Pinoy Games

Hi!

Below are the games from rounds 1 to 4 of our Philippine team in the on-going World Under 16 Championship. Thank you to balweg214 of NCFP forum for sharing it to us.

Games from World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007, Singapore by the Pinoys:

Round 1: Switzerland – Philippines [1 – 3]

Lehmann Marco - IM So Wesley [B30]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (1), 05.08.2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 Ne7 6.Qe2 Qc7 7.0–0 Ng6 8.e5 Be7 9.Na3 f6 10.Nc4 Ba6 11.Re1 0–0 12.Rb1 Bxc4 13.dxc4 fxe5 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Qxe5 Bd6 16.Qh5 Rf5 17.Qh3 Qa5 18.c3 Qxa2 19.Qd3 Bf8 20.Bd2 Rf7 21.b4 Qa6 22.Be3 cxb4 23.cxb4 d5 24.b5 dxc4 25.Qe4 Qc8 26.b6 axb6 27.Rxb6 Ra6 28.Qxc4 Rxb6 29.Bxb6 Qb7 30.Bc5 Qb5 31.Qxb5 cxb5 32.Bxf8 Kxf8 33.Re5 Rb7 34.Rxe6 Re7 35.Rxe7 Kxe7 36.Kf1 Kd6 37.Ke2 Kc5 38.Kd3 Kb4 39.Kc2 Kc4 40.h4 h5 41.f3 Kd4 42.Kb3 Ke3 43.Kb4 Kf2 44.g4 hxg4 45.fxg4 Kg3 0–1

Ochoa Karl Victor - Nuri Kambez [B28]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (1), 05.08.2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d3 a6 4.g3 b5 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0–0 e6 7.Nbd2 Nf6 8.c3 d5 9.e5 Nd7 10.Re1 d4 11.c4 Nb4 12.Qb3 a5 13.Nf1 bxc4 14.dxc4 a4 15.Qd1 Nb6 16.b3 axb3 17.Qxb3 Bc6 18.Ng5 Ba4 19.Qf3 Ra7 20.Rb1 Nxc4 21.Qh5 Qd7 22.Be4 g6 23.Qh4 h6 24.a3 Nc6 25.Bd3 Qd5 26.Ne4 Be7 27.Qf4 1–0

Rosenthal Jonathan - Pascua Haridas [E98]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (1), 05.08.2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Be2 0–0 6.Nf3 e5 7.0–0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Ne1 Nd7 10.Nd3 f5 11.Bd2 f4 12.Bg4 Nf6 13.Bxc8 Nxc8 14.f3 h5 15.Qb3 b6 16.a4 a5 17.Qc2 g5 18.b4 axb4 19.Nb5 Qd7 20.Bxb4 Na7 21.Ba3 g4 22.Nb4 Nc8 23.Nc6 Ne7 24.Nxe7+ Qxe7 25.Bb4 h4 26.Be1 h3 27.Bh4 Qd7 28.Bxf6 Rxf6 29.fxg4 Qxg4 30.Ra3 Rg6 31.Rf2 Bf6 32.Qd3 Bh4 33.Rd2 Be1 34.Rc2 Bb4 35.Raa2 Bc5+ 36.Kf1 Rxa4 37.Rxa4 hxg2+ 38.Rxg2 Qxg2+ 39.Ke1 Qf2+ 40.Kd1 Rg1+ 0–1

Grafil Franz Robert - Duport Nicolas [B26]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (1), 05.08.2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e6 7.Qd2 Nd4 8.Nd1 Ne7 9.c3 Ndc6 10.Ne2 Bd7 11.0–0 0–0 12.d4 b6 13.f4 f5 14.Nf2 Qc7 15.dxc5 dxc5 16.Rfd1 Rad8 17.Qd6 Qc8 18.Qd3 Na5 19.b3 c4 20.Qc2 Bc6 21.b4 Nb7 22.Bd4 Nd6 23.Bxg7 Kxg7 24.Nd4 Ba8 25.exf5 Bxg2 26.Nxe6+ Kg8 27.Nxd8 Nexf5 28.Qe2 Re8 29.Qd2 Ba8 30.g4 Rxd8 31.gxf5 Qc6 32.Qd5+ Qxd5 33.Rxd5 Bxd5 34.f6 Kf7 35.Rd1 Bf3 0–1
--------------

Round 2: Philippines – England [2.5 – 1.5]

So Wesley - Khandelwal Ankush [C28]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (2), 06.08.2007

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Nc6 4.Nc3 Be7 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3 Bg4 7.0–0 Qd7 8.h3 Bh5 9.Bb5 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 a6 11.Bxc6 Qxc6 12.fxe5 dxe5 13.Nd5 h6 14.Qf5 Rd8 15.Be3 Qd6 16.d4 exd4 17.Bxd4 0–0 18.Nxe7+ Qxe7 19.Bc5 Qxe4 20.Qxe4 Nxe4
21.Bxf8 Kxf8 22.Rad1 Nd2 23.Rfe1 Rd6 24.b3 f5 25.c4 b6 26.Kh1 Kf7 27.Re2 Ne4 28.Rxd6 cxd6 29.Re3 Nc5 30.Kg1 b5 31.b4 Na4 32.cxb5 axb5 33.Kf2 Kf6 34.Re8 f4 35.Kf3 Nc3 36.a3 g5 37.Rc8 Na4 38.Rh8 Kg7 39.Rd8 Nb6 40.Rxd6 Nc4 41.Ra6 Nd2+ 42.Kg4 Nc4 43.a4 bxa4 44.b5 a3 45.b6 Nd6 46.b7 1–0

Kilpatrick Callum - Ochoa Karl Victor [E90]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (2), 06.08.2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 0–0 6.h3 e5 7.d5 Nbd7 8.Bg5 h6 9.Be3 Nc5 10.Nd2 Ne8 11.b4 Nd7 12.c5 f5 13.f3 Ndf6 14.Bb5 Nh5 15.Rc1 Nef6 16.0–0 Nf4 17.Bxf4 exf4 18.Bd3 fxe4 19.Ndxe4 Nxe4 20.Nxe4 Bf5 21.Qb3 Be5 22.Qc4 Rf7 23.Rfd1 h5 24.Nf2 Qf6 25.Bxf5 Qxf5 26.Nd3 Re7 27.Re1 Rae8 28.Re4 g5 29.Rce1 a6 30.a4 Kh8 31.Nf2 Bf6 32.Rxe7 Rxe7 33.Rxe7 Bxe7 34.Ne4 g4 35.hxg4 hxg4 36.c6 bxc6 37.Qxc6 g3 38.Qe8+ Bf8 39.Qe6 Qxe6 40.dxe6 d5 41.Nf6 c6 42.b5 cxb5 43.axb5 Bc5+ 44.Kf1 axb5 45.Nxd5 Kg7 46.Ke2 Bd6 47.Kd3 Kg6 48.Kd4 Kg7 49.Kd3 Kg6 50.Ke4 Kg7 51.Nc3 b4 52.Nd5 b3 53.Kd3 Be5 ½–½

