DESPITE what has been written and said about President Arroyo, I think she has done a lot of good for the Philippines in general. The one thing that I admire the most is her decision to include chess as part of the curriculum for elementary and high school students starting next school year.
I suppose that National Chess Federation of the Philippines president Butch Pichay had a hand in this momentous decision as well as secretary Jesli Lapus of the Department of Education.
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They will start a legacy that will be considered one of the turning points in the history of our country. Producing masters in chess is just the gravy. The main and foremost result is the production of responsible and conscientious citizens that will make our country great and prosperous.
START AT HOME. Dr. Robert Ferguson cites several factors in the child’s development in chess: children love games and playing chess motivates them to learn; chess creates a pattern or thinking system that breeds success; the chess- playing child become accustomed to look for more and different alternatives; chess offers immediate punishments and rewards for problem-solving; chess competition fosters interest, promotes mental alertness, challenges all children and elicits the highest levels of achievement.
Based on the evidence, it’s easy to conclude that chess can play an essential role in a child’s development.
Here is what you do. Chess is very complex and if you introduce a child to the game in the wrong way, it quickly can become tedious and boring for him. If that happens, he will tune you out.
Read my two previous articles “64 chess commandments ” and “50 bad chess habits” for guidance. Here are the steps to follow which are culled from various sources on the Internet.
1. Present the game in a step-by-step process, making sure the child masters each step before proceeding to the next.
2. Make the lessons short. Don’t overload your child. Don’t teach all the moves for all the pieces in one lesson.
3. Spend more time practicing lessons you’ve already covered than teaching new material.
4. Use the Internet whenever possible.
5. Make use of a chess computer program for practice games. This will increase markedly your child’s interest in the game.
6. If you are giving a lesson, be prepared. Your child must believe that you know what you’re talking about.
7. Give your child positive reinforcement whenever possible. For a particularly outstanding chess performance, reward the child materially with his favorite dessert or a visit to the movie theater.
8. Present new chess material only when your child is well-rested and fresh.
9. Be patient. Don’t expect too much too fast.
10. Keep it fun! If either of you is not enjoying the lesson or practice session, cut it short.
11. Have the child watch the games of experienced players. Children can improve their games by watching the strategies of others and applying what they have learned to their own games.
12.Take the opportunity to teach the child good sportsmanship. The child will likely lose as much as he wins and should maintain a good attitude regardless of the outcome.
13.Make sure that you keep the game honest. Never lose to your child on purpose. This will take away part of the learning experience from the game. Your child will also soon figure out what you are doing and a lot of the fun will be gone.
14. If your child shows great promise, invest in a good chess instructor. I know of several good ones, all masters, who are more than willing to help and whose fees are reasonable. They have a role model to follow in our Wesley So. He is only 15 and is earning millions with more to come.
15. There are kiddies tournaments,let them play including playing with adults
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Linares, Melody Amber and battle of GMs
LINARES, considered the “Wimbledon” of chess, has ended .
Alexander Grischuk (2733, Russia) took first place due to having more wins than Vassily Ivanchuk (2779, Ukraine) after both finished with 8/14. The tournament took place from Feb. 18 to March 8. The winner took 100,000 Euros and the second and third placers earned 75,000 and 50,000 Euros, respectively.
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The other participants, all belonging to the 2700 club, were Magnus Carlsen (2776, Norway), Viswanathan Anand (2791, India), Teimour Radjabov (2761, Azerbaijan), Wang Yue ( 2739, China), Levon Aronian (2750, Armenia) and Leinier Dominguez Perez (2717, Cuba).
The 18th Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament is being played March 14 to 26 in Nice, France. The legendary sponsor is billionaire Joop Von Oosteroom in honor of his daughter Melody Amber .The total prize fund is 216,000 Euros.
This year’s field is stronger than ever with all the world’s best players taking part. The 12 participants are (in alphabetical order): World Champion Anand (India), Aronian (Armenia), Carlsen (Norway), Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Gata Kamsky (United States), Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), Peter Leko (Hungary), Alexander Morozevich (Russia), Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) and Yue (China).
The Turkish Chess Federation is organizing the first event of the new Women Grand Prix series 2009/2010 in Istanbul starting March 6.
The Fide Women Grand Prix is a new series of six elite tournaments over two years in various countries with three tournaments every year. The next tournament is planned in Nanjing, China at the end of September.
The top placer of the Grand Prix will challenge the 2010 World Cup winner to be the undisputed women world champion.
The players are Koneru Humpy (India, 2621), Hou Yifan (China 2571), Antoanetta Stefanova (Bulgaria, 2557), Pia Cramling (Sweden, 2548), Marie Sebag (France, 2529), Maia Chiburddanidze (Georgia, 2516), Zhao Xue (China,2508), Elina Danielian (Armenia, 2496), Shen Yang (China, 2448), Martha Fierro (Ecuador, 2403), Zeinab Mamedjarova (Azerbaijan, 2363) and Betul Cemre Yildiz (Turkey, 2214).
In eight rounds, Zhao Xue has seven points after defeating Hou Yifan to take the lead. Fifteen-year-old Hou has 6.5 points, and at third place is the top seed Koneru Humpy with 6.
In the national level, the Battle of GMs 2009 will be from March 24 to 31 in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte.
A total of 24 players—12 each in the men’s and women’s divisions—are seeing action in the week-long competition which offers a total cash prize of nearly P1 million.
