Idealism and Power

Hi there!

When we were young, we had all the idealism in our heads and in our veins. Now that we're full of responsibilities, 24-7's not enough. We've gained power but lost time and vision of our youthful ideals.

Take this scenario: Over 100 chess ebooks falling on my lap, like the manna from heaven. Checking it out overnight, one can't help but wonder why on earth I have a lot of resources and so limited time to devour on it? So many things to do, so little time I've got.

Am not complaining about the resources. In fact, I consider the person giving these to me as a gift from heaven. A gift not just for me but to all those students I've got in my club so thirsty of chess knowledge.

This guy once told me that he is simply giving back what chess has given him and his loved ones. He was a board 2 player in one of the tertiary institutions in our land, he was "regularized" in the company that he works for becasue of chess. And his kids are on an athletic scholarship because of chess, and doing great at that.

Caution though, these secret ebooks are not to be given away. Main reason is that enterprising chess players will earn without a sweat by simply burning copies of the cd's and selling them to other players. This guy has put in internet time and effort to have them compiled. Now comes the piracy thing right? You would'nt want those precious sleepless hours be greedily taken advantaged of by some income conscious individuals right?

Anyways, when I said over 100 books, I meant around 150 e books. This guy even asked me to make sure I sleep well at night rather than read them all up. Hahahahahah! Thank you so much!

Here's the Weekender by Mr. Manny B.:

ANOTHER R.P. DISASTER IN THE MAKING?

ALL four leading Filipinos were knocked out of contention for a major prize in the eighth round of the Dato Arthur Tan Open in the ongoing Malaysian Chess Festival in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

At the head of the field of 87 players was a 21-year-old Chinese candidate master, Zhou Weiqi, eighth-round conqueror of Filipino IM Barlo Nadera, followed by Chinese NM Li Chao. They had 6.5 points each.

Behind them with 6.0 each were the top seed, GM Zhang Zhong and WGM Li Ruofan, both of China, GMs Dao Thien Hai of Vietnam and Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh and IM P.D.S. Girinath of India.

IM Wang Rui of China. IM Ronald Bancod of the Philippines. GM Nguyen Anh Dung of Vietnam. IM Irwanto Sadikin of Indonesia, Wang Li of China and FM Lim Ye-Weng of Malaysia followed half a point behind.

The four Filipinos knocked off from their high perch were IMs Nadera, Oliver Dimakiling and Richard Bitoon along with NM Emmanuel Senador.

Not one of the five Filipino grandmasters showed up.

The four had 5.0 points each after the seventh round and were within striking distance of the leaders when they met their Waterloo at the hands of Vietnamese, Chinese and Indian masters

Dimakiling lost with White and Senador with Black to Vietnamese GMs Nguyen Anh Dung and Dao Thien Hai, respectively, Nadera with Black to Chinese NM Zhou Weiqi, and Bitoon with Black to Indian IM P.D.S. Girinath.

All four slid down to the 15th to 19th slots with 5.0 each along with FM Hamed Nouri who joind them after defeating Malaysia’s Ahmed Ismail in the eighth round. Nadera, Dimakiling, Nouri, Senador and Bitoon were tied for the 15th to 23rd slots with three Indonesians and one Chinese.

This left only IM Bancod among the nine Filipinos with a chance at No. 10 of catching up with the leaders.

Bancod, who had beaten Malaysian FM Anis Nazreen Bakri with Black, entered the ninth with 5.5 points and was to face Vietnamese Nguyen Anh Dung with Black again.

Three other Filipinos—IM Julio Catalino Sadorra and NMs Rolando Nolte and Rhodel Legaspi—had 4.5 each, along with GMs Murray Chandler of England and Utut Adianto of Indonesia as well as Australian IM Gary Lane, among 11 others in a tie for the 24th to 39th slots with three more rounds to go.]

The official website posted only games that the key Filipino players lost in the eighth round.

