GM Wesley So in physical training

(IN PHOTO: GM Wesley mates a treadmill in a gym in Canada as part of his physical conditioning. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Leny So.)

A sound mind in a sound body.

Every great athlete knows it. And they do exceptionally well to attain and maintain it.

It is good to know that at the early age of 17, GM Wesley So is already doing something to have it in his system. The earlier, the better.

Of all sports, chess perfectly fits in to this time-tested adage. The ones who heeded to it have remarkably reached the acme of success in their own respective ways, many of them still in shape up to these days.

There was a story that the legendary former world chess champion GM Bobby Fischer prepared for a chess match the way football players do. He even wanted to work on his wrists, with a goal of squeezing 100 pounds using his palms! He played tennis (with our very own GM Eugene Torre as his partner), and indudge in the pool for extended time, even late at night.

A chess friend told me that GM Eugene regularly visits a gym somewhere in Libis, Quezon City to maintain his physique - a self-discipline beyond compare. At the age of 59, GM Torre served as the cornerstone of the Philippine Men's Team that won the historic Silver Medal for the country in the 2010 Southeast Asian Games.

In his 1985 world championship match against GM Anatoloy Karpov, GM Garry Kasparov trained like he had to fight Mike Tyson in the ring. He went running barefoot on beach shore. He also regularly engaged in swimming - at sea - in addition to cycling and football.

Sixth world chess champ GM Max Euwe did a lot of cycling and shadowboxing.

GM Vladimir Kramnik called GM Mikhail Botvinnik the first true professional in chess, becuase of the inclusion of physical training in his preparation. Let's listen to Kramnik: "Botvinnik definitely represented a new era in chess. I would call him the first true professional. He was the first to realise that chess performance was not only dependent on chess skills. He developed comprehensive preparation for competitions which consisted of opening studies along with healthy sleep, daily routine and physical exercises. He was a pioneer in this field."

Women know it, too. Former women world chess champ GM Alexandra Kosteniuk even participated in a 5K marathon which she finished in only 22 minutes and 42 seconds! She loves regular jogging and recommends it to chess players who want to have a good balance between chess training and physical conditioning. (See related post HERE).

In the following game below, GM Kosteniuk showed why physical training is a must in competitive chess - she also needed to do a marathon over the board, in this case a game that lasted for 237 moves!!

GM Fressinet vs GM Kosteniuk
Villandry Rapid 2007.10.21
REQUIRES JAVA

1st BRGY. BANGKAL CHAIRMAN FERMIN T. EUSEBIO NON-MASTER CHESS CUP

Time	Saturday, April 16 at 9:00am - April 17 at 4:00pm
Location	Barangay Bangkal Community Complex, Gen. Lim St., Bangkal, Makati City
More Info	Eligibilty : Open to all Untitled chess player. Women titled player are eligible to play. Format : Nine (9) Rounds Swiss System with 30 minutes alloted time for each player to finish the game. Prizes Champion : P10,000 plus Trophy 2nd Place : 6,000 plus Trophy 3rd Place : 4,000 plus Trophy 4th Place : 2,000 5th Place : 1,000 6th Place : 900 7th Place : 800 8th Place : 700 9th Place : 600 10th Place : 500 Category Prizes Top Bangkal Palyer : P1,000 plus Medal Top Senior (50 & above) : 500 plus Medal Top Junior (18 & below) : 500 plus Medal Top Kiddie (13 & below) : 500 plus Medal Top Lady (untitled) : 500 plus Medal Top Unrated : 500 plus Medal Registration Fee : P250 200 (Untitled 16 yrs. & under Boys & Girls) 150 (Kiddies) Barangay Bangkal Residents are FREE from registration.

Pinoy chess tactics No.7

Recognized as a deadly King's Indian Attack (KIA) player, GM Mark Paragua showed his world-class chess prowess by beating another world-class chess personality in GM Levon Aronian in this Round 6 encounter of the 7th Linares Anibal 11 years ago.

GM Paragua was only 16 and an International Master when he met GM Aronian, already 18 and a GM at that time I guess, in this match.

Eleven years has indeed made a big difference between Paragua and Aronian. Aronian, the sixth player in chess history to break the 2800 barrier, is now the world's No.3 strongest player with an Elo rating of 2808 (March 2011).

Paragua, who made history in Philippine chess by being the first to hurdle the 2600 mark (his highest was 2621 in April 2006), is now slowly getting back to his old form. He is now the country's No.3 strongest player with an Elo rating of 2547.

Now at 27, I hope - and believe - that GM Mark could still get back to where he used to be and even do better.

Happy birthday, GM Mark!

SOLVE THIS CHESS QUIZ. How did then IM Paragua proceed in this game? DON'T MOVE THE PIECES BY YOURSELF. Analyze the position first and guess for the move before CLICKING the single-move button (second button from right). To view the whole game, simply click the "Games" button below the board and choose item No.2.

REQUIRES JAVA
Position after Black's 17...Nde7

GM Sadorra

BY: BOBBY ANG

(As published in Chess Piece, BusinessWorld, 28 March 2011)

Please allow me to congratulate Julio Catalino Sadorra on his third GM norm from the University of Texas-Dallas (UTD) Grandmaster Invitational Tournament.

First, a short backgrounder. The Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship is the foremost intercollegiate team chess championship in the Americas. This covers schools in North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. For the past 15 years it has been dominated by the two schools University of Maryland Baltimore Country (UMBC) and University of Texas at Dallas (UTD).

UMBC was where our former junior standout Paolo del Mundo studied several years ago -- he was an essential part of their chess campaign and scored many crucial points for the UMBC team.

