Frank “Boy” Pestaño
Chessmoso
CHESS legend Bobby Fischer died in Iceland on Jan. 17, 2008 of renal failure. In death, as in life, he left a legacy full of controversies. This time, it’s mainly the battle over his estate, estimated at $1.12 million cash deposited at an Icelandic bank. In addition, there are allegedly some gold deposits and a possible fortune in royalties from the making of the movie “Bobby Fischer goes to war.”
There are three claimants to this fortune, or four if you include the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The three are his nephews Alexander and Nicholas Targ who are the children of his late sister Joan; his Japanese wife Miyoko Wataihi; and his Filipina daughter, Jinky Young, who is now eight years old.
"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.
Here is a short background of where this money came from and why it is controversial.
After disappearing from public view for 20 years, Fischer returned to play a chess match with Boris Spassky in 1992.
It was held in Sveti Stefan, a resort in Montenegro, and Bobby was warned not to join since Yugoslavia was being sanctioned by the United Nations for the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The prize fund was $5 million with $3.65 million going to the winner.
The sponsor was Jezdimir Vasiljevic, the President of Jugoskandic Bank. Eugene Torre served as Fischer’s second, while Cebuano Eric Gloria was also part of the team of Fischer, who won the match.
The other day, the Supreme Court in Iceland rejected the claims of the Targ brothers and awarded the inheritance to Miyoko Watai, recognizing his marriage to Fischer as legal.
I have been following this drama since the very start thru an Icelandic contact, Alfred Gudmundsson, who is married to a Cebuana, Mae, and Samuel Estimo, Jinky’s lawyer.
Unfortunately, Alfred, who was a very good man, passed away.
I immediately sent an e-mail to NM Samuel Estimo, and he informed me that Jinky’s claim is still valid.
Jinky, her mom Marilyn Torre and Sammy will be joining a shoot for a documentary by BBC HBO on the life of Bobby on either Dec. 6 or 7 in London, and then will proceed to Iceland.
In Iceland, Jinky is sure to be DNA-tested and Marilyn has agreed as she is sure of Bobby’s paternity. I have a picture of Marilyn and Jinky, together with Bobby.
Under Icelandic law, the child gets two-thirds of the estate, while the legal wife gets one third.
Bobby, in an interview, claims that he was never married to Watai (Bobby was in jail in Japan then and the marriage would have set him free). Also Eugene Torre claims that Bobby never wished to marry Watai but only wanted her as a companion.
Bobby preferred young and beautiful women.
Let us wish them good luck when they go to Iceland. As Sammy says “Bobby will turn in his grave if Marilyn and Jinky will not be given their due.”
MABOLO AND LAPU-LAPU TOURNAMENTS. The first is open to Class B Mabolo residents only. It will be held on Nov. 17 to 19 and format is seven rounds Swiss with 25 minutes time control.
Venue is at Kawayan Grill, in front of Persimmon. Games start at 5:30 p.m.
Registration is P150 with the following prizes: Champion (P1,500), second (P1,000), third (P500), and fourth P(300.) The fifth to eight placers will receive P200 each. For details call 4129283 and 4129018.
The Lapu-Lapu Fiesta competition will start on Nov. 14, at the Auditorium and will have two divisions-- Kiddies and Juniors/Seniors. The Kiddies division begins at 8:30 a.m. and the seniors will be at 1:30 p.m.
Format for kiddies is five rounds Swiss and 30 minutes time control. Confirmed players are the Balbona brothers, boy wonder Rhenzi Kyle Sevillano and Lapu-Lapu’s Allan Pason, Raffy Bensi and Gil Gelig.
The Juniors/Seniors section is open to Lapu-Lapu residents and people who work there. The sponsor is the Lapu-Lapu City Government through Mayor Arturo Radaza. For details contact Jun Olis at 09103476907.
(frankpestano@yahoo.com,www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 13, 2009.
Showing posts with label Frank Pestaño. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Frank Pestaño. Show all posts
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Pestaño: Chess-playing murderers and assassins
Frank “Boy” Pestaño
Chessmoso
THIS article is about persons known to be avid chess players but at the same time, were assassins or murderers.