• Zhou Weiqi – B. Nadera
French Tarrasch (C06)

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.Bd3 c5 6.c3 Nc6 7.Ne2 cxd4 8.cxd4 f6 9.Nf4 Nxd4 10.Qh5+ Ke7 11.Ng6+! hxg6 12.exf6+ Not 12.Qxh8? because of 12...Nxe5 13.Qh3 Nxd3+ 14.Qxd3 e5! Nxf6 13.Qxh8 Kf7 14.0–0 e5 15.Nf3 Nxf3+ 16.gxf3 Nh5 17.Bxg6+ Kxg6 18.Kh1 Qe8 19.Rg1+ Kf6 20.Rg5 Bf5 21.Rxh5 Qb5 Missing 21...Bc5, e.g., 22.Bg5+ Kf7 23.Qxe8+ Rxe8 24.Be3, with equal chances 22.Bg5+ Kf7 23.Be3 Qd3 24.Kg2 Bg6?? A blunder. Fritz suggests 24...Re8, e.g., 25.Rd1 Bd6 26.Rxd3 Bxd3 27.Bxa7 Rxh8 28.Rxh8 Be7 25.Rxe5! Bd6 26.Qxa8 Bxe5 27.Qxb7+ Kg8 28.Qc8+ Kf7 29.Qd7+ Kf6 30.Rc1! 1–0

• Oliver Dimakiling,2500 - Nguyen Ahn Dung,2535 [E20]
Nimzo-Indian, Classical (E35)

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bf4 c5 8.e3 cxd4 9.exd4 Nc6 10.Nf3 0–0 11.Be2 Bg4 12.Be3 Rc8 13.0–0 Na5 14.Bd3 Missing his best shot, 14.Ne5!, e.g., 14…Bxe2 15.Qxe2 Bxc3 16.bxc3! Bxf3 15.gxf3 Nc4 16.Bxc4 Rxc4 Black stands very much better now 17.Qd3 Bxc3 18.bxc3 Qc8 19.Rac1 Nh5 20.Kg2 Rd8 21.Rfe1 Rc6 22.h3 Rg6+ 23.Kh2 Qc7+ 24.Kh1 Qd7 25.Kh2 Qd6+ 26.Kh1 Qf6 27.Bd2? Qh4 28.Qf1 Rg3!!

A sacrifice in the best tradition, says Fritz.

29.fxg3 Nxg3+! 30.Kh2 Nxf1+ 31.Rxf1 Rd6 32.f4 Re6 33.Rce1 Rxe1 34.Bxe1 Qe7 35.f5 f6 36.Bg3 Qa3! If 37.Rf2 Qxc3! 0–1—Marlon Bernardino

Two Pinoys grab lead in AmBank Challenge in KL

TWO Filipinos have seized the lead along with a Malaysian player in the cash-rich AmBank Challenge for non-masters in the Malaysian Festival in Kuala Lumpur.

Allan O. Cantanjos, Jerry Nodado and Che Hassan Abdullah of Malaysia led the field entering the ninth round of the non-masters event.

Cantanjos and Nodado faced each other in the eighth round and agreed to a peaceful draw.

In the ninth, Cantanjos was to play White against Chrisopher Castellano while Nodado was up against Alberto Rivera in an all-Filipino duel at the top.

Just half a point behind Cantanjos and Nodado was yet another ranking Filipino non-master, Roel A. Abelgas.

Filipino players also dominated this non-masters event last year.

Bartolome, Pilarta rule S. Luzon leg of Shell series

GIVY BARTOLOME of Colegio de San Juan de Letran-Calamba in Laguna captured the Junior Division title in the Southern Luzon leg of the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship held recently at SM City Batangas (see pictorial on page 3).

He and James Ryan Fernandez of the University of Nueva Caceres qualified for the Shell Grand Finals to be held in October. Arvin Dableo of Philippine Maritime Institute was just behind them.

In the Kiddies Division, Wilbert Pilarta of Maris School ruled the roost, followed by Gilbert Mejia of Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Mark Anthony Trinidad of Gen. Pio del Pilar-Makati City.

Meanwhile, the University of Batangas received a special award for having the biggest number of participants in both divisions –27 in the kiddies and 30 in the juniors.

The university’s Abigail Beraña won the Sportsmanship award.—Jun Jay Jimenez and Clara Antonette Eser

Shell series draws 377 to Batangas leg

HUNDREDS of chess lovers, including 377 players, trooped into SM City Batangas as soon as the shopping mall opened, to take part in or watch the recent two-day Southern Luzon leg of the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship, a popular series in the grassroots now on its 15th year as a nationwide sport.

They were welcomed in a simple opening ceremony by Robert Malabanan, external affairs manager for Shell Batangas, who introduced Luz Amparo, representative of Batangas City Mayor Eduardo Dimacuha.

