RP Women demolish Bolivia

(IN PHOTO: RP's Chardine Cheradee Camacho)

The shutout loss against Vietnam in the previous round never dented on the brave spirit of the RP Women's Team. The wound sustained from the hands of the Viets just made our Pinays braver to fashion out a 3.5-0.5 victory over Team Bolivia.

Fired up by an early 16-mover win by the fearless Rulp Ylem Jose in Board 3, Catherine Pereña and Jedara Docena added two more victories while Shercila Cua held her Bolivian opponent to a draw with Black.

The irrepressible courage that has been displayed by our heroic Pinays since Round 1 already made our women's team a real winner in our hearts.

RP vs Bolivia match results:

30. Bolivia (8/15)	0.5-3.5	Philippines (8/18)
1. Cordero, Daniela	0-1	Perena, Catherine
2. Ramirez, M Eugenia	½-½	Cua, Shercila
3. Luna, Raisa	0-1	Jose, Rulp Ylem
4. Solis, Gabriela	0-1	Docena, Jedara

RP vs Bolivia Round 9 games:
REQUIRES JAVA

RP Men sweep Turkmenistan

The RP Men's Team stepped hard on the accelerator to hit full speed, forcing Team Turkmenistan to bite the dust via a 4-0 butchery in the ninth round of the 2010 Chess Olympiad.

Anchored on the courageous play by GM Wesley So on Board 1, the shutout victory of the Philippine Team in this round positioned them to have a strong finish at the end of the tournament.

Courage and hunger defined the performance of our players in this round. Let's hope to see the same courage and hunger from our men in the remaining two rounds.

RP vs Turkmenistan match results:

Round 9 on 2010/09/30 at 15:00
Bo.	69	Turkmenistan (TKM)	Rtg	-	37	Philippines (PHI)	Rtg	0 : 4
28.1	GM	Amanov Mesgen	2493	-	GM	So Wesley	2668	0 - 1
28.2	IM	Annaberdiev Meylis	2465	-	GM	Laylo Darwin	2522	0 - 1
28.3	FM	Atabayev Maksat	2318	-	GM	Torre Eugenio	2489	0 - 1
28.4	FM	Atabayev Yusup	2313	-	IM	Bitoon Richard	2447	0 - 1

RP vs Turkmenistan Round 9 games:
REQUIRES JAVA

3 Caritas Don Bosco Chess Bets Advance from Binan's Palarong Pampurok

BY: ANTHONY NAVARRO (Chesswindows Laguna Correspondent)

After revising earlier plans for a 'cluster meet' separately for private and public schools of Binan, DepEd successfully conducted the Binan Palarong Pampurok (also dubbed as Dual Meet) last Sept 18 / Saturday. The opening was done at Binan's 'central' school at Binan Elementary School (BES) then each team proceeded to the assigned venue of their sports spread out in University of Perpetual Help , Collegio de San Agustin and BES.

It was Caritas Don Bosco's first time to fully compete, owing to previous concerns on the meets being conducted on weekdays to conflict with regular school activities, but thankfully the Dual Meet was scheduled on a weekend, and Caritas athletes were able to gauge their abilities versus Binan schools. It is also a prelude to Binan conducting its own qualifiers for next schoolyear, being a newly minted city.

For chess, the Elem Boys and Girls was done at the BES with Tournament Manager (TM) Gerry Morales handling the qualifiers. There were 16 contenders for Board 1 and 8 for Board 2 for the Boys, each player being a champion in his own right by virtue of their school's qualifiers or intramurals. Inspite of the usual challenges posed at the Cluster / District levels, it was conducted under a single knockout format scheme, with the finals being a Best-of-3 affair. After the smoke of battle, Caritas' Christian Michael Navarro emerged unscathed and swept Board 1 with 5 wins, including 2 at the finals. Likewise, teammate Tetsuo Otsuka Jr battled his way to 4 wins, including 2 in the finals vs a bet from South City Academy. It was also an opportunity to see first hand the chess level of Binan's elem boys, and understand what they would need if Binan is to re-emerge in Laguna chess.