Generally, a person who murders restricts his or her act to one victim. A mass murderer or serial killer, however, slays three or more victims over a short period of time.
The most notorious serial killer is Alexander Pichushkin of Russia, 32, who has been nicknamed “Crazy Chess Player” as he had initially planned to commit 64 murders, one for each square of the chessboard . He boasted of killing 63 people--one short of filling up the chessboard--but prosecutors were able to find evidence only for 48. The killings were from 1996-2006.
He has been sentenced to life imprisonment as Russia has imposed a moratorium on the death sentence.
"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.
John Christie was an English serial killer active in the 1940s and 1950s. He murdered at least six women—including his wife, Ethel—by strangling them in his flat in London. He was arrested, tried, and hanged in 1953 for his wife’s murder and those of the other women.
John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was an American serial killer. Between 1972 and 1978, the year he was arrested, convicted, and later executed, Gacy raped and murdered at least 33 young men and boys. Although some of his victims’ bodies were found in the Des Plaines River, he buried 29 of them in the small crawl space underneath the basement of his home. He became known as “Killer Clown” because he entertained children in a clown suit and makeup under the alias “Pogo the Clown”.
The Soham murder was a high profile murder case in August 2002 of two 10-year-old girls in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England. The victims were Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The convicted killer was a local school caretaker, Ian Huntley,who was sentenced to life imprisonment..
Charles Manson founded a hippie cult in the ‘60s known as “the Family” whom he manipulated into brutally killing others on his behalf.
He was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to death, later commuted to life, for the Tate/LaBianca murders .
Sharon Tate (Valley of the Dolls) was one of the most beautiful actresses at that time, and was married to renowned director Roman Polanski (“Rosemarie’s Baby,” “Chinatown”) and was 8 1/2 months pregnant.
Tate, who was stabbed 16 times, pleaded to be allowed to live long enough to have her baby; she cried, “Mother... mother...” until she was dead.
Polanski is in the news lately with an arrest warrant for sexual assault on a minor in 1977.
Scott Lee Peterson is an American who was convicted of the murder of his wife, Laci Peterson, then eight months pregnant.
Peterson’s case dominated the American media for many months.
In 2005, Peterson was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
He remains on death row in San Quentin State Prison while his case is on appeal to the Supreme Court of California.
We now have the assassins--Lee Harvey Oswald ,Sirhan Sirhan and John Hinckley.
Lee Harvey Oswald was the assassin of US President John F. Kennedy who was fatally shot on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. He was a Marine who defected to the Soviet Union and later returned. Oswald was shot and mortally wounded by Jack Ruby on live television.
Sirhan Sirhan is the convicted assassin of United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy who was killed on June 5,1968. He was sentenced to death but later commuted to life imprisonment. You would be surprised to know that Sirhan is not a Muslim but a Palestinian Christian.
John Hinckley, Jr., attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C, on March 30, 1981, in an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and has remained under institutional psychiatric care since then.
(frankpestano@yahoo.com,www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 6, 2009.
Chessmoso
THIS article is about persons known to be avid chess players but at the same time, were assassins or murderers.
Generally, a person who murders restricts his or her act to one victim. A mass murderer or serial killer, however, slays three or more victims over a short period of time.
The most notorious serial killer is Alexander Pichushkin of Russia, 32, who has been nicknamed “Crazy Chess Player” as he had initially planned to commit 64 murders, one for each square of the chessboard . He boasted of killing 63 people--one short of filling up the chessboard--but prosecutors were able to find evidence only for 48. The killings were from 1996-2006.
He has been sentenced to life imprisonment as Russia has imposed a moratorium on the death sentence.
"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.
John Christie was an English serial killer active in the 1940s and 1950s. He murdered at least six women—including his wife, Ethel—by strangling them in his flat in London. He was arrested, tried, and hanged in 1953 for his wife’s murder and those of the other women.
John Wayne Gacy, Jr. was an American serial killer. Between 1972 and 1978, the year he was arrested, convicted, and later executed, Gacy raped and murdered at least 33 young men and boys. Although some of his victims’ bodies were found in the Des Plaines River, he buried 29 of them in the small crawl space underneath the basement of his home. He became known as “Killer Clown” because he entertained children in a clown suit and makeup under the alias “Pogo the Clown”.
