National Chess Academy

And so, we now have the National Chess Academy (NCA). A very good development indeed for Philippine chess.

Highlights of this development:

- It has the backing of a Philippine President

- Signing of the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) on the training of chess experts/coordinators who will serve as mentors to teachers and students (April 30, 2009)

- Torre was tapped to oversee the establishment of the NCA

- For this year, the DepEd has scheduled chess trainings from May 7 to 16 in Regions I to VIII, including the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and the National Capital Region (NCR)

- The DepEd will next conduct chess trainings in Regions IX, XII, the CARAGA and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)

Missing Pascua and Camacho

I am “missing” Haridas Pascua and Chardine Cheradee Camacho.

Of course, I know that they participated in the recently concluded 2009 RP National Junior Chess Championship.

I know, too, that both of them are the Top Seeds in each respective Division – Haridas in the Boys and Camacho, Girls.

But I know, too, that both of them did not live up to expectations, that’s why I “miss” them.

Good enough for Pascua, he finished No.2 out of a 46-player field.

Oh my, bad for Camacho. She ended up sixth in a 21-player field where she’s the only titled player. To be beaten twice in a seven-round tournament by lower-rated opponents made things worse.

Just recently, these two, young Filipino chess talents had been experiencing bitter defeats to much lower-rated players in some tournaments.

What’s happening to these two promising players of the Philippines?

Let’s hope they get back in form again, do what needs to be done, and continue to deliver honors for the Philippines now and in the future.

Jerich Cajeras

I first saw Jerich Cajeras (1804) when he played - and emerged champion in the Kiddies Division - in the grand finals of 2008 Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship at SM Megamall.

Fire in his eyes when he played, I saw it. Look at his face when he moves the pieces on the board and you would know what I mean.

I remember him the other day while browsing on the latest standings in the ongoing 2009 National Junior Chess Championship Boys Division.

Wow, he beat NM Haridas Pascua (2359), the tournament's top seed, in Round 4 using the Black pieces. Only if we could get the PGN of that particular game . . .

(Cajeras playing against Pasay's Paulo Bersamina during the 20o8 SNYACC grand finals.)

Draw

Chessbase.com came up with this article about solving the perceived draw problems in chess.

A lot of "solutions" have already been proposed long ago. Some were even tried already. The most recent and widely used "solution" is the Sofia Rule.

The NCFP has already used this system in local tournaments. With success? I don't know. The success could only be measured by eradicating fixed games.

My own stand about draws in chess?

Draw is beautiful and sometimes even more satisfying than a win. A drawn game fought with the finest precision and strongest nerve over the board is more exciting than a lopsided win.

Just look at this game:

Discouraging a draw is something futile and stupid. Discouraging a draw will only do chess more harm than good.

So what must be done?

The main focus should be on eradicating fixed games and cheating – not on “combating the draw.”

In fact, a lot more pressing issues need more attention such as giving more incentives to chess players, attending to their welfare during tournaments, raising tournament prizes, etc.

I doubt that “combating the draw” could lure sponsors and advertisers. That’s foolish. The best way to lure the sponsors is to play best chess – as simple as that.

Superstitions in chess

It's interesting to know that some of the world's leading grandmasters have superstitions when participating in chess tournaments.

FIDE came up with an article on GM's superstitions. However, all the players featured in the article were non-Filipinos.

I'm more interested in knowing whether Filipino GMs observe superstitious rituals with regards to chess. But's still something to research on.

Does GM Wesley So perform a ritual before the start of a chess tournament? Does he believe in anting-anting?

All I know is that he does a lot of physical exercises, eats nutricious food, and practices with IM Inno Sadorra. Probably, that preparation regimen is better than any superstition, hehe.

What if for instance a certain GM won his first-round game of a 13-round super tournament without taking bath. That guy is so superstious he is convinced that his good luck is brought about by playing without taking a bath. Imagine that he's yet to play 12 more rounds, one round per day. Whew!!!

Based on FIDE's article, here are the superstitions of some of the world's leading GMs:

Peter Leko: I don't have any special secrets or rituals. Maybe everyone likes to do something. The main ritual is to check the analysis of the opening variation before the game.

Boris Gelfand: I have no rituals, but before the game I listen to music to get ready for the game. As a rule the music is quite different, depending on the mood.

Levon Aronian: I also have music rituals. As a rule I prefer jazz.

Peter Svidler: I have rituals and I have a good answer for this question: I won't tell you. When I was very young, music helped me to get ready for a good game. Recently I have returned to this practice but it didn't influence my play. Sometimes a lot depends on the way you spent the day.

Vassily Ivanchuk: It can't be called a superstition, you just need to be in optimal state, and music and a walk in the open air help to get into this state.

Etien Bacrot: I'm quite superstitious. One of the signs is that I don't shave when everything goes well. It's one of the details. And it works as long as it works.

Evgeny Alekseev: Sometimes I try to write with a lucky pen at tournaments. So you take a pen, if you have success in tournaments you continue to use it, if not you change it. Everything goes well here for the time being so I don't change the pen.

Vladimir Akopian: Chess players are apt to superstitions. Many of them are attentive to the clothes. If they lose they put these clothes away. If the game is successful they go on playing the tournament in the same clothes. Some care about the pen. If the tournament is successful with one pen they write with it, if not they change it. I also care about clothes and pens. This tournament was not successful for me at the beginning, so I put away the suit I played in. Now I'm playing in other clothes. And it works for the time being.

Pavel Eljanov: Many people have their superstitions. Chess players often care about the lucky pen. As for me I don't have any omens and superstitions. I use nothing but regime and training methods.

Alexander Grischuk: I don't shave at playing days, either before or after games. I always wait for the day off.

