Philippine chess gets silver in 2010 Asian Games

Congratulations to the Philippine Chess Team for bagging a silver medal in the 2010 Asian Games.

It was only the second participation of Philippine chess in this quadrennial competition, and yet a sparkling silver was already achieved. That's the genuine strength of Philippine chess, a strong potential which could be further nurtured if given more government support.

Lest we forget, first things first - applause and cheers to the members of the Philippine Chess Team: GM Wesley So, GM Rogelio Antonio, GM John Paul Gomez, GM Darwin Laylo, and GM Eugene Torre.

Hailing for the silver does not mean lowering the bar of excellence. That silver was more than a gold considering the opposition. Being seeded No.6, Team Philippines' finishing second - and that was only after No.1 seed, world No.3 Team China - was beyond expectations.

What about beating higher-seeded teams round after round - that is, making dwarfs out of giants from Team Kazakhstan in Round 4, Team India in Round 5, and Team Uzbekistan in Round 6? Indeed, a killer 1-2-3 punch!!

And the biggest catch of all? Beating world's No.7 Team India twice, yes, twice, first in the eliminations and then second in the semi-finals. For a heavy underdog to make a repeat over a global giant was very sweet indeed.

Any team that performs beyond expectations brings so much pride and joy to those who support it. And that's what the Philippine Chess Team just did. GM Wes, GM Joey, GM JP, GM Darwin, and GM Eugene made the global Philippine chess community happy and proud.

What made the silver even more sparkling was watching how the Philippines' Numero Uno put up a truly classy stand against China's Numero Uno. Look who's the brave, look who's afraid, look who's great.

Again, congratulations to the Philippine Chess Team!!