In her inspirational talk, Ms. Amparo thanked Pilipinas Shell for sponsoring “this activity that encourages our young people to hone their skills in chess to become champions someday.”

“You are the cadre of young people whom we will look up to as leaders of our country,” she told the players.

Sunny days for Salvador in Italy

IT looks like Roland Salvador, 2000 Shell Youth National Active Chess champion, made the right move when he left home over a year ago to try his luck in Europe in his quest for the elusive grandmaster title.

Already, he has achieved two GM results and now needs only one more to become a GM and his Elo rating of 2461 is bound to go up as he finished second in the latest tournament he entered, the popular Bergamo tournament a few miles from his base in Milan, Italy.

As reported three weeks ago in The Weekender, Macedonian GM Vladimir Georgiev took the first slot with the young Bulakeño international master tying for second place with three others.

They were GMs Todor Todorov of Bulgaria and Viesturs Meijers of Latvia and IM Inna Gaponenko of Ukraine.

Salvador, who earned his IM title only recently, took the second slot on tiebreak.

Behind them were four other GMs from Eastern Europe—Sergei Krivosky of Ukraine, Sinisa Drazic and Miroljub Lazic of Serbia, and Milko Popchev of Bulgaria, along with one Italian IM, Maurizio Brancaloni, Salvador’s compatriot, IM Rolly Martinez, Moldovan WGM Karolina Smokina and an Italian master, Mauro Barletta.

The Bergamo tournament, held annually in the Italian city, drew 125 participants from all over Europe.

That most of the heavyweights came from East European countries that used to be within the Soviet sphere of influence indicates it was a very tough tournament. It’s a pity Salvador did not earn his third and final GM title in that tournament.

On the other hand, the consistently excellent results that the 25-year-old Filipino IM has achieved in Europe against tough opposition shows beyond doubt that he is ready to capture the title. The Weekender will only be too glad to report such eventuality, hopefully in the near future.

Indeed, as featured in the Kibitzers’ Corner of the website Chessgames,com, Salvador has fired the imagination of many Filipino fans that have been following his career since he, Martinez and IM Yves Rañola left the country last year.

We can only hope that after he captures the coveted GM title, Salvador will come back home and inject new life into Philippine chess. It’s about time the younger players took over from their elders. Sad to say, it has been a very slow process, producing young grandmasters.

One positive thing I have noticed about Salvador’s play is that he seems to be comfortable with either color. Most of his fine wins were with Black, such as in this model of a game in which he chases the enemy queen into a cul-de- sac!

• M. Schaefer (2195) – R. Salvador (2455)
28th Arco Open, Italy 2006
Open Catalan (E04)

1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 dxc4 4.g3 e6 5.Bg2 Nbd7 6.0–0 Rb8 7.a4 a6 8.a5 Bd6 9.Nbd2 b5 10.axb6 Nxb6 11.Qc2 0–0 12.Nxc4 Nxc4 13.Qxc4 The isolani on a6 becomes a target, Fritz points out Bd7 13...Bb7 14.Rd1 equalizes 14.Qc2 Stronger than 14.Rxa6 Bb5 15.Rxd6 cxd6 Bb5 15.Rd1 Nd5 16.Ng5 g6 17.Qe4 Qe7 18.Bh3 Rfe8 18...Nf6 should keep the equilibrium 19.Qh4 f5 Black must be careful: not 19...Bxe2 because of 20.Qxh7+! Kf8 21.Qh8#! 20.e4 Nb6 21.d5 exd5 22.exf5 gxf5 23.Bd2 Qd7 24.Bc3 Be5 25.Bb4? 25.Bxe5 was the lifesaver: 25...Rxe5 26.Nf3! Bxb2 26.Rab1 Bf6 27.Qf4 Qg7 28.Nf3 Re4 29.Qxf5?? Bd7! 30.Qh5 Be8!

After 30…Be8!