Gata Kamsky: The situation with omens and superstition in chess is as difficult as in other sports. For example: I haven't put on my tie today. The pen is of great importance. One more omen is that one mustn't change his dinner table and also should keep one regime and repeat everything thoroughly.

2009 National Junior Chess Championship Girls Division

WFM Chardine Cheradee Camacho continued to stamp her class after posting 2.0 points after Round 2 of the ongoing 2009 National Junior Chess Championship Chess Division in Kalibo, Aklan.

Playing top seed and the only titled player in the event, Camacho's rampage however seemed to be wanting as her tormentor in the National Age Group - Akiko Suede - skipped the event in favor of the Palarong Pambansa in Tacloban.

Notably, Akiko's sister, Mikee, is out to prove that her No.2 spot in the Age Group is no fluke. Mikee is also impressive with 2/2 so far.

Twenty one lovely girls are playing in the event.

Top 10 players after two rounds:

2009 National Juniors Boys

Six players remained unscathed after two rounds of play at the 2009 National Junior Chess Championship Boys Division in Kalibo, Aklan.

Top 10 players after two rounds:

Exciting games can be expected in the remaining rounds as familiar names of RP's junior players are up in the list.

Nebato Sheider, the champion in the recently concluded National Age Group for Boys 18-U Category, is leading the pack with five others with perfect 2/2 performance.

Other age-group champions who are participating in the event are Vince Angelo Medina (Boys 14-U) and Alcon John Datu (Boys 16-U).

A total of 46 players are participating in the event.

The Blind vs The Young

I find the following game interesting because it was played by a nine-year old kid against an adult blind player in the 3rd Pichay Chess Challenge.

The human interest angle came from an observation where the young played like an adult and the blind like a person with perfect eyesight.

Chess is amazing indeed.



(NOTE: Special thanks to fellow blogger Desmond Catolos of the chessheroes blogsite for the technical assistance!!)

Hectic, chopsuey, and torture

Just imagine you have a talented chess kid and is participating in the following sports events. Please take note of overlapping dates and differing venues:

2009 National Age Group
April 18-22
Aklan

2009 National Juniors
April 24-28
Aklan

2009 PRISAA
April 19-26
Naga

Palarong Pambansa
April 26- May 02
Tacloban

Regional Elimination (Region 1)
May 2-4
Pangasinan

Regional Elimination (Region 3)
May 5-11
Bataan

I understand that these sports events are done during summer. I just don't know if our "bright" sports and school officials have exerted enough efforts to coordinate proper scheduling to consider first and foremost the health - mental and physical - of our young sports kids.

Akiko Suede

Believe me or not, I really expected RP’s female star player Chardine Cheradee Camacho (2018) to top the Girls U-16 Category ‘unopposed’ in the just concluded 2009 National Age Group tourney.

OK I admit, Camacho’s my bet in that category and is one of my three favorites in the entire tournament. Well, guess my two other favorites, hehe.

That’s why when one of our readers alerted me that Akiko Suede (1867) defeated Camacho, that news really surprised me.

But wait, don’t forget that Camacho has just recovered from chicken pox (the reason why she wasn’t able to participate in the Battle of Grandmasters’ Female Category).

Notably, Suede beat the No.1 seed Camacho using the Black pieces and No.2 Christy Lamiel Bernales (1917) in the penultimate and final rounds, respectively, to finish the tournament unbeaten for a total performance rating of 2079.

I post here some photos of Suede which I personally took during the 1st Bangkal Non-Master Rapid Chess Tournament last year in Makati City where she got the Top Female honor.

2009 National Age Group Champions

Here are the 2009 National Age Group Champions by category:

GIRLS:
Girls 8-U: DEROTAS Vic Glysen
Girls 10-U: REVITA Samantha Glo
Girls 12-U: SEMILLANO Ma. Ysabelle Joyce
Girls 14-U: MEJIA Cherry Ann
Girls 16-U: SUEDE Akiko Charmaine
Girls 18-U: DOCENA Jedara

BOYS:
Boys 8-U: GUTIERREZ JR. Dennis
Boys 10-U: SEVILLANO Rhenzi Kyle
Boys 12-U: BERSAMINA Paulo
Boys 14-U: MEDINA Vince Angelo
Boys 16-U: NM DATU Alcon John
Boys 18-U: NEBATO Scheider

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Bersamina is Under-12 champion

Eleven-year old Paulo Bersamina, the young chess pride of Pasay City, emerged solo champion in the 12-Under Category of the 2009 National Age Group in Kalibo, Aklan after hurdling his 7th and final round to post six points after five wins and two draws.

Bersamina took the full point in the last round against equally talented Lanz Renuel Otero from Iloilo to secure the title.

Otero failed to avenge his initial defeat to Bersamina when they met in the 2006 edition of the age group competition in the 8-Under category. (This blogger wishes Otero good luck in his future games. Don't be discouraged by the loss. You also got the talent. Make it a challenge to do more. I hope to hear from you soon.)

Jerad Docena, another Pasayeño, downed Giovanni Mejia in the crucial round to accumulate 5.5 points that put him in third place.

Proudly, it's 1-3 punch from the two chess prides of Pasay City.

Again, congratulations to Paulo and Jerad!

Suede Sisters

After the Cua Sisters, here come the Suede Sisters!!

A reader sent an info about a big development in the 2009 National Age Group. Heavy favorites Chardine Cheradee Camacho and Christy Lamiel Bernales lost to Akiko Suede and sister Mikee in the final rounds in the Girls U-16 Category!!

Whew! Oh, chess.

