Torre book

BY: BOBBY ANG

(As published in Chess Piece, BusinessWorld, 09 December 2010)

Eugene Torre played well in the just-concluded 2010 Asian Games and he deserves great credit for the silver medal finish of the Philippine team there. He had four wins (Dhamir, IM Khamrakulov, GMs Adhiban and Gopal) three draws and a loss. Consider this an emphatic statement that his career is not yet over.

This might be a good opportunity to address the many e-mail I have received on what ever happened to the book I was writing on GM Eugene Torre’s chess career. Well, here is the answer.

Around three years ago I sat down with Eugene and Meralco’s Raul Sol Cruz to write a chess biography that would make Eugene proud, but right in the middle of our work the publisher just withdrew without a word, leaving me with a manuscript that was around half done. Completely disgusted with seeing all that work going to waste I just shelved the project.

It was really a great pity, for it contained some of the best work I had ever done. A few days ago I saw in chessgames.com something written about NM Ed Bernal, a name that many of us had already forgotten, and this inspired me to reveal the contribution he made to GM Torre’s career.

Way back in 1983 Eugene played a candidates’ match in Alicante versus GM Zoltan Ribli of Hungary -- if he wins this he would be two matches away from the world championship. Eugene lost two games at the start and this is the 7th game. I will now quote from the Torre manuscript, which is written in the first person by Eugene:

I was quite happy for having been matched against Ribli. We are the same age and played each other twice before -- he defeated me in the 1971 Athens World Juniors, where I placed fourth to his second, while I had my revenge in the 1976 Manila Interzonal. As White he usually plays solid, positional chess. He tries to build a strong pawn structure and strives to make something out of the smallest of advantages. Makunat, in local chess lingo.

As Black Ribli is a completely different player. Against 1.e4 he invites tactical play and likes the Najdorf Sicilian. Against 1.d4 he plays solid defense and likes maneuvering.

As for my preparation before the match, Don Pablo Carlos of Toyota was one of the few who made good on his promise to help -- he put his house in Baguio at my disposal for training. Still, I had to personally shell out for my seconds and food and meals: International Masters Ricky de Guzman, Rico Mascarinas, and National Master Ed Bernal.

Rico Mascarinas and Ricky de Guzman were two of my close buddies. There were some quarters who criticized the choice of Bernal since he was not internationally titled, but Ed was actually very helpful. He was highly organized and had a great aptitude for hard work. There were no computers yet back then and the fruits of our preparation had to be written out in index cards and constantly updated. This he accomplished with flying colors.

One week before departure we still had no tickets. Thankfully, at the last moment, the Philippine Chess Federation, through its President Justice Federico Moreno, managed to get plane tickets for myself, Marilin and IM Rico Mascarinas. Sadly we had to make do without GM Miguel Quinteros of Argentina as our chief Second, since there was just not enough money. I wanted Miguel in because he is one of my trusted GM friends and more importantly he helped me during my crucial adjourned game vs Lajos Portisch in Toluca.

Around the time of game 7 the cigarette company La Suerte came through with some financial help which enabled NM Ed Bernal to buy plane tickets to make his way to Alicante to help me out. His arrival buoyed up my morale, as I felt that finally the people back home were coming through for me, and I swore a silent resolution myself to really make a go of it.

Torre, Eugenio (2580) -- Ribli, Zoltan (2595)
[B42] Candidates qf4 Alicante (7), 1983
REQUIRES JAVA





A nice comeback! From a hopeless position Eugene was now only one down with three games to go. Sadly, he fell again in round 10 and lost the match.

1ST PACE-NCA CHESS ARBITERS' SEMINAR

BY: ALBERTO DACALLOS

The Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence (PACE) by GM Jayson Gonzales in a joint project with the National Chess Academy (NCA) headed by Bro. Rolando Dizon is inviting chess players who wants to become a Chess Arbiter to participate in the 1st PACE-NCA CHESS ARBITERS' SEMINAR on December 18-19, 2010 at 2nd Floor PACE HQ, 56 Mindanao Avenue, Project 6, Quezon City.