The man behind UTD chess is Tim Redman, a Professor of Literary Studies with a Ph.D. in Comparative Studies in Literature from the University of Chicago. He was the one who convinced the school administration to offer scholarships to promising chess players and as a consequence of this they built up a pretty strong team. In fact, in large part because of his success in scholastic chess Tim Redman became president of the United States Chess Federation (USCF) for two terms, 1981-1984 and 2000-2001, the only president to date who has served twice. He is also a FIDE International Arbiter.

I say all these nice things about Mr. Redman with mixed feelings, for he double-crossed us during the 2000 Istanbul Olympiad. The question of which federation to accredit as the official governing body of chess in the Philippines, whether it will remain the Philippine Chess Federation (PCF, this is the Art Borjal/Edgar de Castro group) or the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP, Campo/myself/Eugene Torre etc), was to be taken up in the General Assembly to be held during the Olympiad.

Campo and I had a merienda with Mr. Redman and one of his delegates, Jim Eades (this is the guy who wrote Chess for Dummies, a great instructional book) to campaign for their support. We had very friendly discussions after which Mr. Redman promised that the USCF will support the NCFP. To my great disappointment, however, during the actual General Assembly not only did they vote against us but their delegate (I forget his name but he was a big guy) threatened to walk out if the NCFP won.

Well, the NCFP won. Illustrating his great diplomatic and political skills Campo arranged for a taxi to be brought to the hall to bring the delegate back to his hotel.

But I digress.

Early this month UTD organized a double-round Scheveningen training tournament for their chess team. The Scheveningen system is a method of organizing a chess match between two teams. Each player on one team plays each player on the other team. The team with the highest number of games won is the winner. This system is a popular way to create title norm opportunities.

The UTD top six players (GM Alejandro Ramirez, GM Ioan Cristian Chirila, IMs Julio Sadorra, Salvijus Bercys, Marko Zivanic and Wang Puchen) faced six seasoned veterans (International Grandmasters Alexander Shabalov, Dejan Bojkov, Julio Becerra, Valentin Iotov, Ray Robson and Magesh Panchanathan) with each member of one team playing every member of the opposing team twice. The final results:

GRANDMASTERS 42.5/72.0

1. GM Iotov, Valentin 8.0

2. GM Becerra, Julio 7.5

3. GM Bojkov, Dejan 7.5

4. GM Shabalov, Alexander 7.0

5. GM Robson, Ray 6.5

6. GM Panchanathan, Magesh 6.0

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DALLAS TEAM 29.5/72.0

1. IM Sadorra, Julio 7.5

2. GM Ramirez, Alejandro 6.5

3. GM Chirila, Ioan 6.5

4. IM Bercys, Salvijus 4.0

5. IM Zivanic, Marko 3.5

6. IM Wang, Puchen 1.5

Ino Sadorra won four, drew seven and lost one for 7.5/12 and a performance rating of 2642. This is good enough for his third and final GM norm. His sole loss was to GM Robson in the 11th round -- perhaps he could not concentrate on the game because he had attained the norm in the previous round.

The last requirement, which is for him to attain a rating of 2500, will be fulfilled by May 2011, taking into consideration the ELO points gained during this tournament.

Here is the Philippines’ updated honor roll of GMs:

1. Eugene Torre

2. Rosendo Balinas, Jr. +

3. Rogelio Antonio, Jr.

4. Buenaventura Villamayor

5. Nelson Mariano II

6. Mark Paragua

7. Wesley So

8. Darwin Laylo

9. Jayson Gonzales

10. John Paul Gomez

11. Joseph Sanchez

12. Rogelio Barcenilla

13. Roland Salvador

14. Julio Catalino Sadorra

Waiting on the wings is IM Ronald Dableo, who already has all the required norms but still needs to get his rating up to the 2500 level (it is currently 2445).

Here is the GM norm-achieving win for Ino.

Sadorra, Julio Catalino (2475) -- Shabalov,Alexander (2590) [A11]
UT Dallas GM Invitational Richardson USA (10), 18.03.2011
REQUIRES JAVA

Widow of chess ace Bobby Fischer to inherit: court

(As tipped in by NM Erwin Carag)

REYKJAVIK (Reuters) - An Icelandic court said on Thursday the widow of former world chess champion Bobby Fischer should inherit his estimated $2 million estate, which has been in dispute since his death in 2008.

Fischer spent the last years of his life as a fugitive from U.S. authorities because he defied international sanctions against the former Yugoslavia, spending time in the Philippines and Japan before moving to Iceland, where he was offered citizenship in the mid-2000s.

Miyoko Watai of Japan had claimed before the court she was Fischer's wife and heir while two of the chess master's nephews had questioned the legitimacy of the marriage.

In 2009 Iceland's Supreme Court overturned a municipal court decision that Watai was the rightful heir, saying definite proof of the marriage had not been made available.

On Wednesday Reykjavik's municipal court judge Ingridur Eiriksdottir ruled the marriage was legal and declared that Fischer's nephews must pay Watai 6.65 million Iceland crowns ($57,520) in costs. Fresh documentation was provided for the latest judgment.

Fischer, a child prodigy became the United States' only world chess champion by defeating Soviet masters, but refused to defend his title and relinquished it to the Soviet champion Anatoly Karpov in 1975. He died in Reykjavik at the age of 64.

The nephews' lawyer told Icelandic state radio they would appeal the court ruling.

(Reporting by Omar Valdimarsson via Stockholm Newsroom; Editing by Matthew Jones) SOURCE

Wilma and Wesley

Look at their smiles? Very Pinoy. Serene and sweet.