So here are the top three finishers in the said category (unofficial and unverified):

Champion - Akiko Suede
2nd - Mikee Suede
3rd - Judith Pineda

I personally saw Akiko Suede during the 1^st Bangkal Rapid Tournament in Makati last year. Oh, boy, she’s got the looks! Beautiful indeed.

Calling NCFP!! Take care of this beautiful young lady. With her looks and wits, she could help promote chess in the Philippines – ala GM Alexandra Kosteniuk.

Congratulations, too, to Mikee and Judith!!

Chess audience-driven demand

It’s highly frustrating not to be able to watch what’s happening in ongoing 2009 National Age Group in Kalibo, Aklan.

All we see in the media are the who-beat-whom contents that cannot make us feel the aura and beauty of chess being fought between and among the kids.

I won’t blame the media for that kind of dead coverage. Initiatives must first come from the chess community itself.

But if the media really want the ‘clicks’ or the ‘readership,’ they must employ reporters who have the passion for chess.

The local media need resourceful and hardworking chess-educated reporters for them to get the patronage of the media-consuming public.

What if, for instance, GMANews.tv feature a “game-of-the-day” on its website in its daily coverage of the event?

Wouldn’t that be much better for the who-beat-whom style of reporting?

If I were an editor of any of our local media outfit, I’d rather shift to the strategy of institutionalizing a live-game style of reporting – and earn the recognition of being the country’s No.1 chess website, chess TV, chess radio, or chess newspaper.

I have a strong feeling that GMANews.tv can do that.

Hmmnnnn . . . what if we local chess enthusiasts send a message to GMANews.tv or other commercial news outfit about this chess audience-driven demand?

IM Sadorra wins JB Malaysia Chess Festival

I received an email from Mr. Chalito Sadorra, the father of IM Julio Catalino Sadorra, about the JB Malaysia Chess Festival.

The report was well written so I decided to publish it unedited. Notably, please pay attention to the last paragraph.

Please read on:

"I’m sending you chess news from JB, Malaysia Chess Festival. (April 18-19,2009). Organized by Johor Chess Academy , MBJB and JB Chess Association. The venue was in JB indoor Stadium, Johor Bahru (Stadium Bandaraya Johor Bahru). The team was composed of 3 players without reserve.

The Filipino team won the April 18,2009 Open Team Chess tournament. The organizer invited those regular participants in the JB chess tournament which include Filipino chess players. The Filipino team was organized by the Filipino chess players themsleves:

1. IM Julio Sadorra
2. Michael Palma - Mapua NCAA player in the 90’s now working in JB Malaysia as an engineer
3. Clyde Seruelo - University of San Agustin , Iloilo UAAP player in the 90’s now living and working in Singapore as senior designer (Architect).

There were 16 team participants composed of Malaysian Chess Clubs and a Filipino team.

In the 2nd day of the Festival Filipino chess players also won the top 5 placing in the individual open chess category. There were more than 200 participants in the open and age category events. The top 5 in the open are:

1. IM Julio Sadorra
2. Ian Udani – a Filipino chess player living in KL, Malaysia
3. Michael Palma – a Filipino working in JB, Malyasia
4. T. Mandar – Malaysian
5. IM Enrique Pacencia – a Filipino living and working in Singapore

The organization of the chess tournament was generally peaceful and well organized. There was no occurrence of disputes, arbiters and officials were friendly and were clear about the schedule of play. They also served free breakfast and dinner for all participants including spectators. By the way, it is worth noting that the mayor also participated in open event!

Here are the Top 10 finishers out of 53 players:

Low number of participants

I received a comment from one of our readers about the low turnout of participants and the differing number of rounds being used in the National Age Group. Please read on:

Age groupers number of rounds to be played varies, ex. the 8-under girls will
play for 5 rounds, the 10under boys will play 6 rounds. We are actually looking
forward a 9-round event but usually its a 7-round Swiss system that they
applied. Maybe it now depends on the number of participants. Yes, only few were able to attend this years event and players from Manila I think will still make it to top. Accdg to Cong Pichayspeach, only top 2 players will be our representative to the Asean and World Chess Championship.

Someone in-the-know sent me an information that the 12-Under group has the most number of participants numbering to 34. Some age-groupers have 16 to 20 players only.

I don't see any problem, though, with the low number of participants. It's in the quality of the players, not in the quantity.

Probably, this "small" number of players are already the cream of the crop -- the future of Philippines chess.

National age group begins

The first round of the National Age group begins today at the Cabagnot Training Center in Kalibo, Aklan.

I don't know where to get PGN files after each round to give us at least the feel of the battle among our young mind warriors.

If the National Chess Federation of the Philippines cannot deliver this kind of service, can the sports officials of Kalibo make the move? We are begging you, please?

I suggest that the organizers give monetary rewards to game brilliancies. That's one way of spotting and developing real talent.

So who's your bet among all those brilliant kids? I have mine. Wanna know who? Secret.

Mandaue chess

I had just recently posted an inter-barangay tournament in Davao City.

Now, another inter-barangay chess event unfolds in Mandaue City. The signs are good indeed.

Why the sudden reinvigorated zest for chess in the country, especially in the southern part of the Philippines?

Eight barangay teams will battle each other this afternoon in the Mayor Jonas Cortes Inter-Barangay Chess Team Tournament at the Mandaue City Sports and Cultural Complex.

I wish to see every city and municipality in the country hold its own inter-barangay chess tournament.

May this momentum for chess development in the country continue. Amen.

Blind player is gold medalist in inter-cities

Just received an info that a blind player won the gold medal for Board 4 in the recently concluded 2009 National Inter-cities in Tarlac.

Wow! Very inspirational.