Early confirmed participants are Daniel Aquino of Las Pinas, Mary Ann Villegas and Egmidio Tan of Laguna, Albert Dacallos of Manuel A. Roxas High School, Manila, Florendo Zamora and Benjor Benjamin of Dumaguete City, and Angelo Subida.

The invitation is open to representatives of Sports Department in LGU’s Cities and Municipalities, Chess Clubs, Schools and any Organization.

The relevance of participation is in accordance with the recent FIDE Laws of Chess that will be interpreted by the local speakers during the seminar. The seminar is in support to the chess development of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) under the leadership of Chairman/President Prospero “Butch” Pichay, Jr. .

The seminar facilitators are International Arbiter Gene Poliarco and FIDE Arbiter / Instructor Lawyer Rommel Tacorda. The activity is to determine qualified Arbiters ready to officiate in CHESS activities nationwide

Registration fee is P 2,500.00 only inclusive of meal, materials (with Pairing Program), Seminar Uniform and the Certificates. Payment of registration is thru Metro Bank V.Luna –East Branch, PACE Account number 3232169231.

For registration and details please contact Ms. Gina Kobayashi at 473-7008, 0916-6169586. For more information about us please visit our website, http://www.rpchessacademy.org/

9th g4 Anniversary Semi-Standard chess tourney

(BY: GLENN GARCIA)

g4 Chess Club of Olongapo City
9th Anniversary Semi-Standard Time Control Chess Tournament
December. 28-29, 2010

SPONSORED by : Friends of g4 Chess Clubs!!!

(2 days Event Time Control: 60 mins each, play to finish. Tournament
Format : 7 round swiss system / Starting Time: 11 A.M.

Venue: g4 Chess Club (behind Old Aura College 14th. St. East Tapinac,
Olongapo City)

The Tournament is OPEN to all Master, Non-Master and Unrated Players with NCFP Standard Rating of 2100 below as of November 01, 2010.

This tournament will offer the following prizes:

Champion - P 4000 + Shoes + Medal
2nd - P 2000 + Shoes + Medal
3rd - P 1000 + Shoes + Medal
4th - P500
5th - P300

Category Winners:

Top Local Player - P 2000 + Shoes
Top College - P 500
Top High School- P 500
Top Senior - P 500
Top Women - P 500
Top Elementary
(Boys) - P 250 + Medal
(Girls) - P 250 + Medal

“ EXTRA, EXTRA !!! “

There will be a RAFFLE DRAW to the LUCKY participants who will join the RAPID tournament two (2) pair of shoes, CHESS SETS and Chess Clock awaiting to the lucky winners !!!

Registration Fee:

Adult - P 300 (Non-Olongapo players)
Adult Players - P 200 (for Olongapo players)

College Student
- P 120(for Olongapo players) / P 250 Non-Olongapo
High School Student - P 100(for Olongapo players) /P 200

Non-Olongapo
Elementary Student - P 50(for Olongapo players) / P 100 Non- Olongapo

NOTE : STUDENT ENTRY MUST SHOW AND BRING THEIR SCHOOL ID.
For more details please contact the following:

Local: (047) 222-8503 / mobile: 0922-715-7913 /0915-288-0084
Email Address : cristinejoy_pineda@yahoo.com / joelp7_2000@yahoo.com /
z906271@gmail.com

IM Dimakiling rules 2010 Penang Heritage City International Open

Congratulations to IM Oliver Dimakiling (in photo) for topping the 2010 Penang Heritage City International Open Chess Tournament which took place in Dewan Sri Pinang, Penang, Malaysia from December 8 to 12.

Dimakiling finished the event with 7.5 points - the same output shared by compatriot IM Oliver Barbosa - but emerged the overall winner with higher tie-break points.

The 1-2 punch finish by Dimakiling and Barbosa showed the dominance of Filipinos in this event.

Notably, of the 11 Pinoy participants, seven landed in the Top 10 in the final rankings.

My young friend 12-year old NM Paulo Bersamina scored 4.5 points after halving the point with 10th placer fellow Pinoy FM Julius de Ramos and beating two Malaysians, a Singaporean, and an Indonesian.

This international event was a 71-player field, with only 11 titled players (1 GM, 5 IMs, 3 FMs, 1 WFM, and 1 WCM) from nine countries.