The players entered in the men’s division are GMs Wesley So, John Paul Gomez, Eugene Torre, Joey Antonio, Mark Paragua, Darwin Laylo, Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor and Jayson Gonzales and GM-candidates Richard Bitoon, Julio Catalino Sadorra, Rolando Nolte and Ronald Dableo.
In the women’s division, the participants are Dresden Olympiad veterans Catherine Perena, Chardine Cheradee Camacho, Shercila Cua, Daisy Rivera, Christy Bernales and Sherily Cua. Also in the event are Rulp Ylen Jose, Beverly Mendoza, Jedara Docena, Kimberly Jane Cunanan, Jan Jodiyln Fronda and Rida Jane Young.
In the local scene, the Second Pakigne Open tournament will start tomorrow at the Garces Apartment in Pakigne, Minglanilla. Format is seven rounds Swiss and time control is 25 minutes per player, play to finish.
Games starts at 9 a.m. and registration is P200. The champion will get P6,000 and prize money will be given up to 10th placer.
The top kiddies and woman players will take home P700. You can get in touch with the organizer, Bernard Garces, at 269-0161 or 0920-901-6499.
Alexander Grischuk (2733, Russia) took first place due to having more wins than Vassily Ivanchuk (2779, Ukraine) after both finished with 8/14. The tournament took place from Feb. 18 to March 8. The winner took 100,000 Euros and the second and third placers earned 75,000 and 50,000 Euros, respectively.
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The other participants, all belonging to the 2700 club, were Magnus Carlsen (2776, Norway), Viswanathan Anand (2791, India), Teimour Radjabov (2761, Azerbaijan), Wang Yue ( 2739, China), Levon Aronian (2750, Armenia) and Leinier Dominguez Perez (2717, Cuba).
The 18th Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament is being played March 14 to 26 in Nice, France. The legendary sponsor is billionaire Joop Von Oosteroom in honor of his daughter Melody Amber .The total prize fund is 216,000 Euros.
This year’s field is stronger than ever with all the world’s best players taking part. The 12 participants are (in alphabetical order): World Champion Anand (India), Aronian (Armenia), Carlsen (Norway), Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Gata Kamsky (United States), Sergey Karjakin (Ukraine), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), Peter Leko (Hungary), Alexander Morozevich (Russia), Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) and Yue (China).
The Turkish Chess Federation is organizing the first event of the new Women Grand Prix series 2009/2010 in Istanbul starting March 6.
The Fide Women Grand Prix is a new series of six elite tournaments over two years in various countries with three tournaments every year. The next tournament is planned in Nanjing, China at the end of September.
The top placer of the Grand Prix will challenge the 2010 World Cup winner to be the undisputed women world champion.
The players are Koneru Humpy (India, 2621), Hou Yifan (China 2571), Antoanetta Stefanova (Bulgaria, 2557), Pia Cramling (Sweden, 2548), Marie Sebag (France, 2529), Maia Chiburddanidze (Georgia, 2516), Zhao Xue (China,2508), Elina Danielian (Armenia, 2496), Shen Yang (China, 2448), Martha Fierro (Ecuador, 2403), Zeinab Mamedjarova (Azerbaijan, 2363) and Betul Cemre Yildiz (Turkey, 2214).
In eight rounds, Zhao Xue has seven points after defeating Hou Yifan to take the lead. Fifteen-year-old Hou has 6.5 points, and at third place is the top seed Koneru Humpy with 6.
In the national level, the Battle of GMs 2009 will be from March 24 to 31 in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte.
A total of 24 players—12 each in the men’s and women’s divisions—are seeing action in the week-long competition which offers a total cash prize of nearly P1 million.
The players entered in the men’s division are GMs Wesley So, John Paul Gomez, Eugene Torre, Joey Antonio, Mark Paragua, Darwin Laylo, Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor and Jayson Gonzales and GM-candidates Richard Bitoon, Julio Catalino Sadorra, Rolando Nolte and Ronald Dableo.
In the women’s division, the participants are Dresden Olympiad veterans Catherine Perena, Chardine Cheradee Camacho, Shercila Cua, Daisy Rivera, Christy Bernales and Sherily Cua. Also in the event are Rulp Ylen Jose, Beverly Mendoza, Jedara Docena, Kimberly Jane Cunanan, Jan Jodiyln Fronda and Rida Jane Young.
In the local scene, the Second Pakigne Open tournament will start tomorrow at the Garces Apartment in Pakigne, Minglanilla. Format is seven rounds Swiss and time control is 25 minutes per player, play to finish.
Games starts at 9 a.m. and registration is P200. The champion will get P6,000 and prize money will be given up to 10th placer.
The top kiddies and woman players will take home P700. You can get in touch with the organizer, Bernard Garces, at 269-0161 or 0920-901-6499.
Friday, February 27, 2009
64 chess commandments
ONE of the most informative materials sent to me by my readers is this one from Engr. Ed Beronio, which gives guidelines on how to play the game. It is instructive and I urge every chess player to carefully consider each of them.
1. Develop your pieces quickly 2. Control the center 3. Put your pieces on squares that give maximum space 4. Develop the knights toward the center 5. A knight on the rim is dim.