Francis Ching, the blind player, scored seven wins in eight games (7/8) -- or a winning percentage of 87.5% -- to provide a colorufl finish for the all-blind Team National Council on Disability Affairs-Quezon City.

You see? In chess, the blind can clearly see!!

Here are the individual board winners:

Board 1: Emmaneul Senador Senador of Calamba 7.5 points (7 wins, 1 draw)

Board 2: Jose Aquino of LWUA-QC-A, 8.5 points (8 wins, 1 draw).
Board 3: Sherily Cua of LQUA-QC-C, 7 points ( 6wins, 2draws).
Board 4: Francis Ching of NCDA-QC, 7 points (7 wins, 1 loss).
Board 5: Peterson Sia of Cebu, 5.5 points ( 5wins, 1 draw, 1loss).

Final TEAM standings:
14 points – PNP-NHQ-QC, Mandaluyong

13 – LWUA-QC-B, Tagaytay

12 – Valenzuela, FEU-FERN-QC-Inton

11 – LQUA-QC-A, Calamba

10 – LWUA-QC-F, LWUA-QC-D, Mntinlupa, Antipolo, Makati, Virac, Lanao del Sur

9 – Pasig-Marfori, La Union, Gerona-B, Nueva Ecija

8 – Passi, LWUA-QC-C,LWUA-QC-E, Lingayen, DepEd-Pasig-1, Tarlac-A

7 – Gerona-A, Cebu, Tarlac-B

6 -- Aparri, Zambales,NCDA-QC

5 – Paniqui, Tarlac-C

4 – Calapan, DepEd-Pasig-2 (final team standings courtesy of PCC)

Can chess kill?

We are saddened by the news that a participant in the just concluded National Inter-cities in Tarlac died of a heart attack in his sleep.

The victim was identified as Nicasio Rizo, Board 3 of Calapan City, Mindoro.

Very tragic indeed. We offer our condolences.

As a rule, serious chess players must have regular physical exercises (this is not to say that the victim did not have regular physical exercise). Just imagine draining your mental power for several hours for a serious chess game.

GM Wesley So, very young at 15 years of age, jogs for at least an hour everyday when preparing for a major chess tournament.

Reigning women world champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk also jogs. In fact, she even participated in a 5-Km marathon competition.

So let's make it a rule: jog and play chess.

Inter-barangay chess

Have you ever played in an inter-barangay chess?

Oh yes, chess in the grassroots. There are many believers -- count me in -- of grassroot chess as an effective way of promoting chess in the Philippines.

And again, a chess tournament from the South. Davao's Inter-Barangay Chess Tournament will get underway on April 18 and 19 at the Gaisano South (GS) Citimall entertainment center.

The event is aimed at promoting chess in the grassroots level and discover new talents. Nice project.

Southern chess

The 1st Antonio Ivan S. Aguirre Open chess tournament will kick off on Sunday, April 19, 1:30 p.m., at the Lobby of Top's Millennium Plaza Bowling Lanes, corner Hilado and 10th streets, Capitol Shopping Center, Bacolod City.

It seems that the southern part of the Philippines is busier when it comes to chess tournaments. How I wish that chess infect our brothers from furhter south in Mindanao (Bangsamoro Brothers) for them to carry chess boards instead of guns. PEACE, brothers!!

National Age Group 2009

Is the Philippines becoming a chess nation?

We now have chess tournaments after tournaments - from north to south. Nice development indeed.

Now, after the banging of heads in the Inter-Cities from Tarlac, let's go further south to Aklan. This time, for the National Age Group which will run from April 18 to to 22 at the Cabagnot Training Center.

I personally like this particular event. It comes to me like a game with real justice. At least, the playing field in terms of age is somehow fair.

Again, this significant tournament for the development of our young players is organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines.

So what kind of online media coverage do we expect? Will the NCFP put a lively coverage on its official website?

Let's wait and see.

Chess blogging

I had just previously uploaded a post about Palarong Pambansa 2009.

And as I said in my previous post, I admire the organizers of Palaro 2009 for coming up with an official website dedicated to the event. There, you could see the game skeds, venues, etc.

And now, here comes another promising blog - the PRISAA 2009 blogsite! So far, the blog doesn't have much content. I'm hoping, though, that that PRISAA blog will be filled with essential contents in the coming days.

The point that I am trying to arrive at is that sports organizers - with special mention for chess organizers - CAN put up an online medium (website or blog) to reach the audience.

The PRISAA blog is a concrete example. Putting up a blog is as easy as counting 1-2-3.

What if the organizers of the 2009 National Inter-Cities set up a blog that contains updates and other info about that event? Wouldn't that be much better than for the chess community to rely only on what comes out in the paper?

Lack of manpower? Lack of fund?

Oh, I don't buy that. It's just that they DON'T do it.

Remember how the Dresden Olympiad was brought to the global chess audience through the online media? Let's always use it as a benchmark.

Oh yes, we CANNOT FOR NOW afford the Dresden Olympiad standard.

But for chess' sake, somebody can simply put a simple blog dedicated to a particular chess tournament.

Filipino chess fans are hungry for local chess news. And as I already mentioned, talo pa ang naglilihi.

To those who have the capability and true passion for chess, oh please, feed the hungry. Baka kasi maagasan ang naglilihi.

2009 National Inter-Cities and Municipalities chess team championship

Venue of the 2009 National Inter-Cities and Municipalities chess team championship

Filipino chess fans must be thankful enough for the regular daily coverage of the 2009 National Inter-Cities and Municipalities chess team championship by at least two online media firms.

GMANews. TV and sportsnews.ph are doing a great job in delivering fresh updates about this week-long tournament in Tarlac.

However, chess fans have to content themselves with game results and standings only, no such things as live games, not even PGN files.