Pascua Haridas - Sen Subin [D78]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (2), 06.08.2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.g3 0–0 6.Bg2 c6 7.0–0 dxc4 8.a4 Na6 9.e3 Nb4 10.Ne5 Be6 11.Qe2 Nd7 12.Nxc4 Nb6 13.Na5 Qc7 14.Bd2 N4d5 15.Ne4 Rad8 16.Rfc1 Bc8 17.Nc5 e5 18.e4 Ne7 19.d5 Qb8 20.Bb4 Rfe8 21.Ncxb7 Bxb7 22.dxc6 Bxc6 23.Bxe7 Bxa4 24.Bxd8 Rxd8 25.Nc6 Bxc6 26.Rxc6 Qb7 27.Rc5 Rd4 28.Qb5 Qe7 29.Rac1 Qd6 30.Bf3 Rd2 31.R1c2 Rd4 32.Rc7 Qd8 33.Qa6 Ra4 34.Qb7 Qd3 35.Kg2 Bf8 36.R2c3 Qd2 37.Rxf7 Rd4 38.Rcc7 Rd8 39.Rg7+ 1–0

Parmar Amisha - Grafil Franz Robert [B52]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (2), 06.08.2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.c4 Nc6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Nf6 8.Nc3 g6 9.0–0 Bg7 10.Nde2 0–0 11.f3 Qd8 12.Be3 Nd7 13.Qd2 a5 14.Rab1 Nc5 15.Rfd1 Nb4 16.b3 Re8 17.a3 Nc6 18.Qe1 b6 19.Nd4 Nxd4 20.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 21.Rxd4 Ne6 22.Rd2 Qc7 23.a4 Qc5+ 24.Kh1 Rab8 25.Rd5 Qc6 26.Qe3 Nc7 27.Rd3 Qc5 28.Qh6 Qe5 29.f4 Qg7 30.Qh4 Ne6 31.Nd5 f6 32.Rg3 Nc5 33.Re1 Nd7 34.Nc7 Rec8 35.Ne6 Qf7 36.Nd4 Rc5 37.Qg4 Nf8 38.Rh3 Kh8 39.f5 g5 40.Ree3 Nd7 41.Ne6 Rcc8 42.Rh6 Nf8 43.Reh3 Nxe6 44.fxe6 Qg7 45.Qf5 1–0

Round 3: Sri Lanka 1 – Philippines [0-4]

Rajapaksha ,RMCM - So Wesley [E12]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (3), 06.08.2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Qc2 Nxc3 8.bxc3 Nd7 9.e4 c5 10.Bd3 Qc7 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 cxd4 13.cxd4 Qxc2 14.Bxc2 Rc8 15.Ba4 Bd6 16.0–0 Bxe4 17.Rac1 Rb8 18.Ne5 Bxe5 19.dxe5 g5 20.Rc7 b5
21.Bxb5 Rxb5 22.Rc8+ Ke7 23.Rxh8 gxh4 24.f4 Rb2 25.Rf2 Rb3 26.Rxh6 Rxa3 27.Rxh4 Ra1+ 28.Rf1 Rxf1+ 29.Kxf1 a5 30.Ke2 a4 31.Rh3 Bxg2 32.Rc3 Bd5 33.h4 Kf8 34.Kd2 Nb6 35.Kc1 Kg7 36.Kb2 Bb3 37.Rg3+ Kh7 38.Rd3 Nd5 39.Rd4 Kg6 40.Ka3 Kh5 41.Kb2 Kxh4 42.f5+ Kg5 43.fxe6 fxe6 44.Rd2 Kf5 45.Re2 Nf4 46.Re3 Ng6 47.Kc3 Nxe5 48.Kd4 Ng4 49.Rf3+ Kg5 50.Rf8 a3 0–1

Ochoa Karl Victor - De Silva N Rashin [C47]
World YouthU16 Olympiad 2007 (3), 06.08.2007

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g3 d5 5.exd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Be6 7.0–0 Be7 8.d4 Nxc3 9.bxc3 e4 10.Nd2 f5 11.Nb3 0–0 12.f3 exf3 13.Qxf3 Bf6 14.Nc5 Bc8 15.Rb1 Rb8 16.Qd5+ Kh8 17.Qxd8 Nxd8 18.Na6 Ra8 19.Nxc7 Rb8 20.Bf4 Bd7
21.Bd6 Rf7 22.Bd5 Be7 23.Nb5 Bxd6 24.Nxd6 Rf6 25.Nxb7 Nxb7 26.Rxb7 Rxb7 27.Bxb7 Rb6 28.Bd5 g6 29.Re1 Bc6 30.Bxc6 Rxc6 31.d5 Rd6 32.c4 Kg8 33.Re7 a6 34.Kf2 h6 35.Ke3 Kf8 36.Rb7 g5 1–0

Hapuarachchi HLM - Pascua Haridas [B33]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (3), 06.08.2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.a4 a6 8.Na3 Be6 9.Bc4 Be7 10.0–0 0–0 11.Kh1 Nxe4 12.Nxe4 d5 13.Bb3 dxe4 14.Bxe6 fxe6 15.Be3 Nd4 16.c3 Nf5 17.Qb3 Qd5 18.Qb6 Rad8 19.Nc2 Rd6 20.Qc5 Rc6 1.Qa7
Qb3 22.g4 Nh4 23.Nb4 Bxb4 24.Qxb7 Qc4 25.Qxb4 Qe2 26.Qxe4 Rc4 27.Qb7 e4 0–1

Grafil Franz - Sahan Sachintha [B26]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (3), 06.08.2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.d3 d6 6.Be3 e6 7.Qd2 Nge7 8.Bh6 0–0 9.h4 Nd4 10.Rc1 Nec6 11.Bxg7 Kxg7 12.Nge2 Qf6 13.f4 h5 14.0–0 Rb8 15.Nd1 Nxe2+ 16.Qxe2 Bd7 17.c3 b5 18.Ne3 b4 19.f5 bxc3 20.bxc3 Na5 1–0


Round 4: Philippines – Hungary [1.5 – 2.5]

So Wesley - Fodor Tamas Jr [C11]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (4), 07.08.2007

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 Qa5 8.a3 c4 9.Be2 Nb6 10.0–0 Bd7 11.Qd2 Be7 12.b4 cxb3 13.cxb3 Bxa3 14.Ra2 Rc8 15.Rfa1 Bb4 16.Rc1 Ba3 17.Rca1 Bb4 18.Rxa5 Nxa5 19.Rxa5 Bxa5 20.Qa2 Bxc3 21.Qxa7 Na8 22.Qxb7 Ke7 23.f5 Rc7 24.Qa6 Bb4 25.f6+ gxf6 26.exf6+ Kxf6 27.Bf4 Rhc8 28.Bxc7 Nxc7 29.Qd3 Bb5 30.Qe3 Bxe2 31.Qg5# 1–0

Pap Gyula - Ochoa Karl Victor[E86]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (4), 07.08.2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0–0 6.Be3 e5 7.Nge2 c6 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.0–0–0 Qa5 10.Kb1 b5 11.cxb5 cxb5 12.Nd5 Qxd2 13.Nxf6+ Nxf6 14.Rxd2 Be6 15.Nc3 a6 16.Be2 Rfc8 17.Rhd1 Bf8 18.g4 Rab8 19.Bf1 Ne8 20.h4 f6
21.Bh3 b4 22.Nd5 Kg7 23.dxe5 dxe5 24.Nb6 Rc6 25.Nd7 Rbc8 26.Bh6+ Kxh6 27.Nxf8 Nc7 28.Nd7 Kg7 29.Bf1 Bxd7 30.Rxd7+ Kg8 31.Rd8+ Rxd8 32.Rxd8+ Kf7 33.Rd7+ Kg8 34.Rd8+ Kf7 35.Rc8 a5 36.b3 Ke7 37.Bc4 Kd6 38.Rh8 Ne6
39.Rxh7 Nd4 40.h5 gxh5 41.gxh5 Nxf3 42.Bd5 Rc3 43.Rf7 Ne1 44.Rxf6+ Kd7 45.h6 Nc2 46.Rc6 Na3+ 47.Kb2 Rg3 48.Kc1 Rg2 49.h7 Rh2 1–0

Pascua Haridas - Prohaszka Peter [B10]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (4), 07.08.2007

1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 cxd5 4.exd5 Nf6 5.Qa4+ Nbd7 6.Nc3 g6 7.g3 Bg7 8.Bg2 0–0 9.Nge2 a6 10.0–0 b5 11.Qb3 Bb7 12.d4 Nb6 13.Nf4 Nc4 14.h4 Qb6 15.a4 Nd6 16.Rd1 Bc8 17.axb5 Bg4 18.Re1 axb5 19.Rxa8 Rxa8 20.Qb4 Nd7 21.Be3 Bf5 22.Bf1 Ra5 23.Nd3 Bxd3 24.Bxd3 h5 25.Kg2 Bf6 26.Bg5 Ra7 27.Bxf6 Nxf6 28.Qc5 Nd7 29.Qxb6 Nxb6 30.Bxb5 Nxb5 31.Nxb5 Ra5 32.Nc3 Kf8 33.Kf3 Nc4 34.Re2 Ra7 35.Rc2 Rb7 36.Nd1 Nd6 37.Ke3 Rb4 38.Kd3 Ke8 …. ½–½

Balog Imre - Grafil Franz Robert [D15]
World Youth U16 Olympiad 2007 (4), 07.08.2007

1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 a6 5.g3 b5 6.cxd5 cxd5 7.Bg2 Bb7 8.Ne5 e6 9.Qb3 Nbd7 10.f4 Bd6 11.0–0 0–0 12.a4 b4 13.Be3 Rb8 14.Nd1 a5 15.Nf2 Ne4 16.Rac1 Nxf2 17.Bxf2 Rc8 18.Qd3 Nb8 19.Bh3 Ba6 20.Qf3 f5 21.g4 Bxe5 22.fxe5 f4 23.Rxc8 Qxc8 24.g5 Nc6 25.Qg4 Nd8 26.g6 h6 27.Bh4 Kh8 28.Be7 Rg8 29.Qxf4 Qc2 30.Bxd8 Qxg6+ 31.Qg4 Qxg4+ 32.Bxg4 Rxd8 33.Bxe6 Bxe2 34.Rf7 Bd1 35.Ra7 Bxa4 36.Rxa5 Bc6 37.Rc5 Ba8 38.Bf7 1–0

RP Team for WU 16

Hi there!

Congratulations to our WU-16 Team! With only one titled and FIDE rated player on our team, we are doing tremendously great at number 2 spot! On board one of course is theever reliable Whiz, GM candidate Wesley So, boards 2 to 4, we have Karl Viktor Ochoa, Haridas Pascua and Franz Robert Grafil. We are closely tailing behind tournament leader and top 2 seed India which is our round seven opponent.

Whew! How exciting can it get?

I really wish to see corporate sponsorship in our land be directed towards our chess players development, most specially our juniors and age groupers.

If you haven't been living under a rock, I'm sure you know what happened to Pilipinas Basketball team in the recent FIBA Asia Championship. The team sent was funded and supported since its inception and some months ago hoping to make a comeback to the Olymics. If my memory serves me right, they were given around 70 million pesos for training. Wow! We don't , or should I say, we have never heard of such amount poured in for chess in our country.

Imagine Wesley getting the financial help to join FIDE rated tourneys overseas using just 10 percent of the amount used for the basketball team that flopped in 2 major games? We will not have just one 13 year old GM but a lot of them!

To the Philippine Chess team we have right now, continue your winning ways! RAISE HIGH the Philippine Flag!

Inbox newsblogging

Hi!

Much of what's posted below came from almost a week of none reading and opening of my inbox. We have of course contribution from NM Marlon Bernardino, Mr. Manny Benitez. We also received emails from Chess Arbiters Association of the Philippines and someone from North Vancouver.

Here they are...

From NM Marlon Bernardino:

DEL MUNDO IS US OPEN CHESS CO-CHAMP

FOLLOWING his recent first place win at the World Open chess in Philadelphia, Anton Paolo del Mundo tied for first with five grandmasters and one international master at the US Open held at the Crown Plaza in Cherry Hill, New Jersey held from July 31 to August 5.

Playing brilliantly, Del Mundo racked five straight wins in the last 5 rounds to score 7.5 points out of nine rounds and tied with GMs Alexander Shabalov, Boris Gulko, Sergey Kudrin, Michael Rhode and IM Benjamin Finegold. Trailing by half a point going to the last round, Del Mundo won his game against rising star John Rouleau of Maryland but caught up with the GMs who ended with draws despite an apparent effort by most of them to go for solo first.

Del Mundo has recently radically changes his playing style. He has not been playing for about two years after the Minnesota HB Global
Challenge in 2005 where he won the Under 2400 title. Del Mundo is a software engineer, and had graduated from University of Maryland, College Park.

After preparing for the tournaments, Del Mundo said that he has improved with "a better positional understanding." Some of his games
can be seen at monroi.com which offered live coverage of the US Open.

In his game with Rouleau, Del Mundo adopted a hypermodern style and allowed Rouleau to attack with his black pieces, but with most of its queenside pieces undeveloped. Rouleau resigned when Del Mundo sacrificed a knight then a rook, but taking the pieces was worse for Rouleau. Rouleau resigned after 27 moves.

Another Filipino, IM Enrico Sevillano of California, showed a strong finish with 6.5 points. He was stopped from contending for the top
prize when he lost to GM Michael Rohde in the penultimate round.

IM BANCOD,WNM PERENA DOMINATES ASIAN INDOOR GAME CHESS ELIMS

Final Standings:

(Men Division)

8.0 points---IM Ronald Bancod

7.5 points---IM Wesley So

7.0 points---NM Rolando Nolte

6.0 points---IM Jayson Gonzales, IM Barlo Nadera, FM Roderick Nava, NM Arlan Cabe

5.0 points---IM Richard Bitoon

4.0 points---NM Emmanuel Senador, NM Alex Milagrosa

3.5 points---NM Mirabeau Maga

3.0 points---FM Fernie Donguines

(Women Division)

7.0 points---WNM Catherine Perena

6.5 points---WNM Sherily Cua

6.0 points---WIM Sheerie Joy Lomibao

5.5 points---WNM Cheradee Chardine Camacho

5.0 points---Yulp Ylem Jose, WNM Shercila Cua

3.5 points---WIM Beverly Mendoza

2.5 points---WNM Christy Lamiel Bernales

2.0 points---WIM Cristine Rose Mariano, WNM Kimberly Jane Cunanan

INTERNATIONAL MASTER Ronald Bancod of Quezon City and Woman National Master Catherine Perena of Caloocan City topped their respective division in the just concluded 2007 National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) qualification tournament to this year's Macau Asian Indoor Game Chess Championships late Saturday at the Mahogany Hotel in Tagaytay City.

Ronald, younger brother of journalist Reynaldo Bancod, made a quick 9 moves draw over Fellow IM Richard Bitoon in their English Duel to finish five wins and six draws in a total of 8.0 points in this 11-round tournament, half a point ahead of GM-candidate Wesley So and a full points ahead of third placer NM Rolando Nolte.

On the other hand, So, who will head the four-man RP team to the World Under-16 Olympiad in Singapore later this week, agreed 7 moves draw to elimination top notcher NM Alex Milagrosa in their Reti Opening Game.

In the women's side, WNM Perena finished with 7.0 points, half a point ahead with runner-up WNM Sherily Cua and full point ahead with tournament favorites WIM Sheerie Joy Lomibao in this tournament was organized by the NCFP, led by NCFP president Butch Pichay and secretary-general Bambol Tolentino, to determine the country's representative to the Asian Indoor Game in Macau this October and the members of the national training pool.

CAAP news:

CAAP Announces its 2nd Arbitration Seminar on Aug.10-12, 2007 @ Pan de Amerikana Restaurants at 92 Gen. Ordoñez Conception 2 Marikina City. Registration is a 1st come 1st served basis, contact the ff: for details – NA Rey Colitoy (09195291693) NA Ferdie (09184873785), NA Rudy Ibañez (09208460780) Pls. pass thanks.

Reg.fee – P1,500.00 inclusive of handouts and free lunch. Speakers are composed of International Arbiters and National Arbiters.

Active event in North Vancouver:

‘Anna Politkovskaya memorial’

Date: August 15, 22, 2007 (Wednesday nights)
Place: Mollie Nye House, 940 Lynn Valley Road, North Vancouver
Rounds: 5
Type: Active CFC-rated round robin (6-players)
Times: 7 pm
TC: SD 30 active chess control
EF: $10
Prizes: 1st ChessBase data CD for clear first.
Reg/TD/Org: interested players please e-mail or call CTD Vas Sladek, 604-562-3736,
vas@chessfirst.com
Sets, clocks and scoresheets provided; CFC membership required; parking west of the building.

The Weekender:

Torre RP’s No. 1 in new Fide listing

THE World Chess Federation has issued a corrected version of the list of Filipino players showing that Eugene Torre is now the country’s No.1 player with Elo 2536, the same one he had on the first list issued by Fide on July 1, 2007.

GM Joey Antonio, who is still in California, had his rating reduced from 2539 to 2532, pushing him down to No. 2, still ahead of GM Mark Paragua, who still had 2525 as in the first listing.

In an email, executive director Sammy Estimo of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines officially notified The Weekender about the correction, which he said was due to the non-inclusion of one loss Antonio had, to NM Ernesto Fernandez of Zamboanga City, in the Philippine Open held last April at Subic Freeport, in the earlier listing.

The new listing carries the names of John Paul Gomez and Julio Catalino Sadorra for the first time as international masters with 2469 and 2421, respectively. In the first listing neither one had a title.

Another noticeable change was the increase in the rating of IM Roland Salvador from 2452 in the first listing to 2464, putting him on a par with No. 9 IM Jayson Gonzales. Salvador is currently based in Milan, Italy where he is actively seeking his third GM norm for the title.

The top 20 Filipino players listed by Fide: 1. GM Eugenio Torre (2536) 2. GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. (2532) 3. GM Mark Paragua (2525) 4. IM Wesley So (2516) 5. Rogelio Barcenilla (2503) 6. IM Oliver Dimakiling (2500) 7. IM Joseph Sanchez (2486) 8. IM John Paul Gomez (2469) 9. IM Jayson Gonzales (2461) 9. IM Roland Salvador (2461) 11. IM Idelfonso Datu (2457) 12. GM Nelson Mariano (247) 13. IM Enrique Paciencia (2431) 14. IM Rolly Martinez (2428) 15. NM Hamed Nouri (2426) 16.GM Buenaventura Villamayor (2425) 17. IM Julio Catalino Sadorra 18. IM Rico Mascariñas (2421) 19.IM Yves Rañola (2410); 20. NM Sander Severino (2405).

GM Joey Antonio plays simul in LA

FILIPINO GM Joey Antonio was due to play a simultaneous exhibition last night (Manila time) against 30-40 players at a park in park in the suburb of Los Angeles, California, under the auspices of the Carson Chess Club.

It was to be held at Carriage Crest Park in Carson City, which is still part of Los Angeles County, at the corner of Figueroa and Sepulveda Streets, on Saturday morning, US Pacific time..

Antonio went to America to campaign for a higher Elo rating by playing in as many tournaments as he could during his visit. From California, it was learned that he planned to take part in a major open event in Detroit, Michigan.

Arguably the strongest attacking player in the country, Antonio has had several setbacks in recent tournaments here, including the Philippine Open at Subic where he lost to NM Ernesto Fernandez. This caused Joey’s rating to plunge to 2532 on the corrected Fide ratings list.

In the first US event he entered during his current visit, Antonio finished in a tie for second to fifth with another Filipino, Southern California state champion IM Enrico Sevillano, in the Pacific Coast Open held at Agoura Hills south of Los Angeles.

Playing Black , Antonio had four wins and one loss, to the eventual champion, GM Khachiyan, and settled for fourth place with Sevillano in fifth on tiebreak. In second and third places were GMs Larsen Bo Hansen of Denmark and Suat Atalik of Turkey.

The Banawa brothers, Jouaquin and Joel, finished in the third bracket with 3.5 points, along with American GM Alex Yermolinsky, a former US open champion, and FM Harutyun Akopyan.

IM Salvador ends up 2nd in Bergamo

MILAN-BASED Filipino IM Roland Salvador moved closer to his goal of becoming a grandmaster this year by finishing a close second in the sixth Bergamo International Open last month, it was learned only this week from The Week in Chess internet magazine.

The event drew 125 players from 11 countries. They included seven GMs, five IMs, one WGM and two Fide masters.

GM-candidate Salvador took the second slot on tiebreak.

Shell series returns to Pangasinan

IN 1995, a total of 165 players competed in the Shell Youth Active Chess Championship when it was held in Pangasinan. This time around in the same event after 12 years, a total of 468 youngsters—314 in the Kiddies (children 14 years old or younger) and 154 in the Juniors (20 years old and younger)—trooped to the SNYACC in Dagupan City to take part in the chess festival.

No doubt about it, Shell’s annual road show has become the nation’s most popular chess competition in the grassroots. It has produced some of the country’s leading players, including GMs Mark Paragua and Nelson Mariano II.

The Weekender is proud to present this pictorial coverage of the Dagupan leg in an effort to recapture the festive air that prevailed there, as it did in Cagayan’s Tuguegarao City.

The six winners in Dagupan City—Kiddies’ Prince Mark Aquino, Bernard Nillo and John Mark Dimaliwat and Juniors’ John Ranel Morazo, Lyndon Sombilon (both from FEU) and local star Benjie Macoy—will join the 12 others who had qualified in the inaugural National Capital Region leg held in SM Manila and in the first Northern Luzon leg held in Tuguegarao City, for Shell’s Grand Finals in October.

This weekend another six qualifiers are expected to emerge from the Southern Luzon leg being held in Batangas City.

Two weeks hence, Iloilo City will host the Western Visayas leg.

The Weekender wishes to thank Aileen Duran, head of Pilipinas Shell’s External Affairs Department, for sharing these photos with the QMC Chess Plaza newsletter’s readers.

Barcenilla, the uncrowned GM

THERE are many who believe that IM Rogelio “Banjo” Barcenilla (2505) should have become a grandmaster in 2000 but for his having been embroiled in the power struggle that led to the demise of the old national federation and the emergence of a new one that even now is also being torn apart by petty squabbling.

Banjo won his third and final GM norm in June 2000 in New York City. He won it fair and square in the Jack Collins International Tournament held at the famous Marshall Chess Club in New York City.

Who would have thought that that norm would be rejected by the World Chess Federation?

It seems that somebody within Fide had raised the issue during the 33rd World Olympiad held in Istanbul in October that year—after Banjo had shown up as head of the team formed by the then Philippine Chess Federation headed by the late Arturo Borjal.

As is commonly known today, the National Chess Federation of the Philippines had been recognized by Fide as the legitimate representative of the country at the 2000 Olympiad, resulting in the old PCF and its team led by Barcenilla being booted out.

One offshoot of this was the ruling by the pertinent Fide committee that the Collins tournament did not meet the requirements for awarding a GM norm. Why? Well, the ruling said this was because the four grandmasters in that event, one of whom was the late Alex Wojtkiewicz who flew to New York from Warsaw just for that event, played only four games each instead of the nine played by the rest.

It was indeed a strange ruling, considering that the requirement must have been intended, as it were, for GM candidates, not the GMs themselves. A grandmaster is a grandmaster is a grandmaster.

Since then, Barcenilla has been regarded as a pariah by the NCFP, which even ignored his expressed desire a couple of years ago to be allowed to come back and play for the Philippines again.

Unfortunately for Banjo, he had also gotten married to Lilibeth Lee, daughter of the late Antonio Lee, a Chinese-Filipino promoter of chess in Iligan who was also identified with Borjal and the PCF.

Never mind if Barcenilla was an excellent player, one who had brought honors to the country in international tournaments, including the Olympiads. Never mind if, up to now, he still ranks No. 5 in the country despite his having been inactive for the past two or three years and has never even played here since the late nineties.

If this is so, why does the NCFP still carry his name and those of others who had left the country for greener pastures? Why? The answer is obvious: just to pad its list of “100 active players” and increase the country’s average Elo rating.

• Rogelio Barcenilla - Jean-Marc Degraeve
World Juniors, Baguio 1987
King’s Indian, Saemisch Variation (E81)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.f3 0–0 6.Be3 c5 6...c6 7.Qd2 should equalize 7.dxc5! dxc5 8.Qxd8 Rxd8 9.Bxc5 Nc6 10.Rd1 Nd7 11.Be3 b6 Not 11...Bxc3+ 12.bxc3 b6 13.Ne2! 12.Nge2 Bb7 13.Nd4 Nxd4 14.Bxd4 Ne5 15.Nb5 f5 16.Nc7 fxe4 17.fxe4 Better than 17.Nxa8 exf3 18.Bc3 Rxd1+ 19.Kxd1 Bxa8! Ng4 18.Be2 Rxd4 19.Nxa8 If19.Rxd4 Bxd4 20.Bxg4 Rb8 21.Be6+ Kh8! Ne3 20.Rxd4 Bxd4 21.Nc7 Bxe4 22.Kd2 Bxg2 23.Re1 Nf5 24.Bd3 Kf7 25.b4 Bf6 26.Nd5 Bg5+ 27.Kc3 e6 Best was 27...Bh4 28.Re2 Bf3! 28.Bxf5! gxf5 29.Rg1 Bxd5 30.cxd5 Bf6+ 31.Kc4 e5 32.Rf1 f4 33.Kd3 Be7 34.Ke4 Bd6 35.Rc1 Ke7 36.b5 Kd7 37.Rg1! The clincher, e.g., 37…Bf8 38.Rg8! 1–0

• Rogelio Barcenilla - Utut Adianto
Asian Zonal 1990
Classical Caro-Kann (B19)

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.Nf3 Nd7 7.h4 h6 8.h5 Bh7 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 Ngf6 11.Bd2 e6 12.0–0–0 Qc7 13.Ne4 0–0–0 14.g3 Nc5 15.Nxc5 Bxc5 16.Rh4 Rhe8 17.c4 Bb6 18.Qc2 Qe7 19.b4 Rd7 19...Bc7 20.Qc3 should equalize 20.Bc3 Bc7 21.a4 Red8! 22.Re1 Ne8 23.b5 Qa3+ 24.Kb1 cxb5 25.axb5 Ba5 Not 25...Nd6 26.Ne5 Ba5 27.Bb2! 26.Re3 Rc7?? 26...Bxc3 should be tried: 27.Rxc3 Qb4+ 28.Rb3 Qa4! 27.Bd2!

After 27.Bd2!

27…Qe7 28.Bxa5 b6 29.Bd2 Nd6 30.Bb4 Qe8 31.Bxd6 Rxd6 32.Ne5 33.Nc6 Qg5 34.Re5! 1–0

• Alex Sherzer - Rogelio Barcenilla
World Juniors Romania 1991
Ruy Lopez, Smyslov Variation (C93)]

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 h6 10.d4 Re8 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.Nf1 Bd7 13.Ng3 Na5 14.Bc2 Nc4 15.b3 Nb6 16.a4 bxa4 17.bxa4 c5 18.Bb3 a5 19.dxc5 dxc5 20.Nh2 c4 21.Bc2 Be6 22.Qf3 Nh7 23.Nf5! Nd7 24.Qg3 Kh8 25.Ng4 Qc7 26.Nge3 Rac8 27.Nd5! Qc6 28.Nfe3 f5! 29.f4? Missing 29.exf5! fxe4 29...g5 30.fxg5 f4 31.Qh4 hxg5 32.Qh5 should give Black a big, big boost 30.Bxe4 Nc5! 31.Bxh7 Better but not enough was 31.Bf3, says Fritz Kxh7 32.Rd1 Nd3 33.Rxd3 cxd3 34.c4 Bxd5 35.cxd5 Qc3 36.Rb1 d2 37.Bxd2 Qd3 38.Rf1 exf4 If 39.Qxf4 Qxd2! 0–

Rogers retires

THE Australian GM Ian Rogers recently announced his retirement from competitive chess due to medical reasons. This leaves Darryl Johansen as the lone GM from Australia.

Born June 24, 1960 in Tasmania, Rogers was the first Australian to become an International Grandmaster.

Let us take this opportunity to clear up the record books, some of which name Walter Shawn Browne as the first.

Browne was born in 1949 in Sydney, Australia of an American Wall Street businessman and Australian mother. His family moved to the New York area when he was three, and Walter grew up in Brooklyn playing chess almost non-stop at the Manhattan Chess Club.

He had dual citizenship, and decided that it was easier to qualify for the interzonals through representing Australia in the Asian Zonals rather than to try to break through the top-heavy US zonals contending with players such as Bobby Fischer, Sammy Reshevsky, Lubomir Kavalek, William Lombardy, Robert Byrne, Larry Evans, etc etc.

He was not successful, though, as Filipino IM Renato Naranja pipped him at the end to claim the sole qualifying slot.

Completely filled with disgust Browne went back to the USA, earned his GM title, and became the most dominant American player in the post-Fischer era.

I do not think any Australian considers Browne Australian.

On the other hand Ian Rogers was born and raised in Australia. He became an International Master in 1980 and a GM in 1985.

He has been the Land Down Under’s highest rated player for over twenty years, and has represented Australia at 13 chess Olympiads (11 of them on first board).
Record Watch:

Who is Asia’s first International Master? Rodolfo Tan Cardoso (1956)
Who earned Asia’s first GM norm? Eugene Torre (1974 Torremolinos)
Who is Asia’s first GM? Eugene Torre (1974 Nice)
Who is Asia’s second GM? Rosendo Balinas (1976 Odessa)
Who is Asia’s first 2600+ player? Viswanathan Anand
Who is Asia’s second 2600+ player? Ian Rogers
There – so Rogers IS in the Asian history book.

Trivia: Ian Rogers earned his Bachelor of Science degree in the University of Melbourne.

Do you know what his major is? Give up?
Meteorology.

Is he the first weatherman turned chess player?

I will give you one personal recollection of Rogers, and this was during the 1992 Manila Olympiad. Businessman Lowell Liwat, on the prodding of GM Eduard Gufeld, decided to sponsor the brilliancy prize of the Olympiad, and it went to this game:

Kasparov,Garry (2780) - Nikolic,Predrag (2635) [D10]
Manila Olympiad (Men), 1992

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 e5

In the early ’90s the Semi-Slav was in fashion and this Winaver Countergambit was taken up by several players, including Nikolic, Salov and Bareev. Pretty soon everyone was playing 3.Nf3 instead of 3.Nc3 to ensure that this possibility is removed.

4.dxe5 d4 5.Ne4 Qa5+ 6.Bd2

The usual move is 6.Nd2.

6...Qxe5 7.Ng3 Qd6 8.Nf3 Nf6 9.Qc2 Be7 10.0–0–0 0–0 11.e3 dxe3

Here Kasparov sank into deep thought, and played the paradoxical ...

12.fxe3!

Remarkable. White gives himself an isolated e-pawn, but Bxe3 would put his bishop on the wrong diagonal - it belongs on c3.

12...Qc7 13.Bc3 Bg4 14.Bd3 Nbd7 15.Bf5 Bxf5 16.Nxf5 Rfe8 17.Nxg7!! Kxg7 18.Qf5!

The threat is Rxd7!

18...Nf8 19.h4!

Threat is 20.Qg5+ Ng6 21.h5.

19...h6 20.g4 Qc8! 21.Qxc8?!

I remember that some annotators made the comment here that Kasparov wimped out. Better is to maintain the attack with 21.Qc2! followed by g4-g5.

21...Raxc8 22.g5 N8h7 23.e4 Rcd8 24.Rdf1! Kf8 25.gxf6 Bxf6 26.e5 Bg7

[26...Be7? 27.e6! fxe6 (27...Bf6 28.Bb4+ Be7 29.exf7!) 28.Ng5+ etc]

27.Rhg1 c5 28.Kc2! Re6 29.Rg4 Bh8 30.b4!

Opening up the position for his pieces, especially advisable if your opponent's bishop and knight are holed up in a corner.

30...b6 31.bxc5 bxc5 32.Rb1 Ra6 33.Rb2 Bg7?

After 33...Rb6 the win is not yet in sight.

34.Rb7! Rxa2+ 35.Kb3 Ra6 36.e6! Rxe6 37.Rxg7 1–0

Quite great stuff. The problem is that Garry Kasparov was one of the judges of the brilliancy prize and quite frankly actively campaigned for his own game. From the people I spoke to during the event the impression I got was that if Garry had not twisted some arms then the following game would have been it.

Rogers, Ian (2550) - Milos, Gilberto (2515) [A41]
Manila Olympiad (Men), 1992

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d6 3.Nc3 Bg4 4.e4 e6 5.h3 Bh5 6.Qe2 c6 7.g4 Bg6 8.Bg5 Be7 9.Bxf6
[9.0–0–0? Nxe4!]
9...Bxf6 10.h4 h6 11.0–0–0 Nd7 12.Kb1 Qc7 13.Rg1!? h5

Black did not want to castle queenside right away because 13...0–0–0 14.h5 Bh7 15.g5 gives White a strong initiative. But that may still be the best way to go, since after the text the bishop becomes a spectator.

14.g5 Be7 15.d5! e5 16.Bh3 0–0–0 17.Nd2 Kb8 18.Nc4 Nb6 19.Nxb6 Qxb6 20.Rd3

The idea is 21.dxc6 bxc6 22.Nd5! because 22...cxd5 runs into 23.Rb3.
20...Ka8 21.a3 Rdf8 22.Bf5! Bh7

Intending ...g6 followed by ...f6
23.Rgd1 g6 24.dxc6! bxc6

If 24...gxf5 then 25.Nd5 25...Qd8 (25...Qxc6 26.Rc3 followed by Rc7 and Rxe7) 26.Rb3 wins; 24...Qxc6 25.Bh3 Rb8 26.Nd5 Bd8 27.Rc3 with a squeeze.
25.Bd7 Qc7?

After 25...Qc7

This move should have been prefaced by 25...Rb8. Now comes a nice finish.
26.Bxc6+!! Qxc6 27.Nd5 Bd8
[27...Qd7 also loses]
28.Rc3 Qb7 29.Rb3 Qc6 30.Rdd3 Ba5
Preventing Rc3, or so he thinks.
31.Rdc3! Bxc3 32.Qa6!! 1–0

The immediate point is that 32.Qa6 Qxa6?? 33.Nc7.
What do you think?

Reader comments and/or suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com.

This column was first published in BusinessWorld on July 30, 2007.

Chess quote

“The mistakes are there, waiting to be made.”
—Savielly Tartakower

Internet Addiction

YOU hear a lot of bad things about internet addiction. This has particularly been much talked about in China due to its observed rising incidence of wayward kids doing all-night gaming at Internet cafes. China has taken some drastic steps to curb the growth of Internet addiction, such as banning the opening of new Internet cafes for a year, limiting the amount of time that users can play online games, and creating halfway houses for Net addicts. They also do not allow Internet cafes to admit anyone under the age of 18, with a third offense potentially leading to revocation of a cafe's business license.

Here in the Philippines we also hear about this. Many local councils in cities and towns all over the Philippines have introduced ordinances banning internet cafes in areas within so-and-so meters of schools and I remember there was this lady Senator a few years back who tried to introduce legislation to ban internet cafes.

I am going to make a lot of enemies with what I am going to say today, but I think they are all ignorant and narrow-minded. Yeah, and I thank god the lady senator is no longer in the Senate.

I was in my 20s when the personal computer craze started here in the Philippines and to this day regret why it couldn’t have come earlier. Think of how much time and work would have been saved if I had a computer in my teenage days! And where do we start with our computer education – by reading a thousand page manual? Or by playing computer games? Everybody knows the answer to it.

I maintain that computer games are educational, beneficial and help in children's learning and development. Some myopic skeptics suggest that frequent game playing can make a person a social recluse, but this is absolutely not true, as the computer game culture has formed its own community, in which players teach each other to overcome obstacles and work together to form tight friendships.

Yes, they also improve logical thinking and enhance problem solving skills. While parents wonder why their children are playing computer games rather than play outside with their friends, many researchers say computer games are the key to success in an information age and that kids are actually learning.

Their findings suggest that people who play computer games make sharper soldiers, drivers, and surgeons, because their reaction time and peripheral vision are better. People who play computer games take risks and react with ease in stressful situations.

It is abundantly clear to me that the idea of preventing schoolboys and children from entering internet cafes cannot be correct as is banning computer games. Do you recall that many years ago President Marcos banned the robot anime shows – I was devastated and didn’t know how to survive without Voltes V and Daimos.

Easily, in that period when I was lost and all alone I could have taken up drugs or rugby, etc etc. And all because Marcos didn’t want me to watch a cartoon TV series! Do you know that I really blame him for my stunted youth?

How does this apply to chess? Well, for those people who do not have the means to buy their own computers and get an internet connection, a trip to the internet café is an indispensable form of training.

There are lots of players who log in everyday to play chess. A great example is former US Champion Hikaru Nakamura, who attributes all his superlative tactical skills and resourcefulness to a steady diet of blitz chess. As a matter of fact, he maintains that he has never read a chess book and all of his chess theory he got from online playing.

In the Continental Chess Champions which took place in Cali, Colombia, last July 10-20, 2007, seven players qualified for the next World Chess Cup to be held at the end of the year. These are GM Julio Granda (Peru), GM Alexander Ivanov (USA), GM Varuzhan Akobian 9USA), GM Darcy Lima (Brazil), IM Eduardo Iturrizaga (Venezuela), IM Everaldo Natsuura (Brazil) and GM Fernando Peralta (Argentina).

IM Manuel Leon Hoyos of Mexico did not qualify, but he earned his third and final GM norm in the tournament. He is another one of those players who grew up and sharpened his skills on the Internet Chess Club. Take a look at his attacking mastery:

Leon Hoyos,Manuel (2484) - Spraggett,Kevin (2585) [B42]
American Continental Ch Cali, Columbia (11.6), 20.07.2007

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.0–0 d6
Bad is 6...d5? 7.e5 Nfd7? 8.Nxe6! fxe6 9.Qh5+ Ke7 10.Bg5+ time to resign.
7.c4 b6 8.Nc3
For blitzers it is important to have a few general guidelines so that you can zip through the opening stage in three seconds flat. In this case, as in many similar positions in the Sicilian, White can either play for e4-e5 or f2-f4-f5. However, the former plan is only good if Black's knights are on d7 and f6, because then the f6 one cannot retreat to d7.

So, having eliminated the first choice, White should play to advance his pawn to f5. How do you go about it? Simple, f2-f4, Kh1 and Qe2 may be played in any order since they do not commit White to anything anyway. After you have accomplished that you stop and look around for a tactic, then strike!
How's that for quick tips?
8...Bb7 9.f4
The main line now is 9...Be7, but it has lately been assaulted with 10.f5. So Black plays something safer.
9...g6!?
The idea here is that White should think twice before playing 10.f5, since it is met by 10...gxf5 and Black will then move his rook to g8 where it in tandem with the bishop on b7 would bear down on the hapless white king.
10.f5!
Nevertheless!
10...gxf5 11.exf5 Rg8

After 11...Rg8
The rook and bishop are trained on white's king. So what now?
12.Ne4!! e5
The knight cannot be taken:
1) 12...Bxe4 13.Bxe4 Nxe4 14.fxe6 fxe6 15.Nxe6 Qe7 16.Qh5+ Kd7 17.Rf7;
2) 12...Nxe4 13.fxe6! Rxg2+ (of course not 13...fxe6 14.Qh5+) 14.Kxg2 Nc3+ winning the white queen. But let's look a bit further: 15.Kg1 Nxd1 16.exf7+ Kd7 17.Bf5+, winning back the queen with lots of interest.
13.Ne6! fxe6
[13...Qe7 then 14.Bg5!]
14.fxe6 Bxe4 15.Bxe4 Ra7
[15...Nxe4?? leads to mate: 16.Qh5+ Rg6 17.Qxh7 Rf6 (17...Rg7 18.Qh5+ Ke7 19.Rf7+ Kxe6 20.Qf5#) 18.Qh5+ Ke7 19.Rxf6 Nxf6 20.Qf7#]
16.Qf3 Bg7
[16...Nxe4 is still not possible because of 17.Qf7+! Rxf7 18.exf7+ Kd7 19.fxg8Q]
17.Bg5 Rf8 18.Bxf6!
Accuracy to the end.
18...Rxf6
[18...Bxf6 19.Qh5+ Ke7 20.Qxh7+]
19.Qh5+ Kf8 20.Rxf6+ Bxf6 21.Qh6+ Kg8 22.Rf1! The bishop cannot be saved, so Spraggett resigns. 1–0

Reader comments and/or suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com.

This column was first published in BusinessWorld on August 3, 2007.

Krus-na-Ligas High School chess club elects its officers

THE Krus-na-Ligas High School Chess Team elected its officers last Saturday at a meeting attended by 17 freshmen and sophomore students,

Patrick Mark Mazo was elected president, Ron Daniel Noceno vice president for Internal Affairs and Marianel Espinosa vice president for External Affairs.

The team also elected Ana Rowena N. Osorio secretary, Elaine Dimson treasurer and Stanley Agustin auditor.

Eugene Nacion and Jhed Ramos were elected public relations officers for External and Internal Affairs, respectively; and Amiel Adversario and Eric Salvador T. Vega, sergeants-at-arms.

New members are Marc Albert Y. Vega, Jose Francisco S. Allorde, Jose Marie R. Laparesca, Jose Maria S. Allorde, Jhed D. Ramos, Ralph C. Pascasio, Allan Jhay G. Samonte, and Angelo P. Banda.

Joseph Lawrence Carpio and Allan Castillo serve as coaches and Oscar S. Gonzales and Carding Yambao as advisers.

In a pep talk, , Gonzales.pointed up the benefits they could derive from chess if they remained focused on and interested in the game of kings as an intellectual sport.

He said chess would help improve concentration, discipline and logical thinking.

RP faces tough fight in U16 Olympiad

HOPES are high that the Philippine team led by IM Wesley So will fare well in the Under-16 Olympiad, which gets under way today in Singapore. After all, Wesley (2516) is the highest rated there, although his three companions—Karl Viktor Ochoa, Haridas Pascua and Franz Grafil—have no Fide ratings

—0—

THEY face a tough fight, though, what with the presence of Fide-rated masters from such countries as Hungary, India, Australia, Uzbekistan, Switzerland, Iran, Turkey, England and Israel, not to mention Singapore, all of whose players have Fide ratings.

—0—

AS the host, Singapore, which has a very strong training program staffed mainly by leading Filipino masters, is fielding five teams, four of which have players that are all rated by Fide—a clear sign of the tiny island state’s determination to excel
in this intellectual sport.

—0—

HUNGARY is clearly the top seed, with all its four regular players—one IM and two FMs and a highly-rated NM—having ratings above 2400. Its reserve
player is also a Fide master with a rating of 2378. India is seeded No. 2. Its young players, although untitled, have an average rating of 2300.

—0—

IN team competitions, the average strength counts the most. We can only hope that even though they are not rated, Wesley’s teammates can deliver the points as they are all gifted, experienced and stouthearted warriors. But can native talent and a fighting heart make up for the lack of proper training?

—0—

IT is said that a chain is as strong as its weakest link. The same can be said of a team, whose strength can be measured by its average rating. The key to winning a team competition is to have a well-balanced squad of competent players.

—0—

READER John Manahan has written to inquire why IM So was not sent to tournaments where he could earn a GM norm considering that he could be overqualified for Singapore’s World Olympiad. John said Jan Emmanuel Garcia, the under-12 champion, should have been sent to Singapore instead.

CAAP seminar set

THE Chess Arbiters Association of the Philippines will hold a seminar From this coming Friday to Sunday (August 10 to 12) at Amerikana Restaurant (Marikina Chess Plaza) at 92 Ordoñez Street, corner Maroon in Concepcion 2, Marikina City.

Interested parties may contact Rudy Ibañez (0920-8460 780), Ferdie Reyes (0918-4871785), Rey Calitoy (0919-5291693, Gatz Luz (522-7243, 339-3321, 03 0922-637-3365), Milo Samaniego (780-2851 or 0926-7700645), Alfredo Chay (0919-4512384), Joel Tatad (0915-7537922) or Mary Grace Castro (0906-2572968).

And there goes your inbox content for the past week. Social software sharing, chess newsblogging and sharing!

Thanks to all of you!

UAAP Chess

Hi there!

Today, August 4, the UAAP chess war starts. Venue will be at the UE Briefing Room, 8AM-12PM. Who do you think will be the UAAP Chess Kings for this season? Good luck to all of you. Guys! Beware of your actions during the games ok? Careful hah, spies are everywhere. You don't know when PCC comes and watches your good and bad behaviors boys (and girls!).

NCAA Basketball is rocked (again!) by the news of a college standout from one of the participating schools. Ironically, the arrested player is the heart and soul of his team. Tsk Tsk tsk! Bad, bad, bad!

Hearing from one of the school's sports head, me and my wife could not accept his defense to his player and I quote:

"This is a social issue...it's not about the person, the school or the NCAA itself..."

Whew! If the offending party is from a well-off institution, they get the benefit of the doubt, but if it's from one of the "poor" institution, man, your lucky not to be given some slaps here and there with of course trial by publicity.

Incidentally, I've been exchanging emails with our "big bird" who has been in the chess scene for so many years now. Big bird confirms that there really is corruption in chess, amateur and professional.

Sad thing! Really sad! What more for the entire inter collegiate tournaments all over the country?

Also, the news of disbarment of Noli Eala, Asia's first professional basketball league, is also a news item for this week. Oh my! To all professionals in Philippine chess, lawyers, doctors and other license holders, be careful, you might end up in the same spot with him.

Buzz like a lawyer-chess father teaching his child possible chess moves during a tourney inside a restroom? Giving signals? Fixing the games with parents? Asking for draws with the players parents before the games start? These are issues surrounding the chess scene for so many years now. Is this the way to promote chess among our children? A filthy training ground for corrupt minded players, young ones at that.

Don't please! Just a reminder from PCC.

Cavite Inter town

Hi guys!

The Sports Development Office of the Provincial Government of Cavite has confirmed the schedule for the cavite Inter-town Chess Team Tournament. The said event will be held from September 12-14, 2007. Deadline of registration will be August 12 and guys, IT IS FOR FREE! venue will have to be announced by the end of the week.

I've heard there's a lot of talks and offers going on for titled and master-strenght players to play for the pariipating Chess Teams. Not really sure how each team will be formed and who will form it. One GM asked for 20,000.00 for the entire event. Considering the players' status and background, I found it quite cheap for his caliber. No, Im not saying this in a negative way. I mean, for someone like him, his achievements, he could ask for more. The issue though with this GM is, I heard, he would want to have a say as to who will his teammates be. Tsk tsk tsk! We want to have homegrown players to be fielded in the tournament.

This tournament will be crucial in forming the Cavite Chess Team which will participate in the Provincial Chess Team Championship, if there's going to be.

Anyways, I'd like to send this request to the father of Vladimir. Please identify yourself so I can reply back to you. And to all you can send your announcements thru my email, philippinechess@gmail.com or write thru my comment box.

I assure you, I will post your comments as long as you wish. I cannot post anything which is not there.

Till then and enjoy in the complicated combinations of chess. It's in the thrill of losing and winning that keeps us pushing those pawns.