Top 10 finishers:

Rk.		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	IM	Dimakiling Oliver	PHI	2414	7,5	54,5	44,25	41,0
2	IM	Barbosa Oliver	PHI	2451	7,5	53,5	44,25	38,0
3	GM	Murshed Niaz	BAN	2429	7,0	51,0	37,75	33,5
4	IM	Ranola Yves	PHI	2371	6,5	55,0	38,00	37,0
5	IM	Chiong Zacarias Romero Luis	PHI	2358	6,5	50,0	33,25	34,5
6	IM	Mas Hafizulhelmi	MAS	2423	6,0	51,0	31,50	32,0
7	FM	Pascua Haridas	PHI	2362	6,0	50,5	31,00	33,5
8		Tan Khai Boon	MAS	2126	6,0	49,5	32,00	31,0
9		Olay Edgar Reggie	PHI	2345	6,0	49,5	30,75	30,5
10	FM	De Ramos Julius	PHI	2362	6,0	49,5	30,25	32,5

Women's chess

Just some of the beautiful faces that make the venue of the 2010 Women's World Chess Championship like heaven. Indeed, chess makes men happy.




How I wish to see a Philippine flag beside a Filipina who is banging it out against the likes of GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, GM Koneru Humpy, GM Hou Yifan, and GM Antoaneta Stefanova - some of the topseeds of the 2010 Women's World Chess Championship that is now taking place in Hatay, Turkey from December 2 to Christmas Day.

The reality, however, is that we could not even afford to send women representatives to the just concluded 2010 Asian Games in China.

Are we lacking in female talents? I don't think so.

The reason for not sending the Philippine women's chess team, as I got from the papers, was that it had a slim chance of bagging a medal in the face of competition against China, Vietnam and Indonesia.

What a disappointment! The country's national chess officials had the guts to publicly announce, in essence, that the Philippine women's chess team is inferior to its counterparts from neighbors Vietnam and Indonesia.

The reason for the pull out was anchored on the reported directive from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to all national sports associations (NSAs) not to send athletes with slim chances of bagging a medal.

Was the directive good? Perhaps, at the onset, yes. Give the goodies only to the good - just perfectly just and fine. Reap what you sow.

However, if we are going to closely look at the realities of it, the directive was not really that ideal.

The directive favors only the NSAs that have a comprehensive and effective skills development program for their athletes. Meaning, the athletes are always at the receiving end, just thriving at the mercy of the performance of their respective NSAs.

It's good if you're an athlete and you have an effective NSA. But what if you are in a sinking one?

With the National Chess Federation of the Philippines' clueless and cloudy skills development program (is there any in the first place?) for our chess heroines, the wish to see Philippine flag in the future women's world chess championships would stay just like that - a wish.

Asian Games

(RUSTICBULL's NOTE: I really enjoyed these annotations by Sir Bobby. Watch the two annotated games below and find out why.)

BY: BOBBY ANG

(As published in Chess Piece, BusinessWorld, 06 December 2010)

16th Asian Games Team Championship Guangzhou (Canton), China November 18-26, 2010

Preliminary Round
1. China +7 =0 -0, 14 pts
2. Philippines +6 =0 -1, 12 pts
3. India +4 =1 -2, 9 pts
4. Iran +3 =2 -2, 8 pts
Total of 17 countries

Semi-Finals:
China vs Iran, 2.5-1.5 Philippines vs India, 2.5-1.5

Finals:
China vs Philippines, 3.5-0.5 India vs Iran, 3.5-0.5

Final Standings:
Gold medal: China
Silver medal: Philippines
Bronze medal: India

The most spectacular game from the event was won by India’s Harikrishna against Wesley So.

Harikrishna,Penteala (2657) -- So,Wesley (2669)
[D76] 16th Asian Games Team Final Men
Guangzhou CHN (1), 25.11.2010
REQUIRES JAVA




Vietnam’s Le Quang Liem is the next Asian who is knocking on the door of the stratospheric ELO 2700 barrier. He won the super-strong 2010 Aeroflot Open and performed quite creditably in Dortmund, 2nd place to Ponomariov but ahead of Kramnik, Mamedyarov, Naiditsch and Leko. He will probably never come back to Guangzhou, though, as this was one of his worst performances. He did not win a single game, drew one (vs GM Ghaem Maghami) and lost four (GMs Kasimdzhanov, Wang Yue, Kazhgaleyev and, surprisingly, the untitled Algis Shukuraliev of Kyzgyzstan, all of 2376).