Hunger for news, more particularly for live games and pgn files, abounds among Filipino chess fans and enthusiasts.

I tell you, the craving is beyond words. Talo pa ang naglilihi.

But again and again, tournaments after tournaments, the Filipino chess community is deprived of the chess moves that bring them indescribable delight.

I think the media firms covering chess tournaments must adjust to the needs of the times.

GM Rogelio Antonio, Jr.

Chess journalist Bobby Ang pulled the trigger and made a direct hit after coming up with a razor-sharp column about GM Rogelio Antonio, Jr. (Chess Piece: April 13, 2009).

Here's an excerpt of that column:

"So what now, Joey Antonio? What is happening to you?

In the 2007 Asian Intercontinental Championship you needed a win in the last round against Indonesia’s GM Susanto Megaranto to qualify for the World Cup but instead agreed to a short 18-move draw.

You declined to participate in the Philippine Championship in 2008 which also served as the qualifier for the Dresden Olympiad team in favor of playing in an exhibition match with Eugene Torre.

You announced that you were going to campaign in tournaments abroad to bring your rating up to 2600, but instead of Europe where the strong tournaments are you instead fly to United States and played in a steady diet of weekend tournaments, the majority of which were unrated and weak — in most cases you were the only international grandmaster playing!

What is happening to you GM Joey? Why don’t you go back to hitting the books as you used to do, and playing hard like you once did? Stop being mad at the whole world and then you will find that you have still got what it takes to reach 2600."

Of course, the column was not meant - I suppose - to demean GM Antonio.

It's more of a concerned wake-up call to bring back the luster of one of the country's stars in chess.

May that call also awaken other talented Filipino chess players who ceased to aspire for the best.

Palarong Pambansa 2009

Chess will be among the higlighted events in the fast approaching Palarong Pambansa 2009 which will run from April 26 to May 2 at the Leyte Sports Development Center (LSDC) in Tacloban City.

The airconditioned Conference Hall of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Palo, Leyte - which is 7-km away from LSDC - will serve as the venue for chess events.

Notably, organizers of this year's Palaro put up an excellent official website for the updates and other info. Very nice, indeed!

Some 15,000 athletes and school officials from 17 delegations representing public and private elementary and secondary schools all over the country are expected to participate in the week-long sporting event.

GM Wesley So movie

HBO featured the chess film "Innocent Moves" last night, 11pm Philippine time.

Sadly, I wasn't able to watch the film because I fell asleep waiting for its playing time.

But based on the film reviews that I read, this movie is great.

Here's a short synopsis: "Though he's only seven, Josh looks at a chessboard and anticipates moves that mature chess players don't even see. He's a malleable young boy with an incredible talent for the game of masterminds. When Josh begins honing his talent, playing a speedy version of the game called "blitz" with hustlers and hobos, his father decides to take him to world reknowned coach Bruce Pandolfini, who claims Josh may well be the second coming of chess legend Bobby Fischer. But family struggles ensue when the mother worries that in cultivating the genius, they may be hurting the child."

Wikipedia listed 17 chess films:

- Brainwashed
- Chess (2006 film)
- Chess (musical)
- The Chess Players
- Endgame (short film)
- Five Fingers
- Fresh
- Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine
- Geri's Game
- The Great Chess Movie
- Knight Moves
- Knights of the South Bronx
- The Luzhin Defence
- Dangerous Moves
- The Royal Game
- Searching for Bobby Fischer
- The Seventh Seal

Is it true that there's a dearth of chess films? Why don't you check this?

And what about this: a film about GM Wesley So?

If not a full commercial movie, an indie type short film might be good enough. With the inclusion of chess in the school curriculum, the DepEd might use the short clip in all classrooms nationwide to inspire the kids.

Any volunteers?

Chess for kids

This blogger was simply amazed by the above photo published by the New York Times. Read here.

With the introduction of chess in school curriculum this coming June, optimism is in the air that this scenario will happen in the country in the future. Why not?

Imagine 5,300 kids battling it out for chess excellence in one venue - that's certainly a breathtaking site to see!

What about filling Luneta with millions of kids playing chess? Haha, that's something for the record.

Let's all join hands to make that dream a reality.

Tagaytay chessers begin title-retention bid with a bang

MANILA, Philippines – Top seed Tagaytay City , Mandaluyong City and Quezon City swept their respective rivals to take the headstart after two rounds in the 2009 National Inter-Cities and Municipalities chess team championship Sunday at the Metro Town Mall in Tarlac City.

Bannered by GM Darwin Laylo and veteran non-master Raymond Salcedo, Tagaytay whipped Madalum (Lanao del Sur), 4-0, in the first round and nipped Makati Ciy, 2.5-1.5, to take the lead with a perfect score of four points.

Laylo, a member of the national team to the 38th World Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany last year, defeated Roger Sarip to lead Tagaytay to a sweep of Lanao del Sur.

Salcedo outplayed Roland Suarez and Allan Macala humbled Campos to clinch a narrow win for Tagaytay over Makati despite Laylo’s setback to IM Richard Bitoon on board one.

Mandaluyong City, led by GM Buenaventura “Bong" Villamayor and Allan Cantonjos, and Quezon City, bannered by GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. and Jerry Areque, also hurdled their respective rivals to join Tagaytay City and four other teams in the early lead in this five-day tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

With Villamayor drawing with Belsar Valencia in the first round and beating IM Barlo Nadera in the second round, Mandaluyong subdued San Fernando (La Union), 2.5-1.5, and Muntinlupa City, 2.5-1.5.

Equally impressive was Quezon City, which crushed NCDA-QC, 4-0, in the first round and Gerona (Tarlac), 3.5-.5, to serve notice of its own title aspirations.