In the High School Division, the TM was assisted by Perpetual's Cris Nero and Caritas' Vic Viernes and agreed to have the venue at Perpetual Help campus instead, and ironed out a 5 round format with double knockout. It was a more hotly contested affair as favorites like STCAA veterans South City (SCIA) Culili and Perpetual's Niko Minguez got the early lead. Niko was stalled with a draw from a bet of Binan Natl HS. Caritas' Jolo Lat's debut was surprisingly tough. He was quality up in the 4th round encounter with Culili but gave it up for what he thought to be a winning endgame position, instead it ended with a draw.

In the last round, it was a crucial battle between Caritas' Lat and Perpequal's Minguez. It was even in material but Lat sustained the initiative and ended up with a passed pawn at the queenside which keyed his victory. Jolo was ecstatic and jumped for joy after his victory. Caritas' Lat and SCIA's Culili both ended up with 4.5/5, but Jolo took Board 1 honors due to higher tiebreak.

Next competition will be what is dubbed as 'Triangular Meet', or equivalent of Unit Meet, which pits qualifiers of Binan,San Pedro and Cabuyao. This is expected to be scheduled this October. After this, qualifiers will compete in the Provincial Meet where they will meet the qualifiers from other Districts of Laguna, usually Sta Cruz and Los Banos have competitive bets here. Laguna Cities like Calamba,San Pablo and Santa Rosa have their own city-wide qualifiers, and all the bets will converge for the STCAA (Southern Tagalog Chess) which will be hosted by Rizal sometime in Jan or Feb 2011.

Perez rules 2nd Centennial Townhomes Rapid Chess Championship (Kiddies)

(BY: MARLON BERNARDINO)

Carl Perez (in photo) of San Pablo City, Laguna scored perfect 6 points to rule the 2nd Centennial Townhomes Rapid Chess Championship (KIDDIES)in San Isidro, Cabuyao, Laguna. Sharing 2nd to 4th place were Michelle Yaon, Mark Marcellana and Gibo Cabual.

Meanwhile, Rodolfo Panopio Jr. of Calamba City, Laguna drew with Fide Master Roderick Nava of Carmona, Cavite in the sixth and final round to score 5.5 points to become solo champion in the main event of the tournament.

Panopio bagged the P4,000 top prize and trophy. Scoring 5 points to land in 2nd to Sixth places were 12 year old Jerad Docena, FM Nava, Arnel Penero, Ildefonso Mantupar and Gary Legaspi.

7th to 10th places were Ronald de Guzman, Richie Joson, Allan Cantonjos and Richard Natividad. Other awardees were Mary Antoninette San Diego (top lady), Kelly Rancap (top junior), Ana Tabol (top Cabuyao lady), Apollo Agapay (top Cabuyao junior)

Ther event was supported by mayor Jun Hemedes, vice mayor Rommel Gecolea, brgy. captain Emerson Devoma, Raquel Paez-Chiong and Dr. Ching Hernandez, Centennial Homeowners, St. Peregrine Dental Clinic and Pastor Ariel Cabrales.

Pinays overwhelmed by Vietnam

Vietnamese ladies showed who's the boss in Southeast Asia when it comes to women's chess. Team Vietnam overpowered the RP Women's Team by a dominating 4-0 rout.

I strongly believe, though, that the humiliating loss against Vietnam would not dampen the spirit of our Gabrielas to give their best shot in the remaining rounds. The loss to Vietnam, as I see it, realistically situates the state of Philippine women's chess in relation to our ASEAN neighbors.

The loss to Vietnam is a deafening call for our government, particularly national chess officials, and the Filipino chess community as well, to unite our efforts in giving special care to our Pinays. The women's team that we have right now promises a lot, given time and the needed support.