Now that GM Wesley So, only 17, is back in the warm embrace of his family in Canada, he is home. Best for him. Best for his family.

Indeed, home is where the family is.

The cute girl is Wilma (the bunso [?] in the family), whose innocent smile could surely melt a Kuya long gone from sight and hug.

Expect a fresh, regenerated Wesley after this family reunion in Canada.

(NOTE: Special thanks to Ma'am Leny for the photo.)

Aeroflot Games

BY: BOBBY ANG

(As published in Chess Piece, BusinessWorld, 21 March 2011)

Aeroflot Open "A"
Moscow, Russia
February 7-19, 2011

Top Final Standings
1-3. GM Le Quang Liem VIE 2664, GM Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2709, GM Evgeny Tomashevsky RUS 2695, 6.5/9
4-10. GM Denis Khismatullin RUS 2649, GM Yu Yangyi CHN 2607, GM Gata Kamsky USA 2730, GM Maxim Rodshtein ISR 2625, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov UZB 2681, GM Rauf Mamedov AZE 2660, GM Ivan Cheparinov BUL 2665, 6.0/9

Total of 86 participants
Time Control: 120 minutes for the first 60 moves, then additional 15 minutes play to finish. 30-second increment given after each move starting move 61

Last Monday we were on the topic of Le Quang Liem, who shocked the Russian chess establishment by winning the strongest open tournament in the world, Aeroflot Open in Moscow, for the second consecutive time.

Let us take a look at some of the other participants now.

Former world women’s champion Alexandra Kosteniuk managed to show that she is not yet washed up.

Kosteniuk, Alexandra (2498) -- Vocaturo, Daniele (2570) [C93]
Aeroflot Open A Moscow RUS (5), 12.02.2011
REQUIRES JAVA




Another performance we should note is that of GM Ivan Cheparinov, who defeated Le Quang Liem in the penultimate round and would have tied for first if he had just agreed a quick draw in the last round. Instead, he went for broke against the Russian GM Nikita Vitiugov and lost.

Cheparinov is the main second of former world champion Veselin Topalov, and he is a strong player in his own right. In fact, I think he played the best chess in Aeroflot 2011.

In round 7 the Spanish GM Ivan Salgado Lopez (only 20 yrs old) tried to catch Cheparinov in an unfamiliar position, but it appears that the Bulgarian knew it better!

Cheparinov,Ivan (2665) -- Salgado Lopez,Ivan (2626) [E10]
Aeroflot Open A Moscow RUS (7), 14.02.2011
REQUIRES JAVA




The role of the second is often underestimated. There are some who might argue that the Magician from Riga, Mihail Tal, would never have become world champion without Alexander Koblents, his coach/second beginning 1955 up to the late ’70s.

The same can be said of the 9th world champion Boris Spassky. A notoriously lazy personality, his second Igor Bondarevsky would almost literally take him by the throat and force Spassky to study. This had the desired effect -- Spassky broadened his style and emerged a better player because of it. Nowadays when you talk about the "Universal" player, someone who is equally good in all aspects of the game, the name of Spassky comes to mind.

Cheparinov, as Topalov’s main second, was responsible for many of the opening novelties Topalov played during his 2006 World Championship match against Vladimir Kramnik. And, by looking at the games above, I can say that he is also one great chess player.

Reader comments/suggestions are solicited. E-mail address is bangcpa@gmail.com.

In Christ Jesus we are ‘MORE THAN CONQUEROR’ Chess Tournament

The United Pentecostal Church (UPC) and Ampid Tricycle Operators Association (ATODA) will hold its first chess tournament billed as In Christ Jesus we are 'MORE THAN CONQUEROR" Chess Tournament.

The Team Competition is exclusive for ATODA members while the Individual Competition shall be open for San Mateo, Rizal residents only.

Interested players may contact the organizer, Mr. Edmund Domanais, at his cellphone number 0927-9661022 or facebook:edmunddomanais, email: edmunddomanais@yahoo.com.

Please see details of the tournament in the Calendar of Events (sidebar).

RMCHS STUDENTS CHESS CLUB TOURNAMENT RESULTS

BY: NM ERWIN CARAG

As part of the 30TH year (pearl) foundation anniversary of the well-known Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School (RMCHS) students chess club, the RMCHS chess club alumni organized the 2011 RMCHS Students Rapid Chess Tournament held last March 19 at the chess room.

Palarong NCR qualifier Luzzel Dacayo of Quezon City topped the event with a higher tiebreak quotient over Michael Alcantara who both scored 4.5 points in 5 outings. Completing the cast of winners are Mark Anthony Villarante, Narciso Gravillo, Arvex Sabalilag, Elyza Adarlo, Emerson Espinosa, Jonathan Vinluan, Jonalyn Abajon and Marilou Isunza. Supervising the tournament is Christopher Fernandez, RMCHS Chess Club Alumni, Inc. chairman, under the guidance of RMCHS chess club advisers Mr. Raul C. Cruz and National Master and International Arbiter Erwin L. Carag. Expect more chess activities from the school this coming months.

IM Young ties for 1st at Missouri Open

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

FORMER Philippine Junior Champion International Master (IM) Angelo Young made the country proud anew when he finished in a tie for first to seventh places in the 2011 Mid-America Open Chess Tournament last March 18 to 20 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel St.Louis-Clayton in Missouri, USA.

The Caloocan City native Young, next in line in the long list of talented Filipino IMs hoping to become a GM in the future finished with 4 points on three wins and two draw in the annual prestigious tournament.

