelage she's not ready for yet (like too much openings!) or simply because of I felt I lost one of my students.

Hopefully not. Hopefully, she won't absorb the unnecessary evils from her pseudo-coach.

Sorry if I am sour-graping! Really sorry!

Anyways, to end this, I asked FM del Mundo about the 20th year anniversary of Metropolitan Chess Club, here's what he said"

"I am so thankful for MCC and Mila. I learned so much from attending Saturday morning classes, and really honed my skills in Mila's organized tournaments."

Paolo