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6. Don’t take unnecessary chances 7. Play aggressive 8. Calculate forced moves first 9. Always ask yourself “Can he put me in check or win a piece?” 10. Every move should have a purpose 11. Assume your opponent’s move is his best move 12. Ask yourself, “Why did he move there?” 13. Play for the initiative 14. If you must lose a piece, get something for it if you can.
15. When behind, exchange pawns. When ahead, exchange pieces 16. If you’re losing, look for counterplay 17. Don’t play unsound moves unless you are losing badly 18. Don’t sacrifice a piece without good reason 19. If you are in doubt of an opponent’s sacrifice, accept it 20. Attack with more that just one or two pieces 21. Do not make careless pawn moves.
They cannot move back 22. Do not block in your bishops.
23. Bishops of opposite colors have the greatest chance of drawing 24. Try not to move the same piece twice in a row 25.
Exchange pieces if it helps your development 26. Don’t bring your queen out early 27. Castle soon to protect your king and develop your rook 28. Develop rooks to open files 29. Put rooks behind passed pawns 30. Study rook endgames. They are the most common.
31. Don’t let your king get caught in the center 32. Don’t castle if it brings your king into greater danger 33. After castling, keep a good pawn formation around your king 34. If you only have one bishop, put your pawns on its opposite color 35. Trade pawn pieces when under attack 36. If cramped, free your game by exchanging material.
37. If your opponent is cramped, don’t let him get any freeing exchanges 38. Study openings you are comfortable with 39.
Play over entire games, not just the opening 40. Blitz chess is helpful in recognizing chess patterns. Play often 41. Study
annotated games and guess each move 42. Stick with just a few openings with white and black 43. Record your games and go over them, especially the games you lost 44. Show your games to higher-rated opponents and get feedback from them.
45. Use chess computers and databases to help you study 46. Everyone blunders. The champions just blunder less often
47. When it is not your move, look for tactics and combinations 48. Try to double rooks or queen on open files 49. Always ask yourself, “Does my next move overlook something simple?” 50. Don’t make your own plans without the exclusion of the opponent’s threat 51. Watch out for captures by retreat of an opponent’s piece.
52. Do not focus on one sector of the board. View the whole board 53. Write down your move first before making that move if it helps 54. Try to solve chess puzzles with diagrams from books and magazines 55. It is less likely that an opponent is prepared for off-beat openings 56. Recognize transposition of moves from main-line play 57. Watch your time and avoid time trouble 58. Bishops are worth more than knights except when they are pinned in.
59. A knight works better with a bishop than another knight 60. It is usually a good idea to trade down into a pawn up
endgame 61. Have confidence in your game 62. Play in as many rated events as you can 63. Try not to look at your opponent’s rating until after the game 64. Always play for a win.
1. Develop your pieces quickly 2. Control the center 3. Put your pieces on squares that give maximum space 4. Develop the knights toward the center 5. A knight on the rim is dim.
"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.
6. Don’t take unnecessary chances 7. Play aggressive 8. Calculate forced moves first 9. Always ask yourself “Can he put me in check or win a piece?” 10. Every move should have a purpose 11. Assume your opponent’s move is his best move 12. Ask yourself, “Why did he move there?” 13. Play for the initiative 14. If you must lose a piece, get something for it if you can.
15. When behind, exchange pawns. When ahead, exchange pieces 16. If you’re losing, look for counterplay 17. Don’t play unsound moves unless you are losing badly 18. Don’t sacrifice a piece without good reason 19. If you are in doubt of an opponent’s sacrifice, accept it 20. Attack with more that just one or two pieces 21. Do not make careless pawn moves.
They cannot move back 22. Do not block in your bishops.
23. Bishops of opposite colors have the greatest chance of drawing 24. Try not to move the same piece twice in a row 25.
Exchange pieces if it helps your development 26. Don’t bring your queen out early 27. Castle soon to protect your king and develop your rook 28. Develop rooks to open files 29. Put rooks behind passed pawns 30. Study rook endgames. They are the most common.
31. Don’t let your king get caught in the center 32. Don’t castle if it brings your king into greater danger 33. After castling, keep a good pawn formation around your king 34. If you only have one bishop, put your pawns on its opposite color 35. Trade pawn pieces when under attack 36. If cramped, free your game by exchanging material.
37. If your opponent is cramped, don’t let him get any freeing exchanges 38. Study openings you are comfortable with 39.
Play over entire games, not just the opening 40. Blitz chess is helpful in recognizing chess patterns. Play often 41. Study
annotated games and guess each move 42. Stick with just a few openings with white and black 43. Record your games and go over them, especially the games you lost 44. Show your games to higher-rated opponents and get feedback from them.
45. Use chess computers and databases to help you study 46. Everyone blunders. The champions just blunder less often
47. When it is not your move, look for tactics and combinations 48. Try to double rooks or queen on open files 49. Always ask yourself, “Does my next move overlook something simple?” 50. Don’t make your own plans without the exclusion of the opponent’s threat 51. Watch out for captures by retreat of an opponent’s piece.
52. Do not focus on one sector of the board. View the whole board 53. Write down your move first before making that move if it helps 54. Try to solve chess puzzles with diagrams from books and magazines 55. It is less likely that an opponent is prepared for off-beat openings 56. Recognize transposition of moves from main-line play 57. Watch your time and avoid time trouble 58. Bishops are worth more than knights except when they are pinned in.