Also with 4 points are Grandmasters (GMs) Sergey Kudrin and Benjamin Finegold, IM Ronald Burnett, Fide Master (FM) Andrew Karklins, Conrad Holt and Jialin Ding.

"I would like to dedicate this win to my countryman back home (Philippines)," said Young, owner and manager of Touch Move Chess Center in Chicago, Ilinois.

National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president-chairman Prospero "Butch" Pichay Jr. lauded Young for the honor and glory he brought to the country.

"The success of IM Angelo (Young) in the international competition would somehow inspire Filipino youths to venture into this sport," said Pichay, also head of the Local Waterworks and Utilities Authority.

Last Year, Young spearheaded Pinoy of Chicago to bagged the championships trophy of the North leg of the United States Amateur Team Championship was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Milwaukee. The team comprised of Filipinos spearheaded by IM Angelo Young, FM Camilo Pangan, NM Florentino Inumerable, Expert Rene Ancheta and Virgillio Forro garnered a total of 4.5 pts. /5 games.

GM Gomez proves who he is in 2011 Mayor Allen Singson Cup Open

Top 10 Finishers (Total of 64 players)

Final Ranking after 7 Rounds

Rk.		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	GM	GOMEZ John Paul	PHI	2538	6.5	0.0	22.0	211.0
2	NM	ELORTA David	PHI	2367	6.0	1.0	22.0	198.0
3	IM	BARBOSA Oliver	PHI	2506	6.0	0.0	22.0	190.5
4		ADAYA Ronald	Phi	0	5.5	0.0	19.5	190.0
5	NM	LLAVANES Ronald	PHI	2252	5.0	0.0	23.5	190.0
6	IM	GARMA Chito	PHI	2331	5.0	0.0	21.5	191.5
7	FM	PASCUA Haridas	PHI	2323	5.0	0.0	20.5	192.0
8	NM	ALISANGCO Nicomedes	PHI	2256	5.0	0.0	19.5	180.5
9	NM	SALCEDO Raymond	PHI	2265	5.0	0.0	18.5	184.5
10		MANIAGO Michael	Phi	0	5.0	0.0	18.0	159.0

Complete results HERE

Dulay tops 2011 Mayor Allen Singson Cup 16 Under

Final Ranking after 7 Rounds

Rk.		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1		Dulay Dave Patrick	PHI	1777	6.0	0.0	20.5	196.0
2		Lopez Jaydee	Phi	0	5.0	0.0	22.0	184.5
3		Laxamana John Jasper	Phi	0	5.0	0.0	21.5	167.0
4		Cajigal Jehiel Yikoh	PHI	0	5.0	0.0	21.0	195.0
5		Balbin Jayson James	Phi	1648	4.5	0.0	19.0	181.5
6		Aguete Janleigh	PHI	0	4.5	0.0	16.5	172.5
7		Reyes Earvin John	Phi	0	4.0	0.0	20.5	184.5
8		Barcena John Darwin	Phi	0	4.0	0.0	20.0	183.5
9		Valdez Jemima	Phi	1724	4.0	0.0	19.5	165.0
10		Balbin Philip Ian	Phi	1715	4.0	0.0	16.5	172.0
11		Calamano Naszer	Phi	0	3.0	0.0	16.5	167.5
12		Sanchez Alexandria	Phi	0	3.0	0.0	16.5	160.5
13		Rapada Joshua Ryan	Phi	0	3.0	0.0	15.0	155.5
14		Naungayan Dianne	Phi	1643	2.5	0.5	15.5	154.0
15		Naungayan Rochelle	Phi	0	2.5	0.5	12.5	146.5
16		Cafirma Elize Caryl	Phi	0	2.0	1.0	16.5	162.0
17		Pascua Kressa Gail	Phi	0	2.0	0.0	11.0	132.0
18		Altes Florence	Phi	0	0.0	0.0	12.5	31.0
19		Fabros Arnel	Phi	0	0.0	0.0	11.0	124.0

Lemi rules 2011 Mayor Allen Singson Cup 12 Under

Top 10 Finishers (Total of 25 players)

Final Ranking after 7 Rounds

Rk.		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1		Lemi Daniel John	PHI	0	6.0	0.0	17.0	18.50
2		Calaparan Louie	Phi	0	5.5	1.0	24.5	25.50
3		Lemi Jehoshapat	PHI	0	5.5	0.0	19.5	18.50
4		Labarda Cary Hazel	Phi	0	5.0	0.0	21.0	19.50
5		Garcia Danrev	Phi	0	5.0	0.0	18.5	18.50
6		Rosqueta John Mark	Phi	0	5.0	0.0	16.5	14.00
7		Perez Paulyne Kae	Phi	0	4.5	0.0	16.0	12.75
8		Lopez Lord Sean	Phi	0	4.0	0.0	21.5	11.50
9		Jacildo Joel	Phi	0	4.0	0.0	18.5	12.00
10		Valdez Steven Angelo	Phi	0	4.0	0.0	16.0	10.50

Complete results HERE

Two in a row

BY: BOBBY ANG

(As published in Chess Piece, BusinessWorld, 18 March 2011)