Trapping the enemy queen! 0–1

• L. Tramalloni (2114) – R. Salvador (2420)
26th Conca della Presolana Open, Italy 2006
Queen’s Gambit Accepted

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 a6 6.0–0 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 7...Qxd1 is an interesting alternative, says Fritz: 8.Rxd1 Bxc5! 8.Qxd8+ White swaps queens to keep the enemy king in the center Kxd8 9.b3 Ke7 10.Bb2 Rd8 11.Nbd2 Nc6 11...b5 12.Be2 should equalize 12.a3 b5 13.Be2 Bb7 14.Rfc1 Bd6 15.Rc2 Rac8 16.Rac1 Na7 17.b4 Rxc2 18.Rxc2 Ne4 19.Bd4 Nxd2 20.Nxd2 Nc6 21.Bb6 Rb8 22.Nb3 Fritz suggests 22.Bc5 Nxb4! 23.axb4 Bd5 24.Bc7 Bxb3 25.Rc3 Bxc7 26.Rxc7+ Kf6 27.Bf3 Rd8 28.g3 Missing his best shot, 28.g4! Rd2! Black surges ahead 29.Ra7 Bc4 30.Rxa6 Rb2 31.Rb6??

After 31.Rb6??

The losing moment.

31...Rb1+! White resigns in the face of certain defeat: 32.Bd1 Rxd1+ 33.Kg2 Rb1! 0–1

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

Superkids

World Team Championship, Under-16
August 4-12, 2007
Singapore

Final Standings

1 India (B Adhiban 2406, R Ashwath 2348, FM S Nitin 2313, P Shyam Nikhil 2325,

Mishra Swayams 2186), 28.0/40

2 Hungary (FM Tamas Fodor Jr 2436, Gyula Pap 2424, FM Oliver Mihok 2402, FM Peter Prohaszka 2486, Imre Balog 2376), 27.5/40

3 Philippines (IM Wesley So 2516, Karl Victor Ochoa, Haridas Pascua, Franz Robert Grafil), 25.5/40

4 Uzbekistan (Jamshid Mustafaev 2270, Khurshed Mustafaev 2268, Evgeniy Pak, 2203, Ulugbek Tillyaev 2033), 24.5/40

5 Australia 1 (Moulthun Ly 2295, Junta Ikeda 2194, Wilson Lin Zhigen 2174, Raymond Song 2182, Max Illingworth 2137), 24.0/40

6-7 Turkey, Indonesia, 23.5/40
8 Iran, 23.0/40
9-10 Singapore 2, England, 22.5/40
11-12 Vietnam, Malaysia, 22.0/40
13-14 Singapore 1, USA, 21.5/40
15 South Africa, 21.0/40
16-18 Switzerland, Iceland, Singapore 3, 20.5/40

Total of 34 teams

Did I read the final standings right? Did the Philippines, the 22nd-seeded team, just win the bronze medals in a world team competition? Is it true that India was running away with the competition but got dumped 1-3 by the Philippines? And could it be possible that our team of kids had great chances to win it all, but tired in the last three rounds? Finally, was I dreaming or did Wesley So, playing without relief, top the individual standings in all three categories (percentage, performance rating and overall points) by beating nine and allowing only one draw in the 10 rounds. Are you kidding me? Did Wesley So register a performance rating of 2736?

No, I read right, it is true, it is possible, I was not dreaming and no one is kidding me - the Philippine team did all that.

We defeated Switzerland (3-1), England (2.5-1.5), Sri Lanka (4-0) in the first three rounds, lost to Hungary (1.5-2.5) in the 4th, reeled off another three straight wins (2.5-1.5 against Iran, 2.5-1.5 vs Uzbekistan, and then came the giant 3-1 upset over India).

With three rounds left we were just trailing front-runner India by a single point, but fatigue set in and we fell behind again when Singapore and Australia held us to 2-2 draws. Moreover, Hungary with two successive 4-0 shutouts (over Switzerland and Uzbekistan) by this time had overtaken us for 2nd place.

A final-round 2.5-1.5 victory over Turkey was not enough to bridge the gap, and the Philippines came home with the bronze medals.

On individual results Wesley So won the gold medal on top board with a stupendous 9.5/10 (!). Haridas Pascua on board 3 won the silver with his 7.5/10.

And guys, listen to this – both Wesley and Haridas are only 13 years of age, playing against kids 2 or 3 years older.

Finishing third in this event could not be anything but a great success. Let us celebrate this fine finish, for our pre-tournament seeding was 22nd, and let us bask in this glory that our young prodigies have brought us. At least, among the young, where raw talent rather than studied technique is at the forefront, the Philippines has once again reminded everybody that we are a force to reckon with.

Here is Wesley defeating India’s top board:

So,Wesley (2516) - Adhiban,Baskaran (2406) [C30]
World Youth U16 Olympiad (7), 08.08.2007

1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 Bc5 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3
The Wesley Formation, which is actually a King's Gambit Declined.