In the following game China’s Wang Yue, one of the most boring players around, suddenly gets inspired and attacks him like crazy.

Wang Yue (2756) -- Le Quang Liem (2689)
[A15] 16th Asian Games Team Men
Guangzhou CHN (3), 20.11.2010
REQUIRES JAVA




Black resigns as there is no perpetual after 37...Qh5+ 38.Bh4.
Wang Yue only won this one game in the tournament, drawing five games and losing none. After this nice victory he probably felt, to borrow a term from blackjack, that he is already "good."

Good news

So many good things happening around lately, things that involved us Filipinos and even our own personal lives. Ah, good news makes us feel good. The power of positive words simply exults the human spirit.

It's indeed an adrenaline rush watching "The Filipino Flash" Nonito Donaire knocking out his opponent over the weekend. What an awesome knockout! I just love watching Donaire strutting his power, gracefulness and balance inside the ring.

It's also nice to know that the Filipino team beat the Vietnamese team, which I heard was the defending champion, in a sports that's not so much of a Filipino culture - soccer! It's always an interesting story to have a heavy underdog beating a heavy favorite, most especially in a sports not so common to us Pinoys and when the battle was fought right at the defending champion's home.

On top of it all, my own good news. At last after long years of hardwork and pain, I defended yesterday my thesis proposal for my master's degree - and passed! Ahhh, rain of good news!

May more good news knock on your door, too. And when it happens, just let them come in.

Knock, knock . . .

Youngest Pinoy NM joins Penang Heritage City International Chess Open

The country's youngest ever national junior champion and youngest reigning National Master, 12-year old NM Paulo Bersamina flew today (Monday) for Malaysia to compete in the Penang Heritage City International Open Chess Tournament which will take place in Dewan Sri Pinang, Penang, Malaysia from December 8 to 12.

Bersamina, the pride of Pasay City, will be joined in by fellow Pinoy players in the Open Section. Here's the list of Pinoy players for this tournament (maybe incomplete, not sure with their titles, too):

NM Paulo Bersamina
IM Oliver Barbosa
IM Oliver Dimakiling
IM Richard Bitoon
IM Yves V.Rañola
FM Haridas Pascua
FM Julius Joseph de Ramos
FM Christopher Castellano
Edgar Reggie Olay
Nelson Mariano III
Jose Aquino, Jr.

Format of the tournament will be a 9-round Swiss using classical chess time of 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment.

May our players rule this event. I especially pray that Pau, the son of my close friend Lilet, win an IM norm. GO PHILIPPINES! Related links: PenangChess and ChessEuhong

2nd best

(RUSTICBULL'S NOTE: Sir Bobby made a very interesting point at the end of this column. Enjoy reading!)

BY: BOBBY ANG

(As published in Chess Piece, BusinessWorld, 02 December 2010)

I know that I promised to show you some outstanding games from the 2010 Tal Memorial, but this news is just too juicy to postpone. The Philippines got the silver medal in the Asian Games Chess Team Championship. We were second place in the preliminaries:

16th Asian Games Team Championship
Nov. 18-26, 2010

Preliminary Round
Legend: +win =draw -loss

Match Points (2pts for win, 1pt for draw)
1. China +7 =0 -0, 14 points
2. Philippines +6 =0 -1, 12 points
3. India +4 =1 -2, 9 points
4. Iran +3 =2 -2, 8 points
5. Qatar +4 =0 -3, 8 points
6. Vietnam +3 =2 -2, 8 points
7. Uzbekistan +3 =2 -2, 8 points
8. Kyrgyzstan +3 =1 -3, 7 points
9. Iraq +3 =1 -3, 7 points
10. Bangladesh +3 =0 -4, 6 points
11. Kazakhstan +2 =2 -3, 6 points
12. Mongolia +2 =2 -3, 6 points
Total of 17 countries