59. A knight works better with a bishop than another knight 60. It is usually a good idea to trade down into a pawn up
endgame 61. Have confidence in your game 62. Play in as many rated events as you can 63. Try not to look at your opponent’s rating until after the game 64. Always play for a win.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Sinulog and the best players of 2008
THE Sinulog Open Team Tournament, organized by the Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association (Cepca) and sponsored by the City Government, will start this Jan. 9 at 1 p.m. tentatively set at E-mall and will be a 7-round Swiss. There will be two games on Friday, three games on Saturday and two games on Sunday. All games will start at 1 p.m.
There will be a captain’s meeting at 12:30 p.m. We will invite Cebu City Councilor Jack Jakosalem, Cepca honorary members and National Master Bombi Aznar and chess patron Boojie Lim. Acting Mayor Michael Rama, also an honorary member of Cepca, will also be invited.
Prizes totaling P63,000 are at stake with P25,000 and a designer trophy for the champion. Other prizes are P15,000 for the first runner-up, P10,000 for the second runner-up. The fourth placer will get P5,000, while the fifth and sixth placers will get P3,000 and P1,000, respectively. Board 1 to 4 winners will also get P1,000 each.
Each team will be composed of four players and an additional reserve player, which is optional. Time control is one hour per player, play to finish.
To make the tournament competitive, Fide arbiters, led by National Master Roger Abella and Marvin Ruelan have made a list of players who must not play together and must play on Board 1.
The players are Erwin Ababat, Francisco Abugho, Leonardo Alidani, Odillon Badilles, Jhonel Balquin, Arnold Cadiz, Eden Diano, Rogelio Enriquez, Anthony Makinano, Mario Mangubat, Carlos Moreno III, Richard Natividad, Glen Pardillo, Ramsey Pedroza, Allan Salientes, Voltaire Sevillano, Elmer Sumangat, Bonn Tibod, Christopher Tobalado, Ceferino Vizco and Kim Steven Yap.
Some players may have been missed by our committee, hence, qualification to play shall be a determining prerogative of the organizers.
Registration fee per team is set at P1,000 and every team is urged to pay the fee by Jan. 7, and submit their line-up to my niece Malou Pestaño at the Colonade Chess Club.
The organizers are also urging the team to play in proper uniforms and to come in proper attire.
It has been observed that in team competitions, some games are “arranged” and this will strictly not be allowed by the organizers. The penalty will be set by a committee composed of Renato Casia as chairman and Marvin Ruelan, Roger Abella, Jun Olis and Joe Atillo as members.
TOPALOV IS NO. 1. Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov is in first place with a rating of 2796 as of January 2009. He is five points higher in the previous list and he gained these five points at the Chess Olympiad in Dresden. His winning the Nanjing Super-GM has not been counted since that event ended on Dec. 22. If included, his rating will be at 2810.
At second place in the Fide list is World Champion Viswanathan Anand, who gained eight points from his match in Bonn with Vladimir Kramnik. The latter lost eight points from the Anand match, and five more points at the Chess Olympiad.
Here are the Top 10. 1.) Veselin Topalov 2.Viswanathan Anand (39, India, 2791) 2.) Vassily Ivanchuk (39, Ukraine, 2779) 4.) Magnus Carlsen (18, Norway, 2776) 5.Alexander Morozevich (31, Russia, 2771) 6.) Teimour Radjabov (21, Azerbaijan, 2761) 7. Dmitry Jakovenko (25, Russia, 2760) 8.) Vladimir Kramnik (33, Russia, 2759) 9.Peter Leko (29, Hungary, 2751) 10.) Sergei Movsesian (30, Slovakia. 2751).
Our Wesley So, 15, is now rated at 2627 and is No. 9 on the top Juniors list (20 and below). His rating though has increased to 2637 for his performance in the Asian team Championship. I expect Wesley to barge into the top 100 when he plays at the prestigious Corus 2009 in Holland.
There will be a captain’s meeting at 12:30 p.m. We will invite Cebu City Councilor Jack Jakosalem, Cepca honorary members and National Master Bombi Aznar and chess patron Boojie Lim. Acting Mayor Michael Rama, also an honorary member of Cepca, will also be invited.
Prizes totaling P63,000 are at stake with P25,000 and a designer trophy for the champion. Other prizes are P15,000 for the first runner-up, P10,000 for the second runner-up. The fourth placer will get P5,000, while the fifth and sixth placers will get P3,000 and P1,000, respectively. Board 1 to 4 winners will also get P1,000 each.
Each team will be composed of four players and an additional reserve player, which is optional. Time control is one hour per player, play to finish.
To make the tournament competitive, Fide arbiters, led by National Master Roger Abella and Marvin Ruelan have made a list of players who must not play together and must play on Board 1.
The players are Erwin Ababat, Francisco Abugho, Leonardo Alidani, Odillon Badilles, Jhonel Balquin, Arnold Cadiz, Eden Diano, Rogelio Enriquez, Anthony Makinano, Mario Mangubat, Carlos Moreno III, Richard Natividad, Glen Pardillo, Ramsey Pedroza, Allan Salientes, Voltaire Sevillano, Elmer Sumangat, Bonn Tibod, Christopher Tobalado, Ceferino Vizco and Kim Steven Yap.
Some players may have been missed by our committee, hence, qualification to play shall be a determining prerogative of the organizers.
