Friday, October 23, 2015

Pestaño: Two great one-on-one chess matches

THE Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis will be sponsoring a match between the two best players of America today, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana, on Nov. 12 to 15.
As of the October live ratings, Nakamura is No. 4 with 2797, while Caruana is no.5 with 2795 in classical time controls. However, the format of the match is rapid and blitz. In rapid and blitz, Nakamura is rated 2850 and 2887 respectively, while Caruana is rated 2829 and a lowly 2665 in blitz. So, Nakamura is favored to win the match.
Format of the match will be four Fischer random chess at a time control of 20 minutes plus 10- second increments, four rapid games at 15 minutes plus 10-second increments and eight blitz games at three minutes plus two-second increments. They also announced “more to come” but that phrase remains ambiguous. All games will count equally, using the regular scoring system, making this a sort of “extended Death Match.”
The staggering prize fund is a whopping $100,000! The winner takes $60,000 while the loser will still grab $40,000.
They have played a number of classical games, with 75 percent ending in draws but with Nakamura holding a definitive five to one lead in won games. In faster time controls, Nakamura has a decisive lead with nine wins and only 2 losses and a single draw.
Also playing at the same time and place will be a “battle of the sexes” between Hou Yifan and Parimarjan Negi.
Hou (born Feb. 27, 1994) is rated 2676 and is a former chess prodigy and a former two-time women’s world chess champion, the youngest ever to win the title, as well as the youngest female player ever to qualify for the title of Grandmaster. She just won the Monaco Grand Prix this week for women by an amazing two points. This is like winning a basketball game by 40 points.
Parimarjan Negi (born Feb. 9, 1993) is a grandmaster from India. On July 1, 2006, at the age of 13 years and 142 days (13 years, 4 months, and 20 days), he became the second-youngest GM ever, second only to Sergey Karjakin, when he earned his third and final GM norm at the Chelyabinsk Region Superfinal Championship at Satka in Russia. His rating as of Oct. 15, 2015 is 2664.
Their match will be worth $50,000, with the winner’s share again at 60 percent ($30,000). They’ve played several times, with Negi holding a narrow 2-1 edge in decisive games.
Marie Ernestine. Gabriel Karlo Tio topped the 1st Marie Ernestine School Tournament after securing four points and a draw in a five-round Swiss Tournament held in Handuraw Pizza Gorordo last Oct. 17.
Fellow sixth graders Kyle Matthew Dizon, Gayle Christine Macan and fifth grader Armando Angelo Ybañez each garnered four points and finished second, third and fourth spot respectively. Christian Elijah Ybañez of Grade 4 won fifth place.
The other players, Dominice Pegarido, Gabriela Marie Carvajal, Jacob Jacinto Tan, Yoo Do Young, Shaniasheen Newman, Simone Kyle Pono, Noelle Roa, Therese Marie Lagda, Yoo Su “Steve” Young, Avery Marc Tudtud, Al-Hamsha Khalif Macagaan, Elloiza Nielryn Borgonia, Ai Michaela Nakayama and Gustavo Manuel Larrañaga, went home with school supplies.
The tournament was organized by school trainer Therese Dela Torre and sponsored by Handuraw, Jojo Muralla, Atty. Jennoh Tequilo and Engr. Marvynne Guardiana and Cepca. Assisting Therese was Peterson Sia, Ateneo chess instructor.
CEPCA. A reminder to all Cepca members, awardees and invited guests to attend our Silver Anniversary party at the Sacred Heart Center social hall along D.Jakosalem St tomorrow at 6 pm.

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