Time control: 90 minutes for whole game with 30 second increment added every move starting move 1

The Philippine team was only seeded 6th, but surprisingly beat everybody except China. Here is what happened:
rd01 defeated Iraq 3.0-1.0
rd02 lost to China 1.0-3.0
rd03 bounced back to beat Bangladesh 3.0-1.0
rd04 upset no. 3 seed Kazakhstan 2.5-1.5 (3 draws and John Paul Gomez beat GM Rinat Jumabayev)
rd05 another upset, this time against no. 2 seed India 2.5-1.5 (John Paul lost to Surya Shekhar Ganguly but Wesley So and Eugene Torre defeated GMs Harikrishna and Adhiban, respectively)
rd06 The third successive upset, the Philippines dealt the 5th seed Uzbekistan, led by former FIDE World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov, a heavy blow 3.5-0.5 (Joey Antonio, John Paul Gomez and Eugene Torre defeated their counterparts GM Anton Filippov, GM Alexei Barsov, and IM Dzhubarek Khamrakulov)
rd07 the Phiippines only needed a draw against Kyrgyzstan, but defeated them anyway 2.5-1.5

According to the rules of the event, there were to be semifinals, where team no. 1 is matched against team no. 4, while teams 2 and 3 faced off against each other. The two winners will then play off for the gold medals.

Semifinals:
China vs Iran, 2.5-1.5
Philippines vs India, 2.5-1.5
(Wesley So blundered and lost to Harikrishna, but GM Joey and Eugene defeated GMs Sasikiran and Gopal)

Finals:
China vs Philippines, 3.5-0.5
India vs Iran, 3.5-0.5

Final Standings:
Gold medal China
Silver medal Philippines
Bronze medal India

This is a great result for the Philippines, after a long drought and a succession of bad results. Our heroes are:
bd 01 GM Wesley So +3 =4 -1, 5.0/8
bd 02 GM Rogelio Antonio, Jr +3 =4 -0, 5.0/7
bd 03 GM John Paul Gomez +3 =3 -3, 4.5/9
bd 04 GM Darwin Laylo +1 =0 -3, 1.0/4
bd 05 GM Eugene Torre +4 =3 -1, 5.5/8

The usual rule when writing about a tournament is to feature one or two games by the winners, but I am too excited to care about this right now, and offer you this quick victory by Wesley So.

Murshed, Niaz (2429) -- So, Wesley (2669) [D00]
16th Asian Games Team Men Guangzhou CHN (3), 20.11.2010
REQUIRES JAVA




After 29.Qxb2 Rxc5 30.Rac1 Rxc3 31.Rxc3 b4 White loses a whole piece. GM Eugene Torre is 60 years old, and GM Joey Antonio is 48. The Philippines’ ageing frontline is not getting any younger. It is starting to look like our new generation is not yet ready to take over.

2010 National Inter-Cities and Municipalities Rapid Chess Team Championship

DATE: December 18 to 19
VENUE: People’s Astrodome, Dagupan City
ORGANIZERS: National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP)and the Dagupan City government

PRIZES:

Champion - P70,000 plus trophy
2nd - P50,000
3rd - P30,000
4th - P25,000
5th - P20,000
6th - P10,000
7th - P8,000
8th - P7,000
9th - P6,000
10th - P5,000
Individual board gold medalist - P2,000 each

A team must have an average rating of 2050, with only one titled player (GM, IM, FM and NM) allowed. Players rated 1800 and below will be computed for 1800 for rating purposes.

Registration fee is P3,500 per team. Local government units may enter a maximum of three teams.

For inquiries, call NCFP secretariat at tel. 02-3817224 or call or text Abalos at cell 0929-2266210 or Ilann Perez at cell 0905-3269576 or Ms. Ana Mendoza of Dagupan City Mayor’s Office at cell 0923-5127886 or 0939-3617282.

Pinoy Chess Tactics No.5

This is one of the highly explosive French Defense encounters I have ever seen, and it happened to be between two gallant Filipino chess stars. In this game, then 14-year old GM Wesley So bowed to a little older opponent and now his chess buddy GM John Paul Gomez. As I said, this is a volatile, razor-sharp battle especially in the endgame. I invite you to watch the whole game, and be thrilled till the last ply!

SOLVE THIS CHESS QUIZ. Analyze the position first and guess for the move before clicking the single-move play 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 White's 31.Rg1

Giovanni Mejia

Giovanni Mejia (in photo) of the College of St. Benilde-La Salle Greenhills (CSB-LSGH) scored 15/16 in the 2010 NCAA Chess Juniors to bag the league's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Aside from winning the MVP honor, this kid also won the Gold Medal for Board 2. If I remember it right (as 2010 NCAA Chess Juniors Coach of the Year IA/NM Erwin Carag relayed to me), Gio had to beat his Ate Cherry Anne for their school's championship title, probably one of the dramatic scenes that highlighted the tournament.

Let's watch his complete games in the 2010 NCAA (Juniors) chess war and see for ourselves how he won the MVP award:

REQUIRES JAVA (PGNs courtesy of Sir Bobby Ang)

8th ART A. BORJAL RAPID CHESS TOURNAMENT

BY: ALEXANDER DINOY

8th ART A. BORJAL RAPID CHESS TOURNAMENT
Ramon Magsaysay Cubao High School
December 19, 2010

TOURNAMENT GUIDELINES

I. The tournament is open to all non-titled chess players 16 years of age and below (born not earlier than 1994)

Female titled players may join the tournament.

Players should bring proof of age (e.g. birth cert, passport or school ID)

II. The tournament format shall be a straight Seven round Swiss system

III. The time control shall be a 25 minutes for each player

IV. Tournament Prizes and Awards:

Champion Php 4,000.00 plus medal
2nd place Php 3,000.00 plus medal
3rd place Php 2,000.00 plus medal
4th place Php 1,000.00
5th-10th place Php 500.00 each

Categories:
Top Under_ 12 (1st place) Php500.00
Top Under_12 (2nd place) Php300.00
Top Under_ 14 (1st place) Php700.00
Top Under_ 14 (2nd place) Php300.00
Top Female Overall Php 500.00
Top Under_ 12 Female Php 300.00
Top Under_ 14 Female Php 300.00

NOTE: NO POOLING OF PRIZES

Registration on site: 8:00 a.m. to 11:00a.m.
Registration Fee: Php 200.00

For more info, please contact Mr. Alex Dinoy @
SMART # 0921 8306902 ● SUN # 0922 8288510

FM Joel Pimentel, Jr.

Let's meet the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 2010 NCAA Chess Seniors - FM Joel Pimentel, Jr. of DLS-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB). Winning the Gold Medal for Board 1, this lad finished the tournament unbeaten after essaying a 13.5/15 performance! I found out that this gem, who hails from Bacolod City, is now residing in Pasay City. I hope he drop by the Malibay Chess Club and become a member of our club. (Photo sourced from Joel Pimentel's Facebook account)

Let's watch his complete games in the 2010 NCAA chess war and see for ourselves how he won the MVP award:

REQUIRES JAVA (PGNs courtesy of Sir Bobby Ang)

NCAA chess war (2)

BY: BOBBY ANG

(An abridged version as published in Chess Piece, BusinessWorld, 25 November 2010)

2010 NCAA Chess Team Championships (Juniors)
Final Standings

1. College of Saint Benilde-LSGH (CSB-LSGH), 50/64. bd01 Jan Nigel Galan 10.5/12, bd02 Giovanni Mejia 15/16, bd03 Alfonso Baldomero Ramos 8/13, bd04 Migueal Lahoz 10/14, bd05 Alexander Jude Mendonez 2.5/4, bd06 Angelo Ezekiel Nuestro 4/5

2. Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL), 50.5/64. bd01 Cherry Ann Mejia 12/16, bd02 Mikee Charlene Suede 12.5/15, bd03 Christian Dave Cabida 11.5/16, bd04 Christian Ray Drapete 9.5/12, bd05 Mary Joyce Fuerte 4/4, bd06 Ivan Czar Marquez 1/1

3. San Sebastian College-Recoletos (SSC-R), 48/64. bd01 Aldous roy Coronel 11.5/13, bd02 Kristian Paulo Cristobal 10.5/15, bd03 Anfernee Bonifacio 8.5/12, bd04 Ralph Jordan Floro 8/10, bd05 Eugene Samonte 1.5/4, bd06 Homel Aristotle Cunanan 8/10

4. Arellano University (AU), 47/64. bd01 Earvin John Reyes 2.5/8, bd02 Kyz Llantada 8.5/16, bd03 Carlo Caranyagan 14/16, bd04 Jaymarc Gutierrez 15/16, bd05 Tucker Howard Elsteine Viernes 7/8

5. Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC), 33/64. bd01 Drexter Saquilayan 11/15, bd02 Clinto Paulo Verano 9.5/16, bd03 Kim Patrick Falagne 4.5/14, bd04 Jeune Keith Mabanag 6.5/13, bd05 Josue Rameses Puno 0/2, bd06 Francis Benedict Galpo 1.5/4

6. University of Perpetual Help System Dalta (UPHS-D), 28.5/64. bd01 Paulink Barba 5/15, bd02 Marc Angelo Manero 5.5/16, bd03 Tristan Wayne Dandan 12/16, bd04 Darell John Dado 6/15, bd05 Anthony James Benedicto 0/2

7. San Beda College (SBC), 13.5/64. bd01 Mark Lester Monteclaro 3/16, bd02 John Emil Salazar 5.5/14, Aron Nathaniel Bernardez .5/14, bd04 Kenneth Byron Gutierrez 4/13, bd05 Nicolai Paul Quinquini

8. Jose Rizal University (JRU), 12/64. bd01 Ferdinand Mapili 1.5/9, bd02 Kenneth Christian Valerio 1.5/14. bd03 Jaynel Pasia 1/11, bd 04 Keith Cerwin Castalone, bd05 Jefferson Torres 4/14

9. Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT), 5.5/64. Nathaniel Marco de Leon 1/11, bd02 Kenny Jade Estores .5/15,bd03 Stephen Elijah Pasol 1.5/10, bd04 Laineer Aiden Dimaapi 2/15, bd05 Kyla Dawn Mina .5/7, bd06 Mary Lara Shane Gaspar

Gold Medals:
board 1 Aldous Roy Coronel SSC-R 11.5/13
board 2 Giovanni Mejia CSB-LSGH 15/16
board 3 Carlo Caranyagan AU 14/16
board 4 Jaymarc Gutierrez AU 15/16
board 5 Tucker Howard Elsteine Viernes AU 7/8
board 6 Homel Aristotle Cunanan SSC-R 8/10
MVP: Giovanni Mejia CSB-LSGH
COACH OF THE YEAR: NM Erwin Carag CSB-LSGH

The College of St. Benilde-La Salle Greenhills (CSB-LSGH) won the 2010 NCAA Junior Championship. Their 1-2-3 punch were Jan Nigel Galan (10.5/12), Jose Baldomero Ramos (8/13) and Giovanni Mejia (15/16). The first two are among the top Under-16 year olds in the ASEAN region, as evidenced by the 2010 ASEAN Age Group Championship held recently in Subic, while Mejia was last year’s grade school champion of the Student Olympics.

Ramos had a rough start with three straight losses, but when it counted most delivered the precious points in the second round and play-offs. Here is the decisive encounter in the money round when the first and second round winners faced off to determine the NCAA Junior Champion.

Ramos, Alfonso Baldomero R -- Suede, Mikee Charlene M [C02]
2010 NCAA Chess Juniors Playoff SM City Manila (1), 24.08.2010
REQUIRES JAVA




This loss on board 2 meant that the Letran top board, Cherry Mejia had to beat CSB-LSGH’s Giovanni Mejia for Letran to have any chance at the title (in case of a tied match whoever wins on the top boards is adjudged the champion). Cherry had a draw by perpetual but went for a very risky line which backfired. The final playoff result was 2.5-1.5 in favor of CSB-LSGH (on board 3 Letran’s Christian Cabida beat CSB’s Miguel Lahoz), and so College of St. Benilde-La Salle Greenhills snatched the crown away from Letran (take note from the standings above that Letran had more points, 50.5 against 50, than CSB-LSGH).