Aeroflot Open "A"
Moscow, Russia, Feb. 7-19, 2011

Top Final Standings
1-3. GM Le Quang Liem VIE 2664, GM Nikita Vitiugov RUS 2709, GM Evgeny Tomashevsky RUS 2695, 6.5/9
4-10. GM Denis Khismatullin RUS 2649, GM Yu Yangyi CHN 2607, GM Gata Kamsky USA 2730, GM Maxim Rodshtein ISR 2625, GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov UZB 2681, GM Rauf Mamedov AZE 2660, GM Ivan Cheparinov BUL 2665, 6.0/9
11-22. GM Chanda Sandipan IND 2641, GM Dmitry Bocharov RUS 2605, GM Dmitry Andreikin RUS 2689, GM Boris Grachev RUS 2660, GM Vadim Zvjaginsev RUS 2660, GM Tigran L. Petrosian ARM 2604, GM Dmitry Jakovenko RUS 2718, GM Mikhail Kobalia RUS 2666, GM Sanan Sjugirov RUS 2626, GM Ding Liren CHN 2628, GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave FRA 2715, GM Zhou Jianchao CHN 2655, 5.5/9

Total of 86 participants. Time Control: 120 minutes for the first 60 moves, then additional 15 minutes play to finish. 30-second increment given after each move starting move 61

History is full of flash in the pans.

GM Vladimir Savon won first place in the 1971 USSR Chess Championship with an undefeated 15/21. Savon, though then only an International Master, finished well ahead of former world champions Mikhail Tal and Vasily Smyslov (both scoring 13.5), future world champion Anatoly Karpov (13), and a host of other strong grandmasters, including Leonid Stein (12); David Bronstein and Lev Polugaevsky (both 11.5); Mark Taimanov (11); and Efim Geller (9.5). He was never to reach such heights again.

You have heard of GM Andrei Sokolov, right? He announced himself to the chess world in 1984 by winning the USSR Championship in his first attempt. He was clearly a future world contender and represented the Soviet Union in two Olympiads: 1984 Thessaloniki and 1986 Dubai, scoring 2/3 (or 67%) of the maximum points. Qualifying for the Candidates matches in 1985, Sokolov defeated Rafael Vaganian heavily (6-2) and then came from behind to upset Artur Yusupov 7.5-6.5. In the final, however, he was completely outplayed by Anatoly Karpov 3.5-7.5.

Being the finalist, he was seeded outright into the 1988 Candidates’ matches, where he went down in a huge upset to Canada’s Kevin Spraggett. Then, abruptly, his bubble burst and he could not maintain his level of play. Sokolov has since disappeared from the top 100 players’ lists. Nowadays, when people speak of Sokolov, they are referring to Ivan Sokolov, the Bosnian/Dutch player.

There is a tried and true formula for proving that you are not a flash in the pan. Mikhail Tal won the USSR Championship in 1957 with a highly tactical and risky style. Everybody attributed the win to luck, but Tal silenced all his critics by winning the championship again in the succeeding year.

And this is where we start talking about Le Quang Liem, the Vietnamese chess genius.
The annual Aeroflot Open in Moscow has been the graveyard of many Asian pretenders. With its very deep reservoir of tough but unknown GMs who are hungry for a bit of glory they have made it difficult for any outsider to make a mark. Year after year the best Asian GMs would try their luck in the Aeroflot Open in Moscow, and they would come back home with their tale between their legs. GM Darwin Laylo had a good showing in the 2009 Khanty-Mansiysk World Cup and before coming back home decided to try his luck in Aeroflot. The result? He withdrew after seven rounds with a total score of 0 wins, one draw, six losses. There is just no rest day for you in Moscow -- every single opponent is strong.

Le Quang Liem upset the applecart by winning Aeroflot last year. And, to prove his point, he won again this year. What can I say? He has made me a believer.
GM Ken Rogoff, the famous economist, was interviewed recently in New in Chess and describes the particular strengths of chessplayers: "You can have someone who has a phenomenal memory and you make use of that, and you can have someone who has very good calculating and you can use that. You can be someone who is very good at drawing analogies. Maybe you don’t have a great memory and maybe you don’t calculate well, but you are very good at drawing analogies between different problems. It is a matter of adopting what your talents are."

Le Quang is a calculator.

Former FIDE World Champion Alexander Kahlifman, who has been working with Le Quang since Aeroflot last year, had this to say: "What a school is and what its presence or absence means is something that you can understand very well if you analyze with Asian chess players. In February and March I worked a little bit with Le Quang Liem, and I will say honestly that sometimes my eyes popped out of my head. He is also a very talented boy (maybe not a Carlsen, but definitely out of the ordinary), and he is trying very hard to grow. But at the moment all he does is calculate and calculate variations. He calculates very well, by the way. But a school is, in my opinion, what you would call a basis of positional principles, playing from general considerations and this sort of thing. It’s very hard to learn it even from good books. In order to know which pieces should go where and when to exchange what, that is when it is very important to work with a qualified trainer."

Another player, Evgeny Tomashevsky, wrote that Le Quang Liem is less governed by positional considerations than by concrete calculation: "if there’s no forced loss, then that means everything’s OK" -- the computer approach to chess, which may well be the future. For me, Liem certainly is an enigma of a chess player. I can’t explain exactly what’s behind his achieving such results, but it’s clear that the man has a crazy talent for tactics. Besides that, he’s got a great capacity for work and ability to focus."

Aside from all these pluses, I believe the most important thing is what Le Quang Liem’s own explanation is of his victory at the Russian Chess Federation website:
"There’s no magic. I simply really love chess, I study it constantly, and I try to play in every game rather than make draws. It simply went well!"

Now I will show you his victory over a former world championship candidate and a difficult man to beat: Gata Kamsky. Gata is a technical player -- once he gets the tiniest advantage he would transpose to the endgame and grind away for the win. The virtue of such a style is that even if you do not succeed then you get a draw.
Le Quang goes after Kamsky’s weakness -- the opening. He played a tricky move order which achieves the desired effect. Kamsky is confused, errs, and quickly goes under.