Registration fee per team is set at P1,000 and every team is urged to pay the fee by Jan. 7, and submit their line-up to my niece Malou Pestaño at the Colonade Chess Club.
The organizers are also urging the team to play in proper uniforms and to come in proper attire.
It has been observed that in team competitions, some games are “arranged” and this will strictly not be allowed by the organizers. The penalty will be set by a committee composed of Renato Casia as chairman and Marvin Ruelan, Roger Abella, Jun Olis and Joe Atillo as members.
TOPALOV IS NO. 1. Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov is in first place with a rating of 2796 as of January 2009. He is five points higher in the previous list and he gained these five points at the Chess Olympiad in Dresden. His winning the Nanjing Super-GM has not been counted since that event ended on Dec. 22. If included, his rating will be at 2810.
At second place in the Fide list is World Champion Viswanathan Anand, who gained eight points from his match in Bonn with Vladimir Kramnik. The latter lost eight points from the Anand match, and five more points at the Chess Olympiad.
Here are the Top 10. 1.) Veselin Topalov 2.Viswanathan Anand (39, India, 2791) 2.) Vassily Ivanchuk (39, Ukraine, 2779) 4.) Magnus Carlsen (18, Norway, 2776) 5.Alexander Morozevich (31, Russia, 2771) 6.) Teimour Radjabov (21, Azerbaijan, 2761) 7. Dmitry Jakovenko (25, Russia, 2760) 8.) Vladimir Kramnik (33, Russia, 2759) 9.Peter Leko (29, Hungary, 2751) 10.) Sergei Movsesian (30, Slovakia. 2751).
Our Wesley So, 15, is now rated at 2627 and is No. 9 on the top Juniors list (20 and below). His rating though has increased to 2637 for his performance in the Asian team Championship. I expect Wesley to barge into the top 100 when he plays at the prestigious Corus 2009 in Holland.
Sinulog Open team tournament starts today
EXCITEMENT is at fever pitch as chess players troop to SM City today as the 2009 Open Team tournament starts at 1 p.m. with a brief opening ceremony.
This tournament is the first major team tournament in a long time in Cebu and its realization is sponsored by the City Goverment primarily due to the help extended by City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem, who heads the committee on sports, games and amusement and is a well known supporter of chess.
To recall, Team Cebu City has been participating in important national events, especially the recent Handuraw National Team tournament where we garnered second place and the previous Inter-Cities and Municipalities where we were the champion.
We are expecting about 26 to 30 teams to play in this seven-round Swiss using the Olympiad formula for scoring— a win is worth two points, a draw, one point and a loss, zero. This is better than the previous method of scoring as it gives equal chances to more teams. Playing time is one hour per player, play to finish.
Some of the participants are worthy of mention. The Balbona Kids of Felix and Juliet will give the adult players a lot of headache. The all-women team of Handuraw Pizza is not to be counted out easily, although they will probably not figure among the top winners.
The varsity teams of University of Cebu, which I understand will field two teams (men and women), University of San Jose Recoletos, University of the Visayas and Southwestern University will have more chances this time as the organizers have made sure that most of the teams are balanced and highly-rated players cannot play together.
Fide arbiters Marvin Ruelan and Roger Abella have done an admirable job thus far. The Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association Inc. (Cepca) is the organizer of this tournament and key members have formed their own teams.
Chessmoso has fielded two teams (Handuraw Pizza of Marissa Pestaño-Basilad and Prime Parts of Joe Bernas). Club president Renato Casia, past presidents Jun Olis, Nicnic Climaco combined with Paquito Unchuan, Ben Dimaano, Danny Pestaño, Mandy Baria and Manny Manzanares have their own teams.
Other Cepca members who formed teams are Kelly Uy and Edmund Suralta, Boy Tumulak, Fabio Abucejo and Felix Balbona.
Cepca was established in 1990 and is one of the longest running in the country where chess clubs come and go.
My co-founders are Art Ynclino, Alex Tolentino, Babes Andales, Nicnic Climaco, Loy Minoza, Danny Pestaño and both the late Sonny Sollano and Gerry Tomakin. We have more than 100 members although some are already inactive, have left for abroad, including a lot of foreigners and expats, or have passed away.
Honorary members are Bombi Aznar, Boojie Lim, Kelly Uy, Darcy Tabotabo, former mayor Alvin Garcia and the current acting mayor Michael Rama.
Total prizes for this event is P63,000 and P25,000 will be awarded to the champion, plus a designer trophy. P15,000, P10,000, P5,000, P3,000 and P1,000 will be given to the rest of the top five, while board winners will win P1,000 each.
On-site registration will be allowed as we expect some out-of-town teams to enter.
However, the organizers reserve the right to approve their lineup to ensure that no team will dominate the competition. You have to come early though, preferably before 12 noon.
We expect all teams to come in proper attire and we urged all team managers to supply their players with proper uniforms. Put-off your cell phone as ringing during tournament play will mean outright disqualification.
Players are also required to come on time and to shake hands before play. Recording of games will be implemented.
This tournament is the first major team tournament in a long time in Cebu and its realization is sponsored by the City Goverment primarily due to the help extended by City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem, who heads the committee on sports, games and amusement and is a well known supporter of chess.
To recall, Team Cebu City has been participating in important national events, especially the recent Handuraw National Team tournament where we garnered second place and the previous Inter-Cities and Municipalities where we were the champion.