6...Bg4 7.Na4 0–0 8.Nxc5 dxc5 9.0–0 Nh5 10.Be3
A new move, to which Adhiban does not respond properly.

10...exf4?!
[10...b6 is refuted by 11.Bd5, but the correct continuation was 10...Qd6 11.f5 Nd4]

11.Bxc5 Re8 12.h3 Bxf3 13.Qxf3
Black now has to be very careful, for white has two bishops trained on the black king, and his f7 is weak.

13...g6 14.Bd5 Ne5 15.Qf2 c6 16.Bb3 b6 17.Bd4 Ng3 18.Rfe1 g5

Black has managed to keep the f-file closed, but Wesley has another plan in mind now, first Bc3, then Rad1, then d3-d4, and the pawns advance.

19.Bc3 Qd7 20.Rad1 Rad8 21.a4 c5 22.a5 c4 23.Bxe5 Rxe5 24.Bxc4 Rxa5 25.d4 b5 26.Bb3 Ra6 27.d5 Rh6 28.e5 Qf5?

Loses immediately, but Black was tired of waiting for where White would break through and attempts to create some threats against the enemy king.
29.Qf3 Rh4 30.Rd4 a5 31.e6 fxe6 32.dxe6 Re8 33.e7+ Kg7 34.Qc3 Qf6 35.Rd8 Qxc3 36.bxc3 1-0

Adhiban has to give up the rook for a pawn, and so he gave up.

Here is the best game of the other 13-year old.

Pascua,Haridas - Nitin,S (2313) [A44]
World Youth U16 Olympiad (7), 08.08.2007

1.d4 c5 2.d5 d6 3.c4 e5 4.e4 g6 5.Nc3 Bg7

The Czech Benoni. This opening falls into the same category as the Dutch or the Kings' Indian Attack for White - it is good as a fall-back-on opening, but don't play this all the time, for it stifles creativity - the same moves over and over game after game.

6.Be3 Ne7 7.Bd3 f5

Having achieved this move without much resistance Black is perhaps already thinking that he is about to seize the initiative. White has something to say about that.

8.f3 Nd7 9.Qd2 h6 10.g4 fxg4

Given his incomplete development Black would be better-advised to keep the position closed with 10...f4.

11.fxg4 Nf6 12.g5 hxg5 13.Bxg5 Bg4 14.Qg2 Bh5 15.Nge2 Nh7 16.Be3 0–0?!
A courageous, but ill-advised move. Most people would go for castling queenside with ...Qb6 and ...0–0–0.
17.Rf1 Rxf1+ 18.Kxf1 Qd7 19.Kg1 Bg4 20.Ng3 g5?
[20...Bh3 is the indicated move]

After 20...g5

21.Nf5! Bxf5 22.exf5 Kf7
[22...Nxf5 sets up the enemy knight for a deadly double pin with 23.Qh3]
23.Ne4 Rh8 24.f6! Nxf6
[24...Bxf6 25.Rf1]
25.Rf1 Neg8 26.Bxg5 Qh3 27.Nxd6+ Kf8
[27...Ke7 doesn't help: 28.Nf5+ Kd7 29.Qxh3 Rxh3 30.Nxg7 Rxd3 31.Bxf6 Nxf6 32.Rxf6]
28.Qxh3 Rxh3 29.Bf5 Rh5 30.h4 Ke7 31.Nxb7 Bh6 32.d6+ Kf7 33.d7 Bxg5 34.d8Q Bxh4 35.Nd6+ Kg7 36.Qc7+ 1–0

I notice that some readers have complained why Wesley So was fielded here, why he was not concentrating on getting his 2nd and 3rd GM norms. That is the wrong attitude. Getting norms was never the point of joining the World Team Under-16 Championship—the more important goal of glory to the Philippines is what should be considered, for right now we are sorely lacking in heroes.

Congratulations to our new heroes!

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

This column was first published in BusinessWorld on Monday, August 20, 2007.

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

Paolo del Mundo

THE US Open Championship is an open national chess championship that has been held in the United States since 1900. It is an “open” event, meaning anyone can join, as opposed to the U.S. Closed Championship, which is an invitational.

This year’s edition took place in the Crown Plaza Philadelphia-Cherry Hill, NJ July 28 - August 5th 2007.