Le Quang Liem (2664) -- Kamsky,Gata (2730) [D11]
Aeroflot Open A Moscow RUS (4), 11.02.2011
REQUIRES JAVA




Le Quang Liem and Wesley So are in this informal competition to see who will be the next Asian to reach the 2700 plateau. I am rooting for Wesley, but right now it is looking like Le Quang is way ahead.

Reader comments/suggestions are solicited. E-mail address is bangcpa@gmail.com

IM Sevillano strong in California chess tourney

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

FILIPINO International Master Enrico “Ikong” Sevillano” flashed his old deadly form when he beat Russian Konstantin Kavutskiy in the fifth and final round to settled into a tie for 4th to 6th placers in the just ended 18th Annual Western Class Chess Championships last March 11 to 13 in Agoura Hills, Los Angeles, California.

The former Southwestern University stand-out Sevillano, who hails from Cebu City and protégée of the late sportsman/ National Master Matias “Bombi” Aznar finish 3.5 points in this the five round Swiss-System tournament.

After the tie break points was applied in the Open section, Sevillano, the former US Open champion settled over-all fourth placers in the company of fellow 3.5 pointers that includes Indian Ankit Gupta and American David Roper.

The Tehachapi, California based Sevillano celebrate his 43rd birthday yesterday." Talagang pinilit kong manalo sa last round para kahit papanu ay nasa top five over-all standing tayo. Magandang pa birthday na din sa akin ito," said Sevillano, who lost to Armenian Tatev Abrahamyan in the second round.

Paraguay GM Axel Bachman won the coveted title with 4.5 points, half point ahead over Polish IM Jacek Stopa and Armenian Tatev Abrahamyan who tote 4.0 points apiece.

7th Dr. Jose Sr. Inter-School Chess Festival results

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

Daryl Unix Samantila of Adamson University (in photo),Giovanni Mejia of La Salle Greenhills (LSGH) and Gerald Ferriol of University of Sto. Tomas shared the limelight in the just concluded 7th Dr. Jose Sr. Inter-School Chess Festival was held at the Ateneo Grade School Cafeteria over the weekend (March 19).

Samantila, playing under the tutelage of Falcons head coach Christopher Rodriguez, also a member of the RP age group team which won bronze medal in the last years ASEAN Age Group Olympics in Jakarta, Indonesia bested Romulo Curioso of Cabanatuan High School in a tie break points to bagged the grade school category championship trophy. Both finished with 5.5 points in six outings but split the combined prize of P6,000 for 1st and 2nd place.

Rhenzi Sevillano of University of San Carlos whom drew with Samantila in the final round led the group of 5 pointers that includes Haince Patrick De Leon of Marist School, Dennis Gutierrez Jr. of Stella Maris School and Julius Gonzales of Marikina Elementary School.

In the high school division, Mejia, playing under the guidance of LSGH head coach International arbiter and national master Erwin L. Carag edged Mc Dominique Lagula of Far Eastern University in the tie break points to went home the coveted crown. Mejia and Lagula, who drew their final match finished with 5.5 points each and splits the 1st and 2nd place cash prize of P6, 000.

In the college division, Ferriol ended in a 5-way tie for first with Joseph Cayanan of Trinity University of Asia, Narquingden Reyes of College of St. Benilde, Chester Brian Guerrero of Colegio de San Juan de Letran and Jerome Baretto of University of the Philippines but the former (Ferriol) take home the top trophy after the tie break.
These top 5 finishers all finished with 5 points out of a possible perfect 6 and splits the conbined prize of P11,000.

Special awards were also given to Dennis Gutierrez III (Top Grade 1 player), Angelo Alvez (Top Grade 2 Player), Vic Glysen (Top GS Girl), and Kristine Mariano (Top College Lady). Awards were also given to the Top Ateneo players with Gabriel Layugan (Top ADMU College), Ralph Manahan (Top ADMU HS), and Jett Marcos (Top ADMU GS) earning recognition in their respective categories.

Mr. Jose P. Leviste Jr. (Alumni Team Chairman of the Ateneo Chess Teams), who flew in from Italy the night before celebrated his birthday as he stood as guest awarder during the awarding ceremony.

This is the seventh installment of the bi-annual project of the Ateneo De Manila Chess Teams under the direction of Grandmaster Candidate and Ateneo Program Head for Chess Idelfonso Datu and through the support of Mr. Jose Leviste Jr. (Ateneo Chess Teams Alumni Chairman) and major sponsors Constellation Energy Corporation, Italpinas Design and Development, Grand Placement, and Pilipinas SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise), and Philippine Eagle Foundation, with the endorsement of Richard Palou, University Athletics Director of the Ateneo de Manila University. Chief Arbiter for the competition was National Arbiter Rudy Ibañez supported by arbiters Chiara Lim and Alvin Yen. This competition series is in honor of the memory of Ateneo alumnus Dr. Jose P. Leviste Sr. (HS ’33, AA ’35), the father of Jose P. Leviste Jr. (GS ‘57, HS ‘61, AB ‘65) and the grandfather of Jose D. Leviste III (AB 2001).

1st Vice-Mayor Danny De Guzman Non-Master and Kiddies Chess Tournament results

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

Roel Abelgas (in photo) and Juan Carlos Presente ruled their respective division in the just concluded 1st Vice-Mayor Danny De Guzman Non-Master and Kiddies Chess Tournament was held at the Hulo Bliss Basketball Court, Mandaluyong City on Sunday.