The Soham murder was a high profile murder case in August 2002 of two 10-year-old girls in Soham, Cambridgeshire, England. The victims were Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The convicted killer was a local school caretaker, Ian Huntley,who was sentenced to life imprisonment..
Charles Manson founded a hippie cult in the ‘60s known as “the Family” whom he manipulated into brutally killing others on his behalf.
He was convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to death, later commuted to life, for the Tate/LaBianca murders .
Sharon Tate (Valley of the Dolls) was one of the most beautiful actresses at that time, and was married to renowned director Roman Polanski (“Rosemarie’s Baby,” “Chinatown”) and was 8 1/2 months pregnant.
Tate, who was stabbed 16 times, pleaded to be allowed to live long enough to have her baby; she cried, “Mother... mother...” until she was dead.
Polanski is in the news lately with an arrest warrant for sexual assault on a minor in 1977.
Scott Lee Peterson is an American who was convicted of the murder of his wife, Laci Peterson, then eight months pregnant.
Peterson’s case dominated the American media for many months.
In 2005, Peterson was sentenced to death by lethal injection.
He remains on death row in San Quentin State Prison while his case is on appeal to the Supreme Court of California.
We now have the assassins--Lee Harvey Oswald ,Sirhan Sirhan and John Hinckley.
Lee Harvey Oswald was the assassin of US President John F. Kennedy who was fatally shot on Nov. 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. He was a Marine who defected to the Soviet Union and later returned. Oswald was shot and mortally wounded by Jack Ruby on live television.
Sirhan Sirhan is the convicted assassin of United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy who was killed on June 5,1968. He was sentenced to death but later commuted to life imprisonment. You would be surprised to know that Sirhan is not a Muslim but a Palestinian Christian.
John Hinckley, Jr., attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C, on March 30, 1981, in an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity and has remained under institutional psychiatric care since then.
(frankpestano@yahoo.com,www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 6, 2009.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Pestaño: Tips and pointers to improve your game
Frank “Boy” Pestaño
Chessmoso
BRUCE Pandolfini is a chess author, teacher and coach. He was portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the 1993 film “Searching for Bobby Fischer.” He has coached many talented chess players, the most famous being Fabiano Caruana.
Here are his tips, pointers and hints on how to be a better chess player.
Sun.Star accepts donations for victims of Typhoon Ondoy
Be aggressive, but play soundly. Don’t take unnecessary chances. Make sure every move has a purpose. If you know your opponent’s style, take advantage of it. But, in the final analysis, play the board, not the player.
Don’t give needless checks. Answer all threats.
Play for the initiative. If you already have it, maintain it. If you don’t have it, seize it. When exchanging pieces, try to get at least as much as you give up. Take with the man of least value, unless there is a definite reason for doing otherwise.
Cut your losses. If you must lose material, lose as little as possible. Never play a risky move, hoping your opponent will overlook your threat, unless you have a losing position.
Rely on your own powers. If you can’t see the point of your opponent’s move, assume there isn’t any. Don’t sacrifice without good reason. When you can’t determine whether to accept or decline a sacrifice, accept it.
Attack in number. Don’t rely on just one or two pieces. Look for double attacks.
Play for the center: guard it, occupy it, influence it. Fight for the center with pawns. In the opening, move as few pawns as necessary to complete your development.
Try to develop your Bishops before blocking them in by moving a center pawn just one square.Develop your pieces quickly, preferably toward the center.
Try to develop a new piece on each turn. Don’t move a piece twice in the opening without good reason. Try to develop with threats, but don’t threaten pointlessly.
Develop minor pieces early. King-side pieces should usually be developed sooner than Queen-side ones, and Knights before Bishops. Develop during exchanges.
In the opening, don’t remove your Queen from play to “win” a pawn. Don’t bring out the Queen too early, unless the natural course of play requires it.
Seize open lines. Develop Rooks to open files, or to files likely to open. Castle early. Try to prevent your opponent’s King from castling. Keep it trapped in the center, especially in open games.
Try to pin your opponent’s pieces. Avoid pins against your own pieces. Don’t capture pinned pieces until you can benefit from doing so. After castling, don’t move the pawns in front of your King without specific reason.