RP vs Vietnam match results:

20. Philippines (8/18)	0-4	Vietnam (8/15.5)
1. Camacho, Chardine Cheradee	0-1	Hoang, Thi Bao Tram
2. Perena, Catherine	0-1	Pham, Le Thao Nguyen
3. Jose, Rulp Ylem	0-1	Nguyen, Thi Mai Hung
4. Docena, Jedara	0-1	Nguyen, Thi Thanh An

RP vs Vietnam Round 8 games:
REQUIRES JAVA

Bulgaria edges Team RP (MEN)

Team Bulgaria defined what it means to be seeded No.8 by erecting a 2.5-1.5 victory over No.37 seed Team Philippines in their Round 8 encounter in the 2010 Chess Olympiad.

As a team, the Bulgarians exhibited that they are indeed much stronger than the Filipinos, with its two 2600-rated players overpowering the two 2500-rated Filipino campaigners.

Individually, however, Team Philippines ably showed that it has definitely got what it takes to face even the world's best.

Handling Black, GM Wesley So essayed one of the best games in his chess career by engaging former FIDE world champion and 2010 world championship challenger GM Veselin Topalov in a highly explosive game that warranted best ability from each side. It was a game that exhibited the potential of a self-made player, proving that this young man can be at par with the world's elite even without the help of a coach or trainer.

Moreover, GM Eugene Torre extracted the full point against the Bulgarian Team by treating his opponent, IM Berbatov Kiprian, to a truly world class, instructive endgame lessons.

RP vs Bulgaria match results:

18. Bulgaria (9/19)	2.5-1.5	Philippines (9/17)
1. Topalov, Veselin	½-½	So, Wesley
2. Cheparinov, Ivan	1-0	Gomez, John Paul
3. Delchev, Aleksander	1-0	Laylo, Darwin
4. Berbatov, Kiprian	0-1	Torre, Eugenio

RP vs Bulgaria Round 8 games:
REQUIRES JAVA

RP Women's performance after Round 8

Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Pts.	Games	Rp
1	WFM	Camacho Chardine Cheradee	2186	PHI	1	½	1	½	1	1	0	0		5,0	8	2186
2	WFM	Perena Catherine	2103	PHI	1	0	1	0		1	½	0		3,5	7	1994
3	WFM	Cua Shercila	2099	PHI	1	0			½	1	0			2,5	5	1987
4		Jose Rulp Ylem	2039	PHI	1	0	1	½	½	1	1	0		5,0	8	2059
5		Docena Jedara	2033	PHI			1	1	0			0		2,0	4	1967

RP Men's performance after Round 8

Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Pts.	Games	Rp
1	GM	So Wesley	2668	PHI	1	½	½	½	½	½		½		4,0	7	2590
2	GM	Gomez John Paul	2527	PHI	1	0		½	1	½	1	0		4,0	7	2418
3	GM	Laylo Darwin	2522	PHI	1	½	0			0	1	0		2,5	6	2386
4	GM	Torre Eugenio	2489	PHI			1	½	½		½	1		3,5	5	2472
5	IM	Bitoon Richard	2447	PHI	1	½	½	1	1	0	½			4,5	7	2392

Alarmingly, all members of the RP Men's Team have been performing below their initial Elo ratings (compared to their respective performance rating). Nonetheless, though, GM Wesley So and GM Eugene Torre have been displaying consistent, rock-solid performance.

Top 5 players in 2010 Chess Olympiad (WOMEN)

AFTER ROUND 8 (based on individual player's points)

No.		Name	Rtg	Team	Pts.	Games	%	Bo.
1	IM	Danielian Elina	2466	Armenia	7,0	8	87,5	1
2	WGM	Vojinovic Jovana	2319	Montenegro	7,0	8	87,5	1
3	WIM	Chirivi Jenny Astrid	2227	Colombia	7,0	8	87,5	2
4	WGM	Marrero Lopez Yaniet	2324	Cuba	6,5	7	92,9	3
5	GM	Hou Yifan	2578	China	6,5	8	81,3	1

The Philippines' WFM Chardine Cheradee Camacho and Rulp Ylem Rose Jose have accumulated 5.0 points apiece and are ranked No.78 and No.88, respectively, out of a total of 564 players.