“Ang Chess ay isa rin mahalagang sports na kinakailangan ipromote natin hindi lamang sa Mandaluyong kundi sa ibat ibang lugar sa Pilipinas katulad din ng ginagawa sa Basketball” said Vice Mayor de Guzman who led the opening rites.

Abelgas, head coach of De La Salle Health Sciences Institute edged Narciso Gumila of Manila and Gary Garcia of Mandaluyong in the last two round to bring home the championship trohpy and the P7,000 cash prize in the non-masters open division which attracted 81 woodpushers.

Abelgas finished undefeated with 6.5 points in seven outings. His only draw against Efren Arguelles in the fourth round of this one-day event backed up by Vice-Mayor Danny De Guzman and organized by Hulo Bliss Community Association (HBCA) led by Tournament Director Frandy Yu and event director HBCA Adviser Vidal Lucas and supervised by National Association of Philippine Chess Arbiters (NAPCA) spearheaded by national arbiter Boyet Tardecilla.

Edsel Montoya of Bacolod and Ritchie Evangelista of Bolinao placed second and third, respectively with 6 points apiece. The duo pocketed P3,500 each.
Presente , meantime the pride of Caloocan City stamped his class in the kiddies group with 4.5 points for P800 top prize.

Francelouis Changco of Tondo, Manila, Francis Roi Parro of Bangkal Elementary School, ranked second and third with 4 points each for P400.

GM Julio Catalino Sadorra

What a soothing Monday morning! I opened my inbox and read the letter of Sir Chalito Sadorra, the father of the newly minted Filipino grandmaster - GM Julio Catalino Sadorra.

If I were Sir Bing, I'd probably celebrate this magnificent feat of his prized son with prayers and tears of joy.

I don't know, but I strongly feel that Sir Bing has sacrificed a lot, endured and persevered for long years,provided all the support for his son, and did all of it the Christian way.

I am one of those who warmly follow the chess career of Ino, one of those who strongly believed that this young Filipino talent would finally make it big.

What I like best in the success story of GM Sadorra is the father-and-son tandem, centered on God, manifested in their effective strategy and tactics in marrying chess, education, and family.

GM Ino's is a kind of story worth retelling and retelling in celebrating an inspiring Christian Filipino family.

It's the kind of story that makes me smile and feel good as I do blog, the kind of story that can inspire me to continue to blog, hoping that it could inspire others to go for their dreams, too.

Congratulations, Sir Bing, GM Ino, and your family.

Let me share with you the letter of Sir Bing:

Dear Rusticbull,

We are happy to inform you and our kababayans that our son Julio C. Sadorra finally obtained his 3rd and final GM norm in the ongoing UT Dallas Grandmaster Invitational underwritten by Turner Construction Company, a (12 round) double round robin Scheveningen System tournament sanctioned by the United States Chess Federation and a FIDE rated, held in Dallas, Texas, USA.

He obtained the required GM norm at the 10th round.

Please view the ongoing tournament at the Monroi http://monroi.com/watch/?tnm_id=1485

and the UTD chess site at http://www.utdallas.edu/chess/springgm/springgm-2011-results.html

http://www.utdallas.edu/chess/springgm/springgm-2011-images.htmltp://www.utdallas.edu/chess/springgm/

Again, we would like to thank all our kababayans in the Filipino Diaspora who have been cheering, encouraging, hoping, declaring and praying for Julio’s GM title.

Chalito (Bing), Luisa, Julio(Ino) and family

GM John Paul Gomez vs IM Chito Garma

Here is the crucial Round 8 game between GM John Paul Gomez and IM Chito Garma in the highly participated Cebu Charter Chess Open that was held in Cebu last February 26 to 28. GM Gomez beat IM Garma in this match, and then settled for a 19-mover draw against GM-elect Ronald Dableo in Round 9 to score 8.0 points to tie for first to second place with GM Wesley So. GM Gomez edged GM So with a higher TB point to win the championship title. Related story HERE.

Thanks to NM Glenn Bordonada for the PGN.

GM John Paul Gomez vs IM Chito Garma
Cebu Charter Chess Open
February 26-28
REQUIRES JAVA

Pinoy roundup

BY: BOBBY ANG

(As published in Chess Piece, BusinessWorld, 14 March 2011)

1st HDBank Cup 2011
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
January 2-9, 2011

Final Top Standings
1-2. GM Yu Yangyi CHN 2607, GM Wen Yang CHN 2509, 7.0/9
3-7. GM John Paul Gomez PHI 2527, GM Le Quang Liem VIE 2664, GM Nguyen Ngoc Truongson VIE 2628, GM Zhou Weiqi CHN 2573, Xiu Deshun CHN 2508, 6.5/9
8-11. IM Oliver Barbosa PHI 2461, Lu Shanglei CHN 2416, GM Roland Salvador PHI 2533, IM Lou Yiping CHN 2429, 6.0/9

Total of 65 participants
Time control: 90 minutes for the whole game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one.

GM John Paul Gomez got off to the great start with five straight victories, including one against top seed Le Quang Liem, but then lost steam and finished with three draws and a last-round loss to Nguyen Ngoc Truongson. The sputtering finish slid him down to third place. First and second place was a tie between two Chinese GMs: Yu Yangyi and Wen Yang.

Gomez, John Paul (2527) -- Le Quang, Liem (2664) [E14]
1st HDBank Cup Ho Chi Minh City VIE (5.1), 06.01.2011
REQUIRES JAVA




The Philippines’ newest international grandmaster, Roland Salvador, had been living in Italy for many years but came home last December to savor his new title. He was immediately bundled off by Prospero Pichay (president of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines) to Vietnam where his mettle was tested.