When applicable, pick target squares on the color of your unopposed Bishop. Try to avoid early exchanges of Bishops for Knights.
Put queen and Rook(s) on the same file or rank, and Queen and Bishop on the same diagonal.
Usually play to retain your Bishops in open games, and Knights in closed games. To improve the scope of your Bishop, place your pawns on squares opposite in color to it.
RESULTS. Visayas dominated the elementary division boys and girls of the Milo Olympics held in Cebu. The members of the boys’ team are Felix Shaun Balbona, John Francis Balbona, James Andrew Balbona and John Paul Arenilla. The alternate is John Antonio, while the coach is Christine de la Cerna.
The proud parents of this chess playing family are Felix and Juliet Balbona. Another member of the family, Jessa Marie Balbona, placed fourth in the strong All Students Chess Tournament at the Colonnade Chess Club last weekend won by Michael Pinar.
Other placers were Johnny Carzano and Alfer Joseph Fernandez.
Here are the results of the San Roque Barangay’s cup held last weekend. The champion was Loraine Pawao. He was followed by Kryztell Ouano, Arjay Pardillo, Joseph Acosta and Christian Lustre.
(frankpestano@yahoo.com,www.blogspot.com)
Chessmoso
BRUCE Pandolfini is a chess author, teacher and coach. He was portrayed by Ben Kingsley in the 1993 film “Searching for Bobby Fischer.” He has coached many talented chess players, the most famous being Fabiano Caruana.
Here are his tips, pointers and hints on how to be a better chess player.
Sun.Star accepts donations for victims of Typhoon Ondoy
Be aggressive, but play soundly. Don’t take unnecessary chances. Make sure every move has a purpose. If you know your opponent’s style, take advantage of it. But, in the final analysis, play the board, not the player.
Don’t give needless checks. Answer all threats.
Play for the initiative. If you already have it, maintain it. If you don’t have it, seize it. When exchanging pieces, try to get at least as much as you give up. Take with the man of least value, unless there is a definite reason for doing otherwise.
Cut your losses. If you must lose material, lose as little as possible. Never play a risky move, hoping your opponent will overlook your threat, unless you have a losing position.
Rely on your own powers. If you can’t see the point of your opponent’s move, assume there isn’t any. Don’t sacrifice without good reason. When you can’t determine whether to accept or decline a sacrifice, accept it.
Attack in number. Don’t rely on just one or two pieces. Look for double attacks.
Play for the center: guard it, occupy it, influence it. Fight for the center with pawns. In the opening, move as few pawns as necessary to complete your development.
Try to develop your Bishops before blocking them in by moving a center pawn just one square.Develop your pieces quickly, preferably toward the center.
Try to develop a new piece on each turn. Don’t move a piece twice in the opening without good reason. Try to develop with threats, but don’t threaten pointlessly.
Develop minor pieces early. King-side pieces should usually be developed sooner than Queen-side ones, and Knights before Bishops. Develop during exchanges.
In the opening, don’t remove your Queen from play to “win” a pawn. Don’t bring out the Queen too early, unless the natural course of play requires it.
Seize open lines. Develop Rooks to open files, or to files likely to open. Castle early. Try to prevent your opponent’s King from castling. Keep it trapped in the center, especially in open games.
Try to pin your opponent’s pieces. Avoid pins against your own pieces. Don’t capture pinned pieces until you can benefit from doing so. After castling, don’t move the pawns in front of your King without specific reason.
When applicable, pick target squares on the color of your unopposed Bishop. Try to avoid early exchanges of Bishops for Knights.
Put queen and Rook(s) on the same file or rank, and Queen and Bishop on the same diagonal.
Usually play to retain your Bishops in open games, and Knights in closed games. To improve the scope of your Bishop, place your pawns on squares opposite in color to it.
RESULTS. Visayas dominated the elementary division boys and girls of the Milo Olympics held in Cebu. The members of the boys’ team are Felix Shaun Balbona, John Francis Balbona, James Andrew Balbona and John Paul Arenilla. The alternate is John Antonio, while the coach is Christine de la Cerna.