Top 5 players in 2010 Chess Olympiad (OPEN)

AFTER ROUND 8 (based on individual player's points)

No.		Name	Rtg	Team	Pts.	Games	%	Bo.
1	GM	Amin Bassem	2578	Egypt	7,0	8	87,5	2
2	IM	Barrientos Sergio E	2464	Colombia	7,0	8	87,5	3
3	GM	Ivanchuk Vassily	2754	Ukraine	6,5	7	92,9	1
4	GM	Karjakin Sergey	2747	Russia 1	6,5	7	92,9	4
5	GM	Amonatov Farrukh	2602	Tajikistan	6,5	8	81,3	1

SHOWDOWN: GM Veselin Topalov vs GM Wesley So

Thanks to the Chess Olympiad, it won't take a world championship for GM Wesley So (2668) to have a chance to play against former FIDE World champion (2005) and 2010 World Championship challenger GM Veselin Topalov (2803).

This is a rare opportunity for the Filipino phenom to show what he is really made of against a genuine world-class player who is now the World's number two strongest player in terms of Elo ratings.

Can a self-made player stand a chance against a big name who is known for having a great team as a back-up support?

Can Iron Chef take the place of big names such as Cheparinov and Danailov?

The encouraging sign for Wesley is that he's been playing rock-solid - no losses - so far in the 2010 Chess Olympiad. Another good sign is the fact revealing Topalov's vulnerability after losing to GM Bluvshtein Mark (2583) of Canada in Round 7.

The stage is set: GM Veselin Topalov handles White against GM Wesley So in Board 1 of Bulgaria vs Philippines match in Round 8 of the 2010 Chess Olympiad.

It's now up to Wesley to do his act.

RP Women slow down against Peru

(IN PHOTO: RP's Jedara Docena)

Round 7 seemed to be a "peaceful" day so far for the Philippine women's team, slowing down against Team Peru with a 1.5-2.5 loss in Round 7 of the 2010 Chess Olympiad.

RP's ace WFM Chardine Cheradee Camacho (2186) was on the receiving end with Black against Peru's WGM Deysi Cori (2368) to record her first (and hopefully last) loss in the tournament.

Another setback was suffered by WFM Shercila Cua (2099) in the hands of WFM Aliaga Fernandez Ingrid (2134) after a stiff resistance.

Notably, WFM Catherine Pereña (2103) defended hard from a losing position - what a persistence - to salvage a draw against WFM Chumpitaz Ann (2150).

And yes, untitled Rulp Ylem Jose (2039) continued her stubborn games to post a dominating victory over Orbezo Rosales Ximena Lucia (1836).

In Round 8, our Pinays (seed No.52) will face No.24 seed neighbor Vietnam which is manned by two WGMs and two WIMs.

So it's Vietnam vs the Philippines, the two chess powerhouses in South East Asia. I expect to see more stubbornness from our Pinays against the Vietnamese to banner the Philippine Women's Chess supremacy in the region.

Go go go PINAYS!!!

RP vs Peru match results:

16. Peru (8/14.5)	2.5-1.5	Philippines (8/16.5)
1. Cori, T Deysi	1-0	Camacho, Chardine Cheradee
2. Chumpitaz, Ann	½-½	Perena, Catherine
3. Aliaga, Fernandez Ingrid Y	1-0	Cua, Shercila
4. Orbezo, Rosales Ximena Lucia	0-1	Jose, Rulp Ylem

RP vs Peru Round 7 games:
REQUIRES JAVA





RP vs Vietnam Round 8 board pairings:

Round 8 on 2010/09/29 at 15:00
Bo.	52	Philippines (PHI)	Rtg	-	24	Vietnam (VIE)	Rtg	0 : 0
20.1	WFM	Camacho Chardine Cheradee	2186	-	WGM	Hoang Thi Bao Tram	2285
20.2	WFM	Perena Catherine	2103	-	WIM	Pham Le Thao Nguyen	2304
20.3		Jose Rulp Ylem	2039	-	WIM	Nguyen Thi Mai Hung	2258
20.4		Docena Jedara	2033	-	WGM	Nguyen Thi Thanh An	2306