Antonio trampled Rodolfo Sarmiento (NCDA) and Francis Erwin Dimarucut (Tarlac) to lead Quezon City’s assault.

Backing up Antonio were Areque, Gary Legaspi and Ilann Perez.

The other early winners were Local Water Utilities Administration-Quezon City –A, which humbled DepEd-Pasig Cty, 3.5-.5, and LQUA-QC-C, 3-1; Philippine National Police-QC-A, which crushed Cebu, 3.5-.5, and Calamba City (Laguna), 3-1; Marfori-Pasig, which outclassed Virac, 4-0, and LWUA-QC-B, 2.5-1.5; and LWUA-QC-F, which outplayed Paniqui (Talrac), 3.5-.5, and FEU-FERN-Inton-QC, 3-1.

Valenzuela City, headed by GM Mark Paragua and Ian Gil Biag, led two other teams in eighth to 10th places with three points.

Valenzuela drew with Nueva Ecija, 2-2, in the first round and won over LWU-QC-D, 3.5-.5.
Joining Valenzuela were Lingayen, 3-1 winner over LWUA-QC-C and Antipolo City, 3-1 victor over Iba (Zambales) in the first round.

Lingayen, led by NM Mirabeau Maga, and Antipolo City, bannered by FM Christopher Castellano, drew their second-round match, 2-2.

Makati City debuted with a 4-0 win over Calapan City but lost to Tagaytay, 1.5-2.5, while Muntinlupa City beat Aparri, 3.5-.5, but bowed to Mandaluyong City , 1.5-2.5. –GMANews.TV

LWUA fields 5 teams

As previously reported, the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) fielded five teams in the ongoing 2009 National Inter-Cities and Municipalities chess team championship in Metro Town Mall in Tarlac City.

Amazing gesture of zest for chess. The good thing is that two of the five teams are composed of very young chess players.

LWUA's Team E, for instance, is manned by Vince Angelo Medina (Board 1), Jerad Docena (Board 2), Paulo Bersamina (Board 3), and Giovanni Mejia (Board 4). If I'm not mistaken, they are all under 12 years old.

This very young team played against the Lingayen Team on the opening day and scored 1.0 courtesy of Bersamina.

LWUA Chairman Prospero Pichay deserved an applause for fielding the country's young talents in that high level of chess competition.

Burnham Park chess

Still on my family’s vacation trip, we proceeded from Pangasinan to Baguio City.

From our base in Mangaldan, Pangasinan, it only took us roughly one and a half hours to reach the City of Pines.

The trip brought me back to my highly colorful college day memories in Baguio City. After 14 years – imagine 14 long years – I’m back in Baguio again.

The difference was that I’m back but no longer as an idealistic student. I was there with my wife and two little kids who wanted to go Baguio looking for snow!! Haha . .

A lot of changes had happened in 14 years. New structures, new look – the city is more modern now.

The only thing that didn’t improve – it even worsened in fact – is the traffic. The traffic will drain your patience in Baguio.

One of the many new things in the city is the availability of tiled chess boards near Burnham Park. I took several shots of those concrete chess boards with my son and daughter as my models.

I’m not sure if you could notice that there’s something wrong with how the concrete chess boards were constructed.

Which could lead you to conclude that we need at least chess-knowledgeable construction workers to construct a correct a chess board-table.

Be trapped

I'm wondering how many among the readers of this blog have clicked on the "Special Invitation" link on the right bar side of this page.

It's the most special invitation anyone could receive.

The title of the invitation might come as a "trap." It certainly connotes something related to chess. But once you click on it, it talks about the FINAL MATE that is not chess.

Let's say the trap is something spiritual. It's the kind of trap that will liberate and save those who let themselves trapped by that link.

Did you click the link again after your first trap? Did you bookmark it? Did you make it a habit to visit it?

Or did you escape the "trap"?

In chess, to be trapped means MATE, a defeat. But the 'trap' in that link could lead you to the real victory one could ever achieve.

Have you granted the invitation? Have you been "trapped"?

Wishing all of you a meaningful Lenten Season . . .

Wide open race seen in National Inter-Cities chess

MANILA, Philippines – A wide open race is expected in the coming 2009 National Inter-Cities and Municipalities chess team championship scheduled April 11-15 at the Metro Town Mall in Tarlac City, where the country’s top players backstop their respective teams.

Defending champion Cebu City, bannered by grandmaster-candidate Richard Bitoon, and Tagaytay City, led by GM Darwin Laylo, topbill the teams vying for the title and the P100,000 top prize in the five-day competition organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

Quezon City, led by GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. and Mandaluyong City, headed by GM Buenaventura “Bong" Villamayor, will also see action in the tournament.

Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA)-Quezon City will also field in five teams, one of which will be led by GM John Paul Gomez and the other four to be composed of select female and junior players.

Leading the LWUA-Quezon City teams are female standouts Shercila and Sherily Cua, Daisy Rivera and Jan Jodilyn Fronda and junior stars Haridas Pascua, Alcon John Datu, Jan Emmanuel Garcia and Mari Joseph Turqueza.

Aside from the P100,000 champion's purse, also at stake are P60,000 and P40, 000 for the runner-up and third placer, respectively.

Individual board one to five topnotchers will also receive P3,000 each and gold medals.

NCFP executive/events director Willie Abalos said each team may field a minimum of four and a maximum of five players, including only one titled player (grandmaster, International master, FIDE master or national master). –GMANews.TV

9th BCM chess tilt result

MELVIN Lumidao was unbeaten after seven rounds while Romy Fagon scored a 6.5 aggregate to rule the 9th edition of the Baguio Center Mall (BCM) Non-Master Chess Tournament .