The proud parents of this chess playing family are Felix and Juliet Balbona. Another member of the family, Jessa Marie Balbona, placed fourth in the strong All Students Chess Tournament at the Colonnade Chess Club last weekend won by Michael Pinar.
Other placers were Johnny Carzano and Alfer Joseph Fernandez.
Here are the results of the San Roque Barangay’s cup held last weekend. The champion was Loraine Pawao. He was followed by Kryztell Ouano, Arjay Pardillo, Joseph Acosta and Christian Lustre.
(frankpestano@yahoo.com,www.blogspot.com)
Friday, October 23, 2009
Pestaño: Carlsen the Great: a virtuoso performance
Frank 'Boy' Pestaño
Chessmoso
ONE of the greatest tournament performance of all time was recently accomplished by Magnus Carlsen of Norway when he won the second Spring Pearl competition in Nanjing, China.
Carlsen, whose first name is “great” in Latin, totally dominated the event, winning six times and drawing four for an amazing 8/10 score. He left his nearest rival, the world’s top-rated grandmaster, Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, 2 1/2 points behind. This is like winning in the NBA by 60 points.
While such scores are fairly common in chess, this was extraordinary as the competition was a category 21 and was considered a super-elite tournament. Here is the final score: Carlsen (2772, 8 points), Topalov (2813, 5½), Wang Yue of China (2736, 4 1/2), Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan (2757, 4), Peter Leko of Hungary (2762, 4) and Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia (2742, 4).
"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.
GM Viswanathan Anand, the current world champion and No. 2 in the rating list, was originally slated to play. Instead he was substituted by the Hungarian grandmaster Leko.
Fide has recognized this tournament, which came after the highly successful first edition last year won by Topalov, as part of the world Grand Slam tournaments. This makes it a super-elite world chess event after Corus in Holland, Linares in Spain, Sofia in Bulgaria and Bilbao Grand Slam Chess Final.
Carlsen performed at a 2850 level (double-round robin) with an average Elo of 2763 and gained a massive 29 points on the Fide ratings list. This brings him to 2801, making him the fifth player in history--after Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand and Topalov--to break the 2800 barrier.
The currently highest-ranked player, Topalov, scored 5.5/10 and performed at a 2789 level. He lost 3.5 points and will appear at 2810 on the next list.
A relatively high 70 percent of the games in this event were drawn, with white winning 20 percent and black 10 percent.
Each of the other GMs dropped one game to Carlsen or Jakovenko.
In an article in chessbase.com, Jeff Sonas wrote that this was the best tournament performance since January 2005 and the greatest ever of all time by a teenager as Magnus is just 19.
The five best performances of all time were by Anatoly Karpov 2899 (Linares 1994); Garry Kasparov, 2881 (Tilburg 1989); Emanuele Lasker, 2878 (London 1899); Kasparov, 2877 (Linares 1999); and Mikhael Tal 2869 (Bled, Zagreb, Belgrade).
Surprisingly, Bobby Fischer’s best performance is just the same as Carlsen at 2850 in Palma de Mallorca (Interzonal) in 1970.
Bobby Fischer’s 100 percent score of 11-0 at the US Championships in 1963-64 is not recognized due to the low playing strength of his opponents. It is the only perfect score in the history of a major tournament.
Many observers attributed Carlsen’s amazing performance to the former world champion Kasparov, now retired, who is now his trainer and coach. A big amount of money must have been involved and Carlsen’s purse of 80,000 Euros in this event is just for starters.
The World Juniors Championship has just started in Puerto Madrin, Argentina instead of Mar del Plata as originally scheduled. The competition started yesterday and will end on Nov. 4.
Although there is also a Girls’ section, the Philippines is not represented. Our Wesley So is one of the favorites in the boys’ event.
The top 10 seeded players are (all GMs) 1. Vachier-Lagrave Maxime (2718, France), 2. Andreikin Dmitry (2659, Russia), 3. Sergie Zhigalko (2646, Bulgaria), 4. So (2644, Philippines) 5. David Howell David (2624, England) 6. Maxim Rodstein (2623, Israel) 7. Li Chao (2617, China) 8. Eduardo Iturrizaga (2605, Venezueala) 9. Eltaj Safarli (2587, Azebaijan) and 10. Ivan Popov (2582, Russia).