Tenth place for Roland might have been a bit of a disappointment but he was fighting in every round and came up with a few nice games, of which this is my favorite.

Salvador, Roland (2533) -- Tu Hoang Thong (2452) [D29]
1st HDBank Cup Ho Chi Minh City VIE (9.6), 09.01.2011
REQUIRES JAVA




The 3rd Metropolitan FIDE Invitational which was run by Metropolitan Chess concluded two weeks ago. It was organized by Ankit Gupta and directed by Michael Belcher and Randy Hough.

FM Philip Xiao Wang and FM Joel Banawa (in photo) both achieved their first IM norms with 6.5 out of 9.0. It is coincidental to note that these two tied for first at the closed Southern California State Championship last year, before again tying for 2nd at this norm tournament and both achieving their IM norms. IM Jacek Stopa took clear first with 7.0 out of 9.0.

3rd Metro Chess FIDE Invitational
Los Angeles, USA
February 23-27, 2011

Final Standings
1. IM Jacek Stopa POL 2451, 7.0/9
2-3. FM Philip Xiao Wang USA 2317, FM Joel Banawa PHI 2340, 6.5/9
4-5. FM Alexandre Kretchetov RUS 2340, CM Giovanni Carreto Nieto MEX 5220, 5.0/9
6-7. IM Zhaniek Amanov KAZ 2401, FM Michael Casella USA 2249, 4.0/9
8. Kayden Troff USA 2247, 3.0/9
9. IM Timothy Taylor USA 2314, 2.5/9
10. Kostya Kavutskiy USA 2170, 1.5/9
Joel "Cholo" Banawa’s best win was against one of the IM Timothy Taylor, a well-known and very active chess player in Southern California, as well as being a book author.

Taylor, Timothy (2314) -- Banawa, Joel (2347) [A68]
3rd Metro Chess FIDE Invitational Los Angeles (6), 26.02.2011
REQUIRES JAVA



Reader comments/suggestions are solicited. E-mail address is bangcpa@gmail.com

3rd Issue of Sulong News Sports Balita

Please click HERE for the full issue.

Senior Edmundo Legaspi

We would like to greet greet NM Atty.Edmundo Legaspi, a member of the NCFP Board of Directors, on his 60th birthday today (March 17).

Celebrations will be held at his new home in Roosevelt San Pablo Homes Subdivision-Dinalupihan, Bataan. There will be a cycling tournament in the morning to be followed by a round robin chess tournament in the afternoon at 2pm for Olongapo chesplayers and friends.

Happy birthday!!

VICE-MAYOR DE GUZMAN NON-MASTER AND KIDDIES CHESS TOURNEY

(NOTE: Simply click on the map for enlarged view.)

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

Everything is set to unfold the 1st Vice-Mayor Danny De Guzman Non-Master and Kiddies Chess Tournament which will be held on March 20, 2011 10:00am at Hulo Bliss, Mandaluyong. The event is organized by Hulo Bliss Community Association led by Tournament Director Frandy Yu and sponsored by sports benefactor Vice-Mayor Danny De Guzman of Mandaluyong City.

In the non-master category, some of the players who are confirming their participation are; Django Rabino, Bernie Buitizon, Rowenson Fabregas of Makati City and Michael Gomez of Manila while in the kiddies category are Jan Cedric Gutierrez of Bulacan, Francelouis Changco from Manila, Francis Roi Parro, Francois Magpily, Jester Sistoza and Lawrence Magura.

The prizes for non-master are: Champion- P 4,000, 2nd Place - P 2,500, 3rd Place – P 1,500, 4th Place – P 600, 5th Place – P 600, 6th Place – P 600, 7th Place – P 600, 8th Place – P 300, 9th Place – P 300, 10th Place – P 300. Kiddies prizes will give Cash and Trophies. Kiddies eligible to join are open to chess players with ages 12 years old and below.

The tournament format will adapt the Seven (7) Rounds Swiss System with time allotment of twenty five (25) minutes per player to finish the game.

For those interested to participate may call or text Frandy Yu at 0928-958-6826. Entry Fees will be;

Mandaluyong Non- Resident P 200, Resident P 150, Kiddies P 100 and for Hulo Bliss Resident is free of participation.

CHESS ARBITRATION SEMINAR

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO

A two-day Chess Arbitration Seminar will be held on March 19 & 20, 2011 at the Ramon Magsaysay (Cubao) High School, Cubao, Quezon City. Organized by the Ramon Magsaysay Alumni Chess Club, Inc. in cooperation with the Chess Arbiters Association of the Phils. (CAAP) , invites all teachers, coaches, trainers, amateurs, professionals and individuals who want to learn the basic skills of officiating and arbitration in chess.

Well-known International Arbiters composed of IA Gene Poliarco, IA Erwin Carag and other notable National Arbiters are the primary lecturers and facilitators of this seminar which will tackle Arbitration, Coaching, Organizing and rules of the Chess 960 (Fischer Random Chess).

Registration fee is P1,500 inclusive of FIDE Laws manuals, material handouts certificates and snacks. Seminar proper will start at 8:00 am and limited only for 20 participants.

For details, please contact the: Milo Samaniego at 0920-2063544 or 713-6811. Marlon Bernardino

GM Wesley plays White against the Berlin (ANNOTATED)

Annotation courtesy of Iskubadayb, Barangay Wesley's resident analyst over chessgames.com.

GM Wesley So vs Rodrigo Atotubo
Cebu Open Chess Championship
2011.02.27
REQUIRES JAVA