A tip on solving chess problems

Here is a tip on how to solve a chess problem, specifically for beginners who are engaged in self-study.

I got this advice from the chess material “Comprehensive Chess Course Vol.1: Learn Chess in 12 Lessons” by GM Lev Alburt, which was described by GM Garry Kasparov as a “once-secret Russian method of chess training.”

By the way, the chess material was generously given to me by a friend who, I think, has one of the largest collections of chess literature in the Philippines.

The tip reads:

“When asked to solve problems or to answer various
questions, we recommend
that players spend no more than five to 10
minutes on most positions; the
point is not so much to test yourself as to
understand the chess meaning of
the answers given elsewhere and to
acquire needed knowledge.”

I used to spend a day or three in solving a certain chess problem or position. What a folly of me!

So remember, when solving a certain chess problem, do not spend more than 10 minutes for it. If you can’t solve it, look for the provided answer and UNDERSTAND how the solution was arrived at and ACQUIRE the KNOWLEDGE.

RP Team members' performance

Here is the list of RP Team members showcasing their performance in the Dresden Olympiad, arranged according to scored points.

Chardine Cheradee Camacho 8.0 points
IM John Paul Gomez 7.5
GM Wesley So 7.0
Christy Lamiel Bernales 5.5
Daisy Rivera 4.0
Shercila Cua 4.0
GM Jayson Gonzales 3.5
GM Darwin Laylo 3.5
Catherine Pereña 3.0
GM Bong Villamayor 2.0

I highlighted the names of those who performed well (in my opinion).

Notable notes:

- Gomez got his GM title (unofficial)
- Camacho got her WIM title (unconfirmed and unofficial)
- So never dropped a single game
- Only Gomez was allowed to play 11 games
- Rivera and Gonzales had the least number of games played with 7 games each
- Both Board 1 players (Bong and Pereña) produced the lowest points
- The four youngest members of the team produced the highest points

ASEAN final rankings

Here are the FINAL RANKINGS of ASEAN chess federations in the just concluded Dresden Chess Olympiad. Let's see how the Philippines performed compared with our ASEAN counterparts.

Men's Team
No.9 Vietnam (SNo.37)
No.46 Philippines (SNo.38)
No.52 Indonesia (SNo.69)
No.62 Singapore (SNo.78)
No.96 Malaysia (SNo.73)
No.100 Thailand (SNo.97)

Women's Team
No.26 Vietnam (SNo.24)
No.42 Indonesia (SNo.67)
No.43 Philippines (SNo.51)

Congratulations, Vietnam! As for the Philippines, wake up!

When I say wake up, I mean the whole RP Team must perform as a TEAM -- with an end goal of doing what is best for the COUNTRY.

Prioritzing any other agenda is unpatriotic.

Final push

As they say, save the best for last.

Let’s admit it, the RP Team as a whole (men and women) has performed below standard in the Dresden Olympiad.

Going into the last round, we only rank 53rd (men), far below our No.38 initial ranking, and 54th (women), which is slightly below our initial ranking of No.51.

Yes, there were some instances of excellence.

We used to address “The Pope” as an IM. If the reports are true, let’s now accustom ourselves with calling him a GM.

GM Wesley proved that he can play against truly world class players (it seemed to me that even super GMs already feel his chess powers and are satisfied having a draw against him).

Chardine Cheradee Camacho showed that she is the brightest female hope of our land when it comes to chess.

Christy Lamiel Bernales is another promising revelation.

And now that they are into the final round, let’s pray that the whole RP Team give its very best and leave a decent impression.

Go, Philippines!

GM John Paul Gomez

According to GM Susan Polgar's blog, John Paul Gomez is the country's new grandmaster (as reported by Ed Andaya).

Reportedly, GM John Paul "The Pope Gomez" earned the GM title after securing a draw with GM Viktor Laznicka of the Czech Republic in the 9th round of the Dresden Olympiad.

If the reports are true, then we have a reason to celebrate for in our participation in this Olympiad.

Perhaps, achieving that goal was the main reason why Team Captain Eugene Torre allowed "The Pope" to play ALL 11 ROUNDS without rest.

In fact, only "The Pope" -- of all the RP Team members including the Ladies -- is the only Filipino player who has been given the opportunity to play from start to finish.

That could also be the reason why GM Bong Villamayor is giving way to the youngsters -- what a role to play.

I don't know if producing another Filipino GM (under Pichay's watch) is the MAIN agenda behind RP's participation in the Dresden Olympiad.

Is there a script for that? If indeed there is, what a perfectly played out script!

Photo medicines

Just in case you missed these pictures that define human drama in chess . . .

And of course, may these pictures lessen the pain we are experiencing right now due to our not-so-encouraging performance in the Dresden Olympiad.

This picture of a father-and-son tandem best defined the real essence of the 1st Malibay Chess Club Mini-Chess Tournament. It was all about bonding and enjoyment -- especially between parents and kids.

Nothing compares to a mother's love. Paulo Bersamina's mother, Mrs. Rosalie S. Bersamina, is all-support to his priceless son, shown here protecting her gem from the scorching heat of the sun.

Dresden Tactics

I have here two tactical puzzles executed by two members of the RP Team in the ongoing Dresden Olympiad.

Could you identify the correct moves as well as the player who made those moves (for the sake of those who were not able to watch these particular games)?

Tactics #1.

Black had just played 19.Bxe5. Can you find the best move for White? And who is the player in White?

Tactics #2

Black had just played 14. . . Nd7. What's the best continuation for White? Who's White?

Blemished

Erstwhile clean records of Chardine Cheradee Camacho and IM John Paul "The Pople" Gomez are gone.

Camacho and Gomez suffered their first setbacks in Round 8 to their respective opponent from the Dominican Republic and Netherlands, respectively.

Camacho's record got stalled at 6 points while Gomez remained with 5.5 points, with both players having played 8 games in a row.

So now, going into Round 9, only GM Wesley So parades an unblemished performance.

I personally feel that RP Men's Team performance in Round 8 served as a wakeup call for Philippine chess.

You see, we're almost blanked by Netherlands -- a federation which was BEATEN by VIETNAM!

In fact, VIETNAM held a draw with China -- a federation which DEFEATED the Philippines.

Round 8 was just fine for RP's Women Team. At least it was a draw. The painful thing, however, was that Camacho tasted her first (and hopefully last) loss.

Kids lead the way

After seven rounds of play, Chardine Cheradee Camacho, IM John Paul Gomez, and GM Wesley So have remained unscathed in Dresden.

Could you believe it? It is a very young Filipina who leads the RP Team (Men and Women) in Dresden!

Going to Round 8, Camacho parades 6.0 points (5 wins, 2 draws); Gomez, 5.5 points (4 wins, 3 draws); and So, 4.5 points (3 wins, 3 draws).

Indeed, our youngsters are the ones who wave the Philippine flag in Germany.

After Round 7:

Camacho (Women’s)
- 8th best player according to points
- 17th best player according to percentage

Gomez (Open)
- 19th best player according to points

So (Open)
- 38th best player according to rating performance (2734)

GM Bong Villamayor

After seven rounds of play, GM Bong Villamayor (2468), who was tasked to man Board 1, has yet to produce his first win.

In fact, he is now the only RP Team member, who hasn’t erected a 1.0 record after a game.

So far, he has piled up 1.5 points out of possible 5.0 (3 draws, 2 losses) for a rating performance of 2392.

Disappointing? NO.

For me, he’s doing a great job in Dresden – a true team player who creates the unseen good things happening for the whole RP Team.

For one, he obliged (I guess) to the wishes of the Filipino fans who clamored to see a So-Shirov match (a game, sad to say, that did not live up to expectations).

He side stepped to give our youngsters the opportunity to play against world class players and help achieve their full potentials.

Yes, he hasn’t posted YET a 1.0 score. But his best value, I guess, lies behind the numbers.

Bobby Ang

Bobby Ang, the country's No.1 chess journalist, dropped me an email and said:

Hi!

I like your blog. (Some texts deleted)

bobby ang

It's indeed an honor to receive such a compliment from Mr. Ang.

Thank you very much, Sir!

ASEAN chess update

After Round 6 of the Dresden Chess Olympiad, let's see how the Philippines is faring compared with other ASEAN chess federations.

Men's Team
No.15 Vietnam (from No.21 in Round 5, UP by 6 notches)
No.44 Philippines (from No.28 in Round 5, DOWN by 16 notches)
No.65 Indonesia (from No.52 in Round 5, DOWN by 13 notches)
No.70 Singapore (from No.91 in Round 5, UP by 21 notches)
No.81 Malaysia (from No.59 in Round 5, DOWN by 21 nothces)
No.103 Thailand (from No.122 in Round 5, UP by 19notches)

Women's Team
No.9 Vietnam (from No.18 in Round 5, UP by 9 notches)
No.48 Indonesia (from No.57 in Round 5, UP by 9 notches)
No.67 Philippines (from No.58 in Round 5) DOWN by 9 notches)

Let kids cry

Another impression from the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship 2008.

My heart really melted for those kids who cried it out after losing important games during SNYACC 2008 grand finals.

I saw more than one kid who cried after losing their respective games.

I consider their crying a good sign – that is, they really put to heart their chess life.

Let’s hope that the rich tears they are shedding now become jewels of wisdom and success in the future.

Killer look

This time, a respite from the Dresden Olympiad.

Still vivid in my mind is a lingering impression about the grand finals of the 16th Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship that took place in SM Megamall.

I just noticed that there were some young players – all the participants were young in the first place – who beamed a “killer look” toward their respective opponent in the opposite side of the board after making a move.

For the purpose of this post, I define “killer look” as a manner of looking at somebody as if the one looking will devour the person being looked at.

As I observed, the gesture usually happened when these “killer-looking” kids were on a strong position, or had just executed a strong move.

I don’t know if this kind of gesture is natural for a chess player. I don’t know if this kind of attitude is, taught, learned, or what.

Daisy Rivera

Weeks before the Dresden Chess Olympiad, a chess lover in Edang, Pasay City said he would invite Daisy Rivera to his baranggay to do a simul for the young kids.

Rev. Larry Teodoro, a true chess lover and community leader, train a number of kids in his barangay to involve the youth in sports, particularly chess.

I did not know that time that Daisy Rivera will be a member of RP's Women Team to the Dresden Chess Olympiad now taking place in Germany.

As you already knew, Daisy has so far scored 1.0 point out of two games in Dresden. I hope she's given a board assignment again in Round 6 and go for the win.

How we wish that Daisy grants the request of the youth from Edang afte her patriotic mission in Germany.

Good luck, Daisy!

Here are some of the tactics that I spotted in Daisy's Round 5 game:

Maroroa,Sue (1938) - Rivera,Daisy (2073)

Chess Olympiad 2008 Dresden

(5.38)

17.11.2008

Position after 20.Bd3. Black to move. Can you guess Daisy's next move?

Position after 3.b4. Can you spot Daisy's next move?

Watch the complete game here