We are expecting about 26 to 30 teams to play in this seven-round Swiss using the Olympiad formula for scoring— a win is worth two points, a draw, one point and a loss, zero. This is better than the previous method of scoring as it gives equal chances to more teams. Playing time is one hour per player, play to finish.
Some of the participants are worthy of mention. The Balbona Kids of Felix and Juliet will give the adult players a lot of headache. The all-women team of Handuraw Pizza is not to be counted out easily, although they will probably not figure among the top winners.
The varsity teams of University of Cebu, which I understand will field two teams (men and women), University of San Jose Recoletos, University of the Visayas and Southwestern University will have more chances this time as the organizers have made sure that most of the teams are balanced and highly-rated players cannot play together.
Fide arbiters Marvin Ruelan and Roger Abella have done an admirable job thus far. The Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association Inc. (Cepca) is the organizer of this tournament and key members have formed their own teams.
Chessmoso has fielded two teams (Handuraw Pizza of Marissa Pestaño-Basilad and Prime Parts of Joe Bernas). Club president Renato Casia, past presidents Jun Olis, Nicnic Climaco combined with Paquito Unchuan, Ben Dimaano, Danny Pestaño, Mandy Baria and Manny Manzanares have their own teams.
Other Cepca members who formed teams are Kelly Uy and Edmund Suralta, Boy Tumulak, Fabio Abucejo and Felix Balbona.
Cepca was established in 1990 and is one of the longest running in the country where chess clubs come and go.
My co-founders are Art Ynclino, Alex Tolentino, Babes Andales, Nicnic Climaco, Loy Minoza, Danny Pestaño and both the late Sonny Sollano and Gerry Tomakin. We have more than 100 members although some are already inactive, have left for abroad, including a lot of foreigners and expats, or have passed away.
Honorary members are Bombi Aznar, Boojie Lim, Kelly Uy, Darcy Tabotabo, former mayor Alvin Garcia and the current acting mayor Michael Rama.
Total prizes for this event is P63,000 and P25,000 will be awarded to the champion, plus a designer trophy. P15,000, P10,000, P5,000, P3,000 and P1,000 will be given to the rest of the top five, while board winners will win P1,000 each.
On-site registration will be allowed as we expect some out-of-town teams to enter.
However, the organizers reserve the right to approve their lineup to ensure that no team will dominate the competition. You have to come early though, preferably before 12 noon.
We expect all teams to come in proper attire and we urged all team managers to supply their players with proper uniforms. Put-off your cell phone as ringing during tournament play will mean outright disqualification.
Players are also required to come on time and to shake hands before play. Recording of games will be implemented.
Sinulog winners and the Corus
I WOULD like to honor the winners and the people behind the just-concluded 2009 Sinulog Open tournament, as this was one of the most successful tournaments in terms of participation, enthusiasm and quality of games, in a long, long time.
Five generations of chess players were present as players from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s attended the event, including the youngest player, who is eight years old and a few more players, who are below 10 years old.
And, most of Cebu’s best players were also there.
We, the members of the Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association Inc., are eternally grateful to the city council especially to the chairman of the committee on sports, games and amusement, Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem and Acting Mayor Michael Rama for their help and support.
We hope that this collaboration will be repeated for the next Sinulog and luckily, we have been assured of it.
Many thanks also to SM City Cebu, led by Marissa Fernan and Marybelle Chua, for allowing us to use the venue and to Nicnic Climaco for making this possible.
The champion in the competition that attracted 32 teams was the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Team A composed of Rogelio Enriquez Jr., Romelio Asoque, Yuri Cauba, Rosendo Yamyamin and non-playing team manager, Bernard Garces. They won the P25,000 top purse plus a signature designer trophy.
There were four teams figuring in a deadlock for second to fifth places. They were Cebu Progress Marketing of Kelly Uy, USJ-R Team B, Fe Fish Dealer of Choyan Evardo and Uniplus Gaming Center of Danny Pestaño. They each pocketed P8,250.
Six teams tied for sixth to 11th places and they are Gorgonio Builders of Moyon Cala, Lapu-Lapu City of Jun Olis, Sikad Talisay of Manny Manzanares, Opascor of Tomas Riveral, Sta. Cruz Shell Gallery of Ben Dimaano and Barangay Day-as of Nic Cuizon.
The winners in Boards 1 to 4 were Glen Pardillo of White Sands, Bonn Tibod, Aller Somosot and Rodrigo Ababat (tied at Board 2), Joel Pacuribot of Opascor and Mandy Baria of Aboitizland, respectively.
The most unique team was the Balbona Kids, the brood of Felix and Juliet. The Balbona siblings, who are all chess enthusiasts, are Jessa Marie (16 years old), Marq Gabriel (13), Felix Shaun (11), Jhon Francis (10) and James Andrew (8).
Another kiddies lineup was the Lapu-Lapu team headed by Rafael Bensi.
Also making his presence felt was Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano of Southwestern University. A protege of Bombi Aznar, Sevillano, though only eight years old, gave the adults a hard time.
Many thanks also to the rest of the managers and coaches—Rey Ompoc, Wilfredo Gallardo, Edmund Suralta, Vergillo Codilla, Christopher Tubalado, Jesus Bitoon, Gonzalo Tumulak, Paquito Unchuan, Dave Entea, Louie Navaja, Romeo Romagos, Roberto Basadre, Chris Mejarito and Boy Cabungcal, who were instrumental in the success of the event.