Ray Robson, the world’s youngest GM from the US, is also expected to be a contender.
(frankpestano@yahoo.com, www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 23, 2009.
Chessmoso
ONE of the greatest tournament performance of all time was recently accomplished by Magnus Carlsen of Norway when he won the second Spring Pearl competition in Nanjing, China.
Carlsen, whose first name is “great” in Latin, totally dominated the event, winning six times and drawing four for an amazing 8/10 score. He left his nearest rival, the world’s top-rated grandmaster, Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, 2 1/2 points behind. This is like winning in the NBA by 60 points.
While such scores are fairly common in chess, this was extraordinary as the competition was a category 21 and was considered a super-elite tournament. Here is the final score: Carlsen (2772, 8 points), Topalov (2813, 5½), Wang Yue of China (2736, 4 1/2), Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan (2757, 4), Peter Leko of Hungary (2762, 4) and Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia (2742, 4).
"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.
GM Viswanathan Anand, the current world champion and No. 2 in the rating list, was originally slated to play. Instead he was substituted by the Hungarian grandmaster Leko.
Fide has recognized this tournament, which came after the highly successful first edition last year won by Topalov, as part of the world Grand Slam tournaments. This makes it a super-elite world chess event after Corus in Holland, Linares in Spain, Sofia in Bulgaria and Bilbao Grand Slam Chess Final.
Carlsen performed at a 2850 level (double-round robin) with an average Elo of 2763 and gained a massive 29 points on the Fide ratings list. This brings him to 2801, making him the fifth player in history--after Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand and Topalov--to break the 2800 barrier.
The currently highest-ranked player, Topalov, scored 5.5/10 and performed at a 2789 level. He lost 3.5 points and will appear at 2810 on the next list.
A relatively high 70 percent of the games in this event were drawn, with white winning 20 percent and black 10 percent.
Each of the other GMs dropped one game to Carlsen or Jakovenko.
In an article in chessbase.com, Jeff Sonas wrote that this was the best tournament performance since January 2005 and the greatest ever of all time by a teenager as Magnus is just 19.
The five best performances of all time were by Anatoly Karpov 2899 (Linares 1994); Garry Kasparov, 2881 (Tilburg 1989); Emanuele Lasker, 2878 (London 1899); Kasparov, 2877 (Linares 1999); and Mikhael Tal 2869 (Bled, Zagreb, Belgrade).
Surprisingly, Bobby Fischer’s best performance is just the same as Carlsen at 2850 in Palma de Mallorca (Interzonal) in 1970.
Bobby Fischer’s 100 percent score of 11-0 at the US Championships in 1963-64 is not recognized due to the low playing strength of his opponents. It is the only perfect score in the history of a major tournament.
Many observers attributed Carlsen’s amazing performance to the former world champion Kasparov, now retired, who is now his trainer and coach. A big amount of money must have been involved and Carlsen’s purse of 80,000 Euros in this event is just for starters.
The World Juniors Championship has just started in Puerto Madrin, Argentina instead of Mar del Plata as originally scheduled. The competition started yesterday and will end on Nov. 4.
Although there is also a Girls’ section, the Philippines is not represented. Our Wesley So is one of the favorites in the boys’ event.
The top 10 seeded players are (all GMs) 1. Vachier-Lagrave Maxime (2718, France), 2. Andreikin Dmitry (2659, Russia), 3. Sergie Zhigalko (2646, Bulgaria), 4. So (2644, Philippines) 5. David Howell David (2624, England) 6. Maxim Rodstein (2623, Israel) 7. Li Chao (2617, China) 8. Eduardo Iturrizaga (2605, Venezueala) 9. Eltaj Safarli (2587, Azebaijan) and 10. Ivan Popov (2582, Russia).
Ray Robson, the world’s youngest GM from the US, is also expected to be a contender.
(frankpestano@yahoo.com, www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 23, 2009.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Pestaño: Building a child’s self-confidence
Frank “Boy” Pestaño
Chessmoso
THERE are several ways to build self-confidence-a trait needed to ensure success in this highly competitive world. It is vitally important that the child—your child—possesses this characteristic.