Lumidao, a Manila-based chess player, scored the perfect 7 after the seven rounds to edge out Baguio bet Ronaldo Alvez who topped the 5th BCM chess tournament with an aggregate score of 6 while Fidel Labuanan of Pangasinan followed at third place.

Dante Fermin of La Trinidad placed 4th while Christopher Rodriguez came in at fifth to complete the top five finishers in the open division, Swiss system two-day tournament.

Lumidao received P7,0000 plus a trophy while Alvez and Labuanan received P5,000 and P3,000, respectively, including their trophies. Fermin and Rodriguez took home P1,500 and P1,000, respectively.

Fagon, from Urdaneta, Pangasinan ruled the kiddie division edging out Michael Angelo Manasala with a 5.5 total score. John Kevin Garidan, Philip Ian Balbin, and Sciart Dale Ancheta came in at third, fourth, and fifth respectively.

The Urdaneta wood pusher took home P5,000 including a trophy while Manansala got P3,000 including a trophy. Garidan, Balbin, and Ancheta received P2,000, P1,000 and P800, respectively, including trophies.

Arnie Ignacio, the event's coordinator said the purpose of the event is to promote the board game of chess especially among the youth while facilitating the development of the talented enthusiast's skills and confidence.

"Their skills and strategies will surely be highly-tested in these tournaments with a chance of bringing home cash prizes and trophies but will have the privilege of representing our community," Ignacio said.

University of Baguio student Roosenicole Ducusin on the other hand bagged the top junior player in the event with an aggregate total score of 5.

Generose Razo of Candon took the top lady honors plum while Alfonzo Rulloda bagged the top senior player. source: sunstar

Countryside chess

This blogger is on vacation, whose fingers are working on the keyboard far away from Manila.

The sad thing is that I have no internet connection in my place here in Salaan, Mangaldan, a barrio in Pangasinan.  My family is here to visit some relatives (my wife's family side).

So I need to go to the town to be able to have some posts.  It's my two days here already but I haven't spotted yet any townfolks playing chess.

I've been scouting the place to meet souls moving the pieces on the board just to find nobody, plain nothing.

I can't help asking myself, "What happened to chess in the countryside?"

Perhaps I have to content myself playing chess on the laptop.

2nd Mayor Florencio Bernabe Cup

The 2nd Mayor Florencio Bernabe Cup is set to run on April 4-5 in Parañaque City but we haven't seen any announcement in the main stream media.

That's the gloomy part in promoting grass roots chess in the country.

It's either the tournament organizers and sponsors have something for the media or the tournament carries the name of superstars like GM Wesley So to ensure media mileage.

If you lack these two requirements, you have to content yourselves with free media alternatives such as blogging.

Lesson: the political economy of mass media is a powerful force -- certainly more deadly than the poisoned pawn.

Pilarta, Samantila top Ateneo chess

MANILA, Philippines - Wilbert Pilarta and Darly Samantilla pulled off tough victories in the final round then nipped Loren Laceste and Jose Carlo Castro in the tiebreak to capture the high school and grade school crowns, respectively, in the third Dr. Jose Leviste Sr. Inter-School Chess Festival at the Ateneo Grade School Cafeteria last week.

Pilarta, playing out of Marist School, won with the black pieces over Jesse Abucejo, essaying the victory after 46 moves of the Queen’s Gambit-Declined to finish the nine-round Swiss system active chess tournament with six points.

The event is sponsored by Adidas Phils. and Pidiong Cruz in cooperation with the Ateneo University Athletics Office and backed by Enerasia Renewables Corp., Fonemed Asia Pacific, Italpinas Design and Development and Grand Placement.

Laceste, from Letran, also prevailed with the black, beating Gabriel Layugan in 48 moves of another Queen’s Gambit-Declined to tie Pilarta with six points but the latter took the title worth P5,000 with a superior tiebreak score.

Laceste settled for runner-up honors worth P3,000 while Paolo Cristobal of San Sebastian College and Ali Guya of Adamson placed third and fourth, respectively. with 5.5 points in the tournament put up by the Ateneo grade school, high school and collegiate chess teams under IM Idelfonso Datu.

Samantilla, of Adamson, beat Edric Manahan in 47 moves of a London game to finish with six points, then edged Castro in the tiebreak to clinch the grade school plum and the top P5,000 purse. Source: Philstaronline

RP's preparation for Asian Indoor Games begins

MANILA, Philippines - Seventh seed Silverio Abasolo topped the Region IX elimination for the Philippine team to the third Asian Indoor Games on Tuesday at the Dapitan City Resort Hotel in Dapitan City.

Abasolo finished in a three-way tie for first place with fifth seed Michael Pinar and top seed Raymond Salcedo with 5.5 points in this three-day regional qualifier.

Abasolo, Pinar and Salcedo lead seven other players to the national semifinals to be held in Manila on Aug. 4-8 to determine the country's representatives to the third Asian Indoor Games scheduled in Halongbay, Vietnam later this year.

Also making it were Maximo Ramos Jr., Marlon Fernando, Abdullian Agga and Samson Lim Sr., who finished with five points; Martin Sean Kwan and Joseph Gregana, who wound up with 4.5 points; and Omar Gonzales, who finished with four points.

NCFP president/chairman Prospero “Butch" Pichay said the next qualifying tournament – Region VI -- will be held at the Cabagnot Training Center in Kalibo, Aklan on April 16-20. The tournament will be held simultaneously with the national age-group and national junior championships to be held in the same Visayas province.

The other regional eliminations are: Region I in Dagupan City, May 2-4; Region III in Balanga, Bataan, May 9-11; Region IV in Tagaytay City, June 6-8; Region V in Bicol, June 13-15; Region II in Isabela, June 13-15; Region VII - June 27-29; Region XIII/CARAGA in Butuan City, June 27-29; Region VIII – July 4-6; Region XI – July 11-13; Region X in Gingoog City, July 17-19; and Region XII – July 25-27.

NCFP executive director Willie Abalos said the regional qualifiers will join titled players, such as IMs and NMs, in the semifinals. The country’s top grandmasters, meanwhile, are seeded to the grand finals scheduled on Aug. 26.

The top finishers will carry the RP colors in the Asian Indoor Games scheduled Oct. 30-Nov. 8 in Halongbay, Vietnam. –GMANews.TV

Tarlac hosts National Inter-Cities

MANILA, Philippines – After battling it out for individual supremacy in the recent “Battle of GMs," the country’s top chess players return to action in the 2009 National Inter-Cities and Municipalities chess team championship on April 11-15 at the Robinson's Mall in Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac City .

An annual undertaking of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) the weeklong tournament will feature the big guns of RP chess, this time as anchors to their respective localities.

Defending champion Cebu City and Tagaytay head the list of teams vying for the prestigious trophy and the P100,000 top prize out of the total cash purse of P300,000.

Cebu City will be bannered anew by GM-candidate Richard Bitoon, while Tagaytay City will be led by GM Darwin Laylo.

Another team, Mandaluyong City, will be topbilled by GM Buenaventura “Bong" Villamayor.

The country’s top five players – GMs Wesley So, Eugene Torre, John Paul Gomez, Mark Paragua and Rogelio Antonio Jr. – are also expected to see action for their respective teams.

Aside from the P100,000 top prize, the runner-up and the third placer will also receive P60,000 and P40,000, respectively.

Other cash prizes at stake are P30,000, P20,000, P10,000, P8,000, P7,000, P5,000, P5,000 for fourth to 10th placers.

Individual board one to five topnotchers will also receive P3,000 each and gold medals.

NCFP executive/events director Willie Abalos said each team may field a minimum of four and a maximum of five players, including only one titled player (grandmaster, International master, FIDE master or national master). Source: GMANewsTV

FIDE titles

This blogger noticed the absence of titles that are supposed to be attached to the names of some of our local players in the FIDE-released ratings last April 1.

Haridas Pascua (2359) and Kim Steven Yap (2419) are still untitled based on the said ratings list. Isn't Yap already an IM? How about Pascua?

Also, the already hailed 11th grandmaster of the Philippines, GM(?) Joseph Sanchez (2483) is titled only as "m" or International Master(?).

Can somebody please provide the reasons for all of these? Thanks!

5 benefits of chess lessons on DVD

A chess friend emailed me this interesting info. According to him, these benefits seemed to be true -- that is, tested by actual practice.

So here are the five benefits that can be derived from DVD chess lessons:

1. Watching DVDs will allow you retain 70% more than reading a book.

2. Dvd G.M lessons cost a few dollars per Hour instead of over 100 dollars per hour.

3. Lessons can be reviewed over and over so you can learn at your own pace instead of trying to retain everything you learn from what a coach may have taught you a week ago.

4. DVD lessons will save you time by giving you the best opening lines and variations that G.M.'s use in their own games. Recommendations on what or what not to play or study.

5. You will improve faster if you are weak in certain areas in chess there are lessons to help correct that.

You could check the source site HERE.

RP is No.33

The Philippines retained its No.33 position in the world's chess rankings based on the April 1, 2009 FIDE Ratings List.

Only behind China (No.3) and India (No.10) in Asia, the country is still the strongest chess nation in Southeast Asia.

Alarmingly, however, the Philippines is just slightly ahead of Vietnam (No.35) which threatens to grab the lead in the ASEAN region in the near future.

Oh yes, Vietnam can likely overtake the Philippines owing to Vietnam's active chess programs lately.

If all the NCFP could do is to order the replay of a rated chess game in an official tournament to show its "seriousness" in improving the quality of chess in the Philippines, we can kiss the country's No.1 status in the ASEAN region goodbye.

GM So in world's top 100

GM Wesley So (2641) is now ranked No.89 in the world based on the April 1, 2009 FIDE Ratings -- making him the only Filipino who has reached that ladder in the Philippine chess history.

To date, he is also the No.1 U-16 player in the world and ranked No.11 in Asia.

Despite the fact that that was only his first time to be included in the Top 100 list, he already made it to a very decent No.89 ranking.

It's not far from now for him to hit the 2700+ mark.

Cua rules Battle of GMs 2009 Women's Division

In a must-win situation, WFM Shercila Cua (2155) beat her 11th and final round opponent, WNM Rulp Ylem Jose (2054), to post 8.5 points (17.0 points) and emerged solo champion in the Battle of Grandmasters 2009 Women’s Division.

Closely behind in second place is WIM Beverly Mendoza (2045), who briefly held the reign by defeating WNM Jedara Docena (2001) much earlier in the round, who piled up 8.0 points (16.0 points).

Mendoza’s fate anchored on the result of Cua’s final round game. Had Cua lost the game, Mendoza could have been the eventual champion.

Not far in third spot is Shercila’s sister WFM Sherily Cua (2143), who bested WNM Kimberly Cunanan in the last round.

Shercila, the older of the two sisters, brought home the champion’s trophy plus P60,000.00 cash.

The close and heated race between tournament leaders in the Women’s Division was in full contrast to what transpired in the Men’s Division which was monotonous from start up to the end.

The Cua sisters had been visiting lately the Malibay Chess Club for some practice sessions. Congratulations to the top finishers!!