CORUS 2009. The Corus chess tournament happens from Jan. 16 to Feb. 1 in Wijk aan Zee, a North Sea Resort in the Netherlands. It was called the Hoogovens Tournament from 1938 to 1999, and is one of the most prestigious in the Fide chess calendar. The tournament is divided into three main groups—A, B and C.
Our Boy Wonder, GM Wesley So, accepted the invitation by Jeroen van den Berg, the tournament director, to join the prestigious tournament.
An e-mail by Mr. Van den Berg sent to Mrs. Eleanor So, Wesley’s mother, dated June 6 said, “I am interested in the participation of Wesley So in the upcoming Corus Chess Tournament (Grandmaster group C). We can offer Wesley 1,250 Euros as appearance fee, plus hotel and breakfast during the event.”
The average Elo of the players in group C is 2521, a Category 11. Wesley is the highest-rated player at 2627. If he wins here, it will be his ticket to bigger tournaments.
Incidentally, Jobannie Tabada, the former sports editor of Sun.Star, is now a Fide arbiter after passing the course in Dubai just recently.
Five generations of chess players were present as players from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s attended the event, including the youngest player, who is eight years old and a few more players, who are below 10 years old.
And, most of Cebu’s best players were also there.
We, the members of the Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association Inc., are eternally grateful to the city council especially to the chairman of the committee on sports, games and amusement, Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem and Acting Mayor Michael Rama for their help and support.
We hope that this collaboration will be repeated for the next Sinulog and luckily, we have been assured of it.
Many thanks also to SM City Cebu, led by Marissa Fernan and Marybelle Chua, for allowing us to use the venue and to Nicnic Climaco for making this possible.
The champion in the competition that attracted 32 teams was the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Team A composed of Rogelio Enriquez Jr., Romelio Asoque, Yuri Cauba, Rosendo Yamyamin and non-playing team manager, Bernard Garces. They won the P25,000 top purse plus a signature designer trophy.
There were four teams figuring in a deadlock for second to fifth places. They were Cebu Progress Marketing of Kelly Uy, USJ-R Team B, Fe Fish Dealer of Choyan Evardo and Uniplus Gaming Center of Danny Pestaño. They each pocketed P8,250.
Six teams tied for sixth to 11th places and they are Gorgonio Builders of Moyon Cala, Lapu-Lapu City of Jun Olis, Sikad Talisay of Manny Manzanares, Opascor of Tomas Riveral, Sta. Cruz Shell Gallery of Ben Dimaano and Barangay Day-as of Nic Cuizon.
The winners in Boards 1 to 4 were Glen Pardillo of White Sands, Bonn Tibod, Aller Somosot and Rodrigo Ababat (tied at Board 2), Joel Pacuribot of Opascor and Mandy Baria of Aboitizland, respectively.
The most unique team was the Balbona Kids, the brood of Felix and Juliet. The Balbona siblings, who are all chess enthusiasts, are Jessa Marie (16 years old), Marq Gabriel (13), Felix Shaun (11), Jhon Francis (10) and James Andrew (8).
Another kiddies lineup was the Lapu-Lapu team headed by Rafael Bensi.
Also making his presence felt was Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano of Southwestern University. A protege of Bombi Aznar, Sevillano, though only eight years old, gave the adults a hard time.
Many thanks also to the rest of the managers and coaches—Rey Ompoc, Wilfredo Gallardo, Edmund Suralta, Vergillo Codilla, Christopher Tubalado, Jesus Bitoon, Gonzalo Tumulak, Paquito Unchuan, Dave Entea, Louie Navaja, Romeo Romagos, Roberto Basadre, Chris Mejarito and Boy Cabungcal, who were instrumental in the success of the event.
CORUS 2009. The Corus chess tournament happens from Jan. 16 to Feb. 1 in Wijk aan Zee, a North Sea Resort in the Netherlands. It was called the Hoogovens Tournament from 1938 to 1999, and is one of the most prestigious in the Fide chess calendar. The tournament is divided into three main groups—A, B and C.
Our Boy Wonder, GM Wesley So, accepted the invitation by Jeroen van den Berg, the tournament director, to join the prestigious tournament.
An e-mail by Mr. Van den Berg sent to Mrs. Eleanor So, Wesley’s mother, dated June 6 said, “I am interested in the participation of Wesley So in the upcoming Corus Chess Tournament (Grandmaster group C). We can offer Wesley 1,250 Euros as appearance fee, plus hotel and breakfast during the event.”
The average Elo of the players in group C is 2521, a Category 11. Wesley is the highest-rated player at 2627. If he wins here, it will be his ticket to bigger tournaments.
Incidentally, Jobannie Tabada, the former sports editor of Sun.Star, is now a Fide arbiter after passing the course in Dubai just recently.
Eating my words and Chess in Schools program
MORE than three years ago, I wrote “The future of Philippine chess is as dim as the moons of Pluto. Like a schoolboy who refuses to go to school, there is practically no hope in the horizon.”
I continued with, “Today there are no world-class Pinoys…the just-concluded Southeast Asian Games clearly showed that we have lost our dominant position in the Asean region to Vietnam.”
“The much-heralded 12-year-old Wesley So is not as gifted as the child prodigies Sergey Karjakin, Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen.”