Your perception of yourself has an enormous impact on how others perceive you. Perception is reality — the more self-confidence you have, the more likely it is you’ll succeed.
"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.
Playing chess has many benefits and one is promoting self-confidence. You can learn many techniques and skills that you can apply in daily life.
Every time you win a game, you improve self-esteem and self-confidence.
Chess is a thinking game. It is a fair game in that the player is responsible for the fate of the game and there is no other intervention in the game either in the form of luck or chance.
If children were taught this noble game at a tender age and encouraged to play, they would perform better in academically and outshine others.
If your child has a history of school failure and academic problems, teach him/her to play chess. In due time, you will see great improvements not only in the personality but also in the intellectual capacity of the child
Chess players show intense concentration, abstract thinking, and mental strategies that are extremely difficult to understand and learn.
With more self-confidence, you can face the many difficulties of life. A child develops the attitude that he can do it and that he can achieve his dreams.
One of the important subjects that a child is taught in school is mathematics. This is a very important subject and one needs to master it to pursue and understand higher studies.
In a study of the richest people recently by Forbes magazine, one of their common traits is that they are good in math.
The importance of math is that it cannot be learned by memorizing. You cannot just memorize the formulas of algebra and reproduce it in exams.
Understanding the concepts, applying concentration, attention and analyzing the various types of problems is what is required in math and chess.
Other ways to improve your self-confidence is to recognize your insecurities, and remember that no one is perfect. You should also be thankful for what you have and be positive. Avoid self-pity, or the pity and sympathy of others. Never allow others to make you feel inferior—they can only do so if you let them.
So if your school, starting this school year will teach your child to play chess welcome it because your child will in the long run develop self-confidence.
Local news. The Colonnade Chess Center will be celebrating its 11th anniversary with a tournament on Oct. 24 and 25.
Format is active, seven rounds Swiss. Only students can participate. Tournament starts at 9 a.m.
Also on Oct. 24 and 25, the San Roque Chessfest will be held at the barangay hall at 9:30 a.m. Format is active seven rounds and is open only to kiddies 14 years old and below and residents of Talisay, Minglanilla and Inayawan. Contact Manny Manzanares at 09157206457.
Last weekend, an executives-only competition was held at the Deep Blue Coffee shop in SM City. Format was seven rounds handicapping chess with a time of five minutes for Class A, 10 minutes for Class B and 15 minutes for Class C.
The winner was Jonathan Canque with 5.5 points. He was followed by Allan Cinco, Wilfredo Dominguito, Maggi Dionson,Allen Borbon and Excel Canque, all with 5 points.
The sponsors were Carlos Tan, Edgar Hortelano Jr. and Dr.Jesus Cellona.
After the tournament, a chess club was formed—the Deep Blue “D” Woodpusher Chess Club. Wilfredo Dominguito was also elected as the first president.
(frankpestano@yahoo.com, www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 16, 2009.
Chessmoso
THERE are several ways to build self-confidence-a trait needed to ensure success in this highly competitive world. It is vitally important that the child—your child—possesses this characteristic.
Your perception of yourself has an enormous impact on how others perceive you. Perception is reality — the more self-confidence you have, the more likely it is you’ll succeed.
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Playing chess has many benefits and one is promoting self-confidence. You can learn many techniques and skills that you can apply in daily life.
Every time you win a game, you improve self-esteem and self-confidence.
Chess is a thinking game. It is a fair game in that the player is responsible for the fate of the game and there is no other intervention in the game either in the form of luck or chance.
If children were taught this noble game at a tender age and encouraged to play, they would perform better in academically and outshine others.
If your child has a history of school failure and academic problems, teach him/her to play chess. In due time, you will see great improvements not only in the personality but also in the intellectual capacity of the child
Chess players show intense concentration, abstract thinking, and mental strategies that are extremely difficult to understand and learn.
With more self-confidence, you can face the many difficulties of life. A child develops the attitude that he can do it and that he can achieve his dreams.
One of the important subjects that a child is taught in school is mathematics. This is a very important subject and one needs to master it to pursue and understand higher studies.
In a study of the richest people recently by Forbes magazine, one of their common traits is that they are good in math.
