Caoli to World Cup; Antonio gains 41 points

Friday, July 3, 2009


Frank “Boy” Pestaño
Chessmoso

FILIPINO-Australian mestiza Arianne Bo Caoili won the 2009 Oceana Zonal competition at the Outrigger Twin Towns Resort, Gold Coast, Australia just recently to qualify for the prestigious World Cup on Nov. 15 to Dec. 20 later this year in Khanty-Mansiyk, Russia.

The 22-year-old collected eight points on seven wins and two draws to emerge as the only undefeated player in the
tournament.

Caoili is currently No. 32 in Australia’s Fide rating list with an Elo rating of 2172. The last time Caoili represented the Philippines was in the 35th World Chess Olympiad in Bled, Slovenia in 2002.

Considered as one of the most beautiful chess players in the world, she seems to have settled down after the controversy in the Turin Olympiad when her now alleged boyfriend, Levon Aronian, was punched on the dance floor by English rival Danny Gormally in an apparently jealous clash over her during the Bermuda Nights party.

She once described her likes as “getting up to no good, fine food (and fine boys), Johnny Depp, vodka, red wine, Kahlua ... and the odd Cuban cigar.” She was one of the celebrity dancers in the fifth season of Dancing with the Stars.

Once touted as having the potential to become a woman international grand master while she was just a little girl in the Philippines, Caoili said chess now takes a back seat to her studies and travel.

She is enrolled in International Relations, Finance and Statistics at the Australian National University in Canberra and has her sights on a PhD “probably on Russian foreign policy.”

She transferred residence to Australia because according to the family, she was not properly supported in the Philippines.

BIGGEST GAINER. Twelve-time national open champion Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. is the top Filipino gainer in the latest July Fide rating list released by the World Chess Federation.

Joey gained a massive 41 points and is now in third place among Filipinos with a rating of 2559. He is a point behind chess icon Eugene Torre, although he is still way behind boy wonder Wesley So.

Joey gained a lot of points during his campaign in the US early this year and by placing among the top 10 in the Asian Continental Championship, thereby qualifying for the World Cup.

Despite a disastrous performance in the Asian Championship, Wesley still gained five points to remain as the top Pinoy player with a rating of 2646.

Here are the top 10 Pinoy players (All GMs unless specified): 1. So (2646) 2. Torre (2560) 3. Antonio Jr. (2559) 4. Rogelio Barcenilla (2518) John Paul Gomez (2515) 6.IM Richard Bitoon (2495) 7.Darwin Laylo (2494) 8.Joseph Sanchez (2491) Mark Paragua (2487) 10. IM Julio Catalino Sadorra (2468).

It will be recalled that Cebuano International Master (IM) Rogelio “Banjo” Barcenilla Jr. earned his third and final GM norm in the Copper State International Chess Tournament last May 29 to June 3 in Mesa, Arizona, USA.

TRIVIA ANSWERS. Here are the answers for last week’s trivia and the winners.

Section 1: 1.) Richard Reti, 2.) William Lombardy, 3.) Svetozar Gligoric, 4.) Samuel Reshevsky, 5.) Jacques Mieses, 6.) Alexander Tolush, 7.) Herman Steiner, 8.) Yuri Averbach.

Section 2:1-35. Bobby Fischer, en passant, queen side castling, passed pawn, Susan Polgar, champions, stalemate, tournament ,grandmaster, pieces and pawns, Larsen, Rubentein , Topalov, Philidor, Timman, Bronstein, Pillsbury, Polgar, Gligoric, Seirawan, Menchik, Staunton Kramnik, Paulsen, Tarrasch, Gunsberg, Lautier, Marshall ,Zukertort, Schlechter, Korchnoi, Taimanov, Capablanca, Blackburne, Reshevsky.

The winners are Christopher Alegro Beduya (350 points) and Brian Calabroso (85).They won P400 and P200, respectively, courtesy of Cepca pioneer Eli “James Bond” Berciles.