“The only way we could regain our position in the chess world is to institute a Chess in Schools program. China, Europe and even the United States have such a program, where chess is part of the curriculum.”
At that time, I did not count on a dynamic man named Prospero “Butch” Pichay, who took over the presidency of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines. Now, I stand corrected.
In a span of just two years, we have produced four grandmasters including Wesley. The others are Jayson Gonzales, John Paul Gomes and Darwin Laylo. Wesley is now a world-class player and should make the Top 100 list before the year ends or maybe even earlier.
We also have up-and-coming players Kimkim Yap, Rolando Nolte, Richard Bitoon and Joseph Sanchez, who make us look ahead in the future.
The ladies are not far behind. Chardine Cheradee Camacho is one of the top female young talents, who had an impressive result during the Olympiad in Dresden scoring 8.0/10 that gave her a WIM norm. At only 15, she has the potential of becoming a Woman GM, the first in the Philippines.
The Chess in Schools program will now be part of the curriculum starting next school year. In a short span of time, we will have thousands of gifted children like the Balbona kids of Cebu.
Why should my child play chess? The short and very important answer to that is chess gives children the skills needed to excel in the world today.
Christine Palm, after a study of the New York chess program, wrote that “Chess instills in young players a sense of self-confidence and self-worth; dramatically improves a child’s ability to think rationally; builds a sense of team spirit while emphasizing the ability of the individual; teaches the value of hard work, concentration and commitment; makes a child
realize he or she is responsible for his or her own actions and must accept their consequences.”
“Additionally, chess teaches children to try their best to win while accepting defeat with grace; allows girls to compare with boys on a non-threatening socially- acceptable plane; through competition, gives kids a palpable sign of their accomplishment; provides children with a concrete, inexpensive and compelling way to rise above the deprivation and self-doubt which are so much a part of their lives.”
Dr. Peter Dauvergne of the University of Sydney, upon surveys of various case studies on the psychological and educational effects of chess on children, said that chess as a learning tool can:
Raise intelligence quotient (IQ) scores; enhance reading, memory, language, and mathematical abilities; foster critical, creative, and original thinking; provide practice at making accurate and fast decisions under time pressure, a skill that can help improve exam scores; challenge gifted children while potentially helping underachieving gifted students learn how to study and strive for excellence; teach how to think logically and efficiently, learning to select the “best” choice from a large number of options; demonstrate the importance of flexible planning, concentration, and the consequences of decisions.
The question, therefore, should not be why should my child play chess?, but rather, why isn’t my child playing chess?
I continued with, “Today there are no world-class Pinoys…the just-concluded Southeast Asian Games clearly showed that we have lost our dominant position in the Asean region to Vietnam.”
“The much-heralded 12-year-old Wesley So is not as gifted as the child prodigies Sergey Karjakin, Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen.”
“The only way we could regain our position in the chess world is to institute a Chess in Schools program. China, Europe and even the United States have such a program, where chess is part of the curriculum.”
At that time, I did not count on a dynamic man named Prospero “Butch” Pichay, who took over the presidency of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines. Now, I stand corrected.
In a span of just two years, we have produced four grandmasters including Wesley. The others are Jayson Gonzales, John Paul Gomes and Darwin Laylo. Wesley is now a world-class player and should make the Top 100 list before the year ends or maybe even earlier.
We also have up-and-coming players Kimkim Yap, Rolando Nolte, Richard Bitoon and Joseph Sanchez, who make us look ahead in the future.
The ladies are not far behind. Chardine Cheradee Camacho is one of the top female young talents, who had an impressive result during the Olympiad in Dresden scoring 8.0/10 that gave her a WIM norm. At only 15, she has the potential of becoming a Woman GM, the first in the Philippines.
The Chess in Schools program will now be part of the curriculum starting next school year. In a short span of time, we will have thousands of gifted children like the Balbona kids of Cebu.
Why should my child play chess? The short and very important answer to that is chess gives children the skills needed to excel in the world today.
Christine Palm, after a study of the New York chess program, wrote that “Chess instills in young players a sense of self-confidence and self-worth; dramatically improves a child’s ability to think rationally; builds a sense of team spirit while emphasizing the ability of the individual; teaches the value of hard work, concentration and commitment; makes a child
realize he or she is responsible for his or her own actions and must accept their consequences.”
“Additionally, chess teaches children to try their best to win while accepting defeat with grace; allows girls to compare with boys on a non-threatening socially- acceptable plane; through competition, gives kids a palpable sign of their accomplishment; provides children with a concrete, inexpensive and compelling way to rise above the deprivation and self-doubt which are so much a part of their lives.”
Dr. Peter Dauvergne of the University of Sydney, upon surveys of various case studies on the psychological and educational effects of chess on children, said that chess as a learning tool can:
Raise intelligence quotient (IQ) scores; enhance reading, memory, language, and mathematical abilities; foster critical, creative, and original thinking; provide practice at making accurate and fast decisions under time pressure, a skill that can help improve exam scores; challenge gifted children while potentially helping underachieving gifted students learn how to study and strive for excellence; teach how to think logically and efficiently, learning to select the “best” choice from a large number of options; demonstrate the importance of flexible planning, concentration, and the consequences of decisions.
The question, therefore, should not be why should my child play chess?, but rather, why isn’t my child playing chess?
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