The importance of math is that it cannot be learned by memorizing. You cannot just memorize the formulas of algebra and reproduce it in exams.
Understanding the concepts, applying concentration, attention and analyzing the various types of problems is what is required in math and chess.
Other ways to improve your self-confidence is to recognize your insecurities, and remember that no one is perfect. You should also be thankful for what you have and be positive. Avoid self-pity, or the pity and sympathy of others. Never allow others to make you feel inferior—they can only do so if you let them.
So if your school, starting this school year will teach your child to play chess welcome it because your child will in the long run develop self-confidence.
Local news. The Colonnade Chess Center will be celebrating its 11th anniversary with a tournament on Oct. 24 and 25.
Format is active, seven rounds Swiss. Only students can participate. Tournament starts at 9 a.m.
Also on Oct. 24 and 25, the San Roque Chessfest will be held at the barangay hall at 9:30 a.m. Format is active seven rounds and is open only to kiddies 14 years old and below and residents of Talisay, Minglanilla and Inayawan. Contact Manny Manzanares at 09157206457.
Last weekend, an executives-only competition was held at the Deep Blue Coffee shop in SM City. Format was seven rounds handicapping chess with a time of five minutes for Class A, 10 minutes for Class B and 15 minutes for Class C.
The winner was Jonathan Canque with 5.5 points. He was followed by Allan Cinco, Wilfredo Dominguito, Maggi Dionson,Allen Borbon and Excel Canque, all with 5 points.
The sponsors were Carlos Tan, Edgar Hortelano Jr. and Dr.Jesus Cellona.
After the tournament, a chess club was formed—the Deep Blue “D” Woodpusher Chess Club. Wilfredo Dominguito was also elected as the first president.
(frankpestano@yahoo.com, www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 16, 2009.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Pestaño: Occupations of famous chess players
Frank 'Boy' Pestaño
Chessmoso
CONTRARY to what you know, most chess players have a regular occupation aside from playing chess. Almost everybody knows that very few people can make a living out of the game. Here are the selected professions of some players, all of them are grandmasters.
Edmar Mednis was a chemical engineer, a profession closest to my heart. He who played a simul tournament with Cepca members here in Cebu in the late 90s.
"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.
Mikhael Botvinnik was a three-time world champion who was an electrical engineer. His famous pupils include world champions Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik.
Max Euwe was not only a world champion but was also a past president of Fide. He was a professor and had a doctorate in mathematics.
Paul Morphy was considered by Bobby Fischer to have been the greatest player of all time and an unofficial world champion. He was a lawyer by profession and was known to have memorized the complete Louisiana book of code and laws.
William Lombardy gained fame by being the second of Bobby Fischer in the match of the century against Boris Spassky in 1972. He was a former Roman Catholic priest.
Miguel Najdorf was a Polish-born Argentine chess grandmaster of Jewish origin, famous for his Najdorf Variation. He was an insurance underwriter and once played communist revolutionary Che Guevara to a draw.
John Nunn is one of England’s strongest players and once belonged to the world’s top 10. He is also a college instructor in mathematics.
Reuben Fine was one of the strongest chess players in the world from the mid- 1930s through the 1940s and is a psychoanalyst.
Samuel Reshevsky, considered by many to have been the best player after Bobby Fischer and Paul Morphy, was an accountant. He was a contender for the World Chess Championship from 1935 to the mid-1960s.
Mark Taimanov has the distinction for being one of the top 100 players of all time in chess and piano.
Siegbert Tarrasch was one of the strongest players and most influential chess teachers of the late 19th century and early 20th century. He was a doctor.
Andrew Solis is considered one of the most prolific chess writers, having authored or co-authored around 30 books. Soltis is a journalist and a weekly columnist for the New York Post. He was named “Chess journalist of the year” by the Chess Journalists of America in 1988.
Alex Yermolinsky won the US championship in 1993 and 1996 and is a chemist.
MILLION POT. Poker has grown tremendously over the last three or four years, including here in Cebu. It’s a game that largely attracts the same people as chess. Poker is a lot similar to chess in that beneath its seemingly simple surface lurks a deep sea of advanced theoretical concepts that give skilled players a great advantage over occasional ones
Chess is a game like golf, tennis or boxing, it has plenