Pestaño: Chess statistics

By Frank 'Boy' Pestaño

Chessmoso

Thursday, August 16, 2012

CHESS is the sleeping giant of the sports/entertainment world,” said Steve Martin, CEO of M&C Saatchi Sports. According to Fide, there are 605 million chess players worldwide and they are increasing by leaps and bounds.

Chess has been under the spotlight for the last 40 years since Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky fought the Cold War for us in Reykjavik on 1972. It transformed chess from being considered a parlor game to mainstream sports.

The number of chess players exploded to unprecedented levels and continued up to today, due mainly to the Chess in Schools program initiated by Fide.

In India and China, the two most populous countries in the world, chess is now their no.1 sport.

In fact, the men’s and women’s world champions are from India and China, respectively.

Here in the Philippines an estimated 25 percent of the male adult population knows the basic moves of chess.

Overseas, there are six million players in the UK, 35 million in the US, 16 million in Germany, 50 million in Russia and 85 million in India and half of them are in the 18-34 age group.

Another interesting statistics is that in the US, 78 percent of regular chess players are university graduates and among households with incomes over $120,000, 21 percent are regular chess-players. They are also 2.5 times more likely to read The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist or The New Yorker.

In the U.K., current chess players are better informed than those who are either former players or have never played chess. They are five times more likely to read The Guardian, The New Scientist or The Week.

The global research organization reports that chess players are 40-100 percent more likely to purchase a luxury item than a non-chess-player.

All figures are from YouGov Plc. The total sample sizes were 4,161 adults (UK), 2,024 adults (US), 953 adults (Germany), 2,013 adults (Russia), and 1,000 adults (India).
All surveys were carried out online.

Cepca vs Lapu-lapu. This Aug. 19, at the Goodwill Gallery in J Centre Mall along AS Fortuna St. in Mandaue will be the meeting between arch-rivals Cepca and Lapu-Lapu chess Club. Lapu-Lapu leads, 3-2.

The format will be two games against the same player with a time control of 30 minutes per player. Games start at 1 p.m.

The lineups are Ben Dimaano (Cepca) vs. Allan Pason (Lapulapu); Jongjong Melendez vs. Ramil Resuera; Maggi Dionson and Aldwin Daculan; Mike Banebane vs. Peterson Sia; Dante Arguelles vs. Exequiel Limpot; Jojo Muralla vs. Judy Tamala,; Manuel Abucay vs. Lando Torres; Felix Balbona vs. Norman Olayvar; Boy Tumulak vs. Weynard Labastida, Felix Poloyapoy vs. Amado Olea; Ruel Hortelano vs. Arnel Abellana; Fabio Abucejo vs.
Giovanni Borongan, Ronald Galindo vs. Ariel Abellana, Jeferson Lendio vs. Alvin Rigodon, Gabby Misterio vs. Amay Igot, Jun Pasion vs. Kraig Quinain; Jun Kidlat vs. Sarge Fernandez.

To those Cepca members that I have listed, please text me if you can or cannot play so I can find a substitute. For those Cepca members not listed, if you would like to play also, please inform me so we can request Lapu-Lapu to field extra players.

After the match, we will have a seven-round rapid tournament among Cepca and Lapu-Lapu members.

Please be reminded also that there is a tournament tomorrow at the same venue for executives and professionals starting at 1 p.m. For details, get in touch with Marvin Ruelan at 09267352951.

Kyle tops Shell. Like his uncle Enrico, who finally is now a grandmaster, Kyle made an astonishing performance by topping the Mindanao leg of the Shell Kiddies and Youth tournament with a perfect score of nine straight wins in Davao.

His participation was made possible by Hon. Mayor Democrito Aljun Diamante of Tuburan.

(boypestano@gmail.com,www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)