1-7 GM Boris Gulko 2576, GM Sergey Kudrin 2543, IM Ben Finegold 2543, GM Alexander Shabalov 2637, GM Michael Rohde 2450, IM Michael Mulyar 2373, Paolo del Mundo 2296, 7.5/9

8-18 GM Hikaru Nakamura, IM Amon Simutowe, IM Alex Lenderman, IM Mikhail Zlotnikov 2367, IM Dean Ippolito 2395, Alexander Barnett 2235, Ronald Henry 2161, Abby Marshall 2177, Andy May 2099, Naor Brown, GM Tegshsuren Enkhbat 2371, 7.0/9
Total Participants: 414

Our good friend, veteran journalist Manny Benitez, tells me that with this victory Paolo becomes the first Filipino to tie for first in the US Open Championship. I was skeptical about this, since to my knowledge IM Ruben Rodriguez was co-champion in the 1973 edition, but a search through my usual sources does not show any of the official sources list him as such. Anyway, whether the first or the second actually should not matter, for Paolo has achieved what even the top Filipino GMs have never done.

Do any of you guys still remember him? In 1999 the Del Mundo family left the Philippines for good, and Paolo, who was then 16, with them. High School in Ateneo had already marked him out as an outstanding talent.

Paolo del Mundo

In chess he led Ateneo to four consecutive UAAP chess championships, a 4-peat.

Ateneo rewarded him with the Magis award and the best student athlete in his senior year. This actually made up for the stern discipline they impose on absences and studies. Despite his busy chess schedule, Paolo attained academic honors in his senior year.

At about this time, University of Maryland Baltimore County acceptance came in. The invitation to join the chess team, which he got in his junior year, was not automatic until he passes the academic requirements, which includes grades and SAT scores. His high grades in Ateneo and a SAT score of 1350 got him in, and thus started him as the first Filipino to get a college scholarship through chess in the United States.

Before he started schooling however, he went to the 100th US Open in Reno, Nevada. The tournament was prestigious especially because it attained the century mark, and Paolo went into the records as the first placer in the Under 2200 category.

At UMBC, he took up computer science despite comments from well-meaning people that would exact a toll on his chess game. This writer remembers suggesting that he take up sports journalism, similar to what the top Soviet GMs were taking – this allows them to travel to tournaments in the guise of work! Anyway, I thought Paolo would take up that advice, but it appears that his dad convinced him that writing was already in his blood, so he would probably excel in that if he chooses too even without a college education. At that time, computer science was in
vogue, and seemed to be a promising major, and all well and good as it turned out to be.

Chess has taught Paolo to be rigorous in discipline, and as such even if he found computer science a little tough, he was able to get into its vocabulary and became good at it (graduating with honors once again in his senior year).

Paolo turned out to be a gem in UMBC's two national Pan Am titles, the national collegiate championships, during his stay in the school. He delivered the winning margin for his first Pan Am stint, and was solid on his second one as they won the title in succession.

During these two years, he also won the UMBC Open champion title, for being the highest ranked UMBC student in the competition.

On the third year, Paolo opted to transfer to University of Maryland College Park, which was a more prestigious school and had a livelier social life than UMBC. It was also ranked among the top schools in computer science in both United States and the world.

During these last two years, Paolo's game hibernated but still added prestige to the UMCP chess club. He was able to complete his studies with honors despite the hassles of transferring schools. Chess however was in the back burner as he honed up to graduate as a software engineer.

Upon graduation, he was immediately accepted by Anystream, a sofware development company which served as a third party developer for Microsoft. It was a happy coincidence that he got his next job through chess. He was teaching someone who suggested that he applied with her IT company. Thus he joined Microstrategy, a big firm in Tysons Corner in Virginia.

His next company was Bode Technology, a CSI-like company which specializes in DNA testing and forensics. Paolo was a senior software engineer in Bode. Bode however was acquired by a bigger company, and immediately before the World Open this year, Paolo got laid off because the new company was making budget cutbacks. Paolo was preparing for the World Open at that time, so he just took this in stride, and got his resume in circulation through a headhunter. He was
already making his rounds of interviews. The furlough from work however was a blessing in disguise. Of course, everyone knows already that he won the Under 2400 category, which is actually a new category just placed this year in the World Open. This enticed high rated players like Paolo to compete for the section. Since he was tied for first with five others, Paolo got $6,000 for the one week effort.

