ABS-CBN Online

Hey there!

ABS-CBN Online News tagged our blog and yes, felt so gooooooood! Check it out here.

So please, do send your Chess Club details and we'll make sure it will be part of the club registry.

Sun Star Baguio writes about a young and upcoming chess sup'star, Brena Mae Membrebre.

FIDE got me reading their newsletter now. They have a good informative story about GM Andor Lilenthal of Hungary. FIDE says he is the oldest grandmaster today who clebrated his 97th birthday last May 5, 2008. Here's a copy of the write-up from FIDE newsletter:

He learned to play chess at the age of 16, when he was an apprentice at a taylor’s shop. Soon he defeated his ’master’ even in handicapped games.

In the spring of 1930 he moved to Paris, „the center of chess life” as he told where he played games in cafés to make his living and to learn. He made friends with Alekhine, Bernstein and , first of all, with Tartakower. After many achievements, he defeated Capablanca in the Hastings tournament of 1934/35.. The exf6 move he introduced in the game became famous worldwide as he sacrificed his queen and won the game after a couple of moves.

At the 1935 Warsaw Olympic Games, he reached 15 points out of 19 games and won a gold medal on the 2nd. board. In the 1937 Stockholm Olimpic Games he performed 70% on the 1st board and his performance helped the Hungarian National Team to become second behind the USA.

From 1935 to 1976 he lived in the Soviet Union, won several tournaments and local championships, and was the captain of the Soviet national chess team several times. In 1940, he was the champion of the Sovietunion and also that of the Moscow championship. He trained Smyslov, Petrosian and some other to players. He participated in the Candidates Tournament in Budapest in 1950 and achieved 7 points (he had many draws).

In 1976, he returned to Hungary where he has been living since that time. In 1985 he published his book ’Chess is my life’ that has been received with great interest all over the world.

Nowadays he spends his days by the chessboard analyzing actual games and regularly goes swimming to keep his physical fitness. In summers, he enjoys the sun and the sea on his residence on the Crimean peninsula.

He is a living chess legend, keeping friendship with Lasker, Capablanca, Alekhine, Averbakh, Najdorf, Smyslov, Petrosian, Botvinnik, Tal and many other famous chess players of that time. When Bobby Fischer was living in Budapest, temporarily he stayed at Lilienthal’s home in Buda. However, on the chessboard, there is no friend just opponent for him.

He is the only living person, who has been the witness of the whole 20th century chess history.

Imagine having a nice sip of cold tea with him while watching the famous Manila Bay sunset or a cool December night of chess history and trivias... Whew!