The US Open was a bit more problematic. At that time he was playing in the tournament, the companies recruiting him were making offers, and some of them were asking him decide immediately. Since it was distracting Paolo, he decided to tell them to wait and that he would make a decision after the tournament. Only then was he able to play without distraction. This phase coincides with winning all the last five games, and eventually caught up with the leaders to tied for first in the US Open. After the US Open, Paolo accepted his next job. In between jobs, he won two major titles while he was on forced vacation. Think of what he can do if he was concentrating on chess!

Paolo emailed me that here in the US Open he finally found his style. Judging by the ferocity with which he devours his opponents, everybody should take due precautions!

Del Mundo,Anton P (2388) - Vicary,Elizabeth (2155) [A37]
US Open, Philadelphia USA (7), 03.08.2007

1.Nf3 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.c4 g6 4.Bg2 e5 5.0–0 Bg7 6.Nc3 Nge7 7.a3 d6 8.b4 cxb4?!
Too greedy. Black does better to play 8...e4!? 9.Ne1 f5 10.Bb2 and now either 10...0–0 or 10...Be6 leads to equal chances.
9.axb4 Nxb4 10.Ba3
White has more than sufficient competition for the pawn due to Black's weakness on d6. This position has come up 8 times previously in international competition, including all-GM contests. White has won every single game.
10...Nec6 11.Qa4 Na6
[11...a5?? 12.Bxb4 wins]

After 11…Na6
12.Nxe5!?
The "new style"
12...Bxe5
[12...dxe5 13.Bxc6+ Bd7 14.Bxd7+ Qxd7 15.Nb5 White keeps a large edge]
13.Bxc6+ bxc6 14.Qxc6+ Qd7
[14...Bd7 15.Qxa6]
15.Qxa8 0–0 16.Rab1 Nc5 17.Ne4 Ne6
[17...Bb7? 18.Nxc5!]
18.Bxd6!
The bishop cannot be captured because of a fork on f6. 1–0
We will continue Paolo's story on Monday.

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

This column was first published in BusinessWorld on Friday, August 24, 2007.

FROM MY SWIVEL CHAIR

NCFP must get its act together

FOR the past few months, since the May elections for that matter, Philippine chess has not been getting the media attention it deserves—and needs—if it is to be a truly popular sport in the country and a potent global force.

In my favorite newspaper, cockfighting even gets more mileage than the “game of kings and king of games.”

Why is this so? Who is to blame?

The answer is obvious: the National Chess Federation of the Philippines has been doing virtually nothing since May to make its presence felt in Philippine sports.

It held a selection tournament for the men’s and women’s teams to compete in the Asian Indoor Games late next month in Macau, true, but how many newspapers and radio and TV stations carried the story? Ask the ordinary man in the street who won the tournament, and chances are, he would not know.

Nobody in fact knows who runs the NCFP. Has anybody heard NCFP president Prospero Pichay say or do anything as regards Philippine chess?

Has anybody read the latest issue of Chessmates? Has the Pichay Chess Caravan continued rolling around the countryside? Has there been a major national tournament besides the one for Macau? Does anybody know who the NCFP board directors are? Will the board ever meet again?

In fairness to chess players and fans, the NCFP must at least resume its activities as laid down in its yearly calendar. Butch Pichay must categorically state in public whether or not he wishes to remain as NCFP president and to back it up with action by “making the right move.”

It is only a matter of the NCFP’s getting its act together. Despite its lackadaisical performance, Philippine chess is going great guns.

As pointed out by Bobby Ang in his column (see pages 12-15), Philippine chess has its young heroes like Wesley So, Karl Victor Ochoa, Haridas Pascua and Franz Grafil who, against all odds, won individual gold and silver medals and the team bronze at the Youth World Olympiad held last month in Singapore.

They are our young heroes, and there are scores more waiting in the wings, potential champions among the prodigies in both genders.

A few Filipinos who have gone to seek their fortunes abroad have been doing well. Enrico Sevillano and Paolo del Mundo in America, Joseph Sanchez, Rolly Martinez and Roland Salvador in Europe—they have all done us proud.

Because of the big letdown caused by the NCFP’s lack of leadership, the exodus will certainly continue. In fact four of our five grandmasters are out of the country right now.

Joey Antonio and Macmac Paragua are both in the US while Bong Villamayor and Nelson Mariano are in Singapore. Only Eugene Torre, who will turn 56 in November, is left to man the fort.

What Joey said to explain why he would rather play in the US than here should serve as a wake-up call to us all: “There are no tournaments back home anyway!”

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I WISH to thank all those who condoled with me in my hour of bereavement over the death of my younger brother, Juvencio O. Benitez, architect.

CHINESE LI CHAO TOPS MALAYSIAN OPEN CHESS; NADERA STILL WOUND UP AS THE BEST FILIPINO FINISHER

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

Final Standings: (DATMO/ 11 round Swiss-system/ 87 player's field)

9.0 points---Li Chao (China)

8.5 points---Wan Yunguo (China)

8.0 points---GM Ziaur Rahman (Banglandesh)

8.0 points---IM Wang Rui (China)

8.0 points---GM Nguyen Anh Dung (Vietnam)

7.5 points---IM Barlo Nadera (Philippines)

7.5 points---GM Dao Thien Hai (Vietnam)

7.5 points---IM Mas Hafizulhelmi (Malaysia)

7.5 points---IM Julio Catalino Sadorra (Philippines)

7.0 points---WGM Li Ruofan Li (China)

7.0 points---GM Zhang Zhong (China)

7.0 points---IM Sadikin Irwanto (Indonesia)

7.0 points---IM Ronald Bancod (Philippines)

7.0 points---IM Grinath P.D.S. (India)

7.0 points---IM Oliver Dimakiling (Philippines)

7.0 points---Wang Li (China)

7.0 points---IM Nasib Ginting (Indonesia)

7.0 points---GM Utut Adianto

INTERNATIONAL MASTER Barlo Nadera of Mandaue, Cebu salvage a draw with GM Dao Thien Hai of Vietnam using the white pieces in the eleventh and final round, but still wound up as the best Filipino finisher in the 4 th annual Dato Artur Tan Malaysian Open (DATMO) Chess Tournament at the Bintang Ballroom, CitiTel Mid Valley Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday.

Nadera, who is fresh from winning the 2007 Prospero Pichay Sr. Memorial Open Chess Championships in Cantillan, Surigao del Sur before the DATMO tournament, finished with 7.5 points to settled in a tie for sixth to ninth placer in the company of GM Dao, IM Mas Hafizulhelmi of Malaysia and compatriot IM Julio Catalino Sadorra. However, after the tie break was applied, Nadera took the sixth spot while Sadorra ended in ninth place. All of them split the combined US$2,600 for 6 th to 9th placers in the event which attracted 87 woodpushers.

Meanwhile, Chinese newest chess sensation Li Chao scored 1.5 points in the last two rounds to emerge over-all champion.

The 28-year-old untitled Chao, currently No.13 in China-FIDE rating list with possessed an Elo Fide rating of 2529 toppled countryman and top seed GM Zhang Zhong (2634) in the tenth and penultimate round using the white pieces after 33 moves of a four knight game and held into a draw with GM Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh (2522) in their top board encounter in the final round to finished with 9.0 points and went home the championship's trophy plus top prize US$4,000.

Another untitled Wan Yunguo from China took the runner-up prize of US$3,000 after finishing with 8.5 points. Yunguo, who had an Elo rating of 2386 frustrate countryman Weiqi Zhou in the tenth then subdued IM Sadikin Irwanto of Indonesia in the last round.

Rahman on the other hand settled for third to fifth placers with 8.0 points along with IM Wang Rui of China and GM Nguyen Anh Dung of Vietnam. The trio split the combined prize of US$4,500.

IM Ronald Bancod, Filipino topnotcher in the eight round defeated IM Tirto of Indonesia to finish with 7.0 points along with eight others that includes another Filipino IM entry Oliver Dimakiling, winner over compatriot NM Rolando Nolte.

Other Filipino who participated in DATMO were NM Emmanuel Senador ( 6.5 points); IM Richard Bitoon (6.0 points); FM Hamed Nouri (6.0 points); NM Rhobel Legaspi ( 5.5 points); and WIM Sheerie Joy Lomibao (5.0 points). (MARLON BERNARDINO).

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And yes, I do remember Paolo. In fact, I've been looking for him in the local and international tournaments held last year by the NCFP. Paolo is a chess treasure. In this day and age where IQ and EQ is at the peak of its integration to the human system, I believe this guy is the man, The Man.

Idealism and Power? Wesley and Hari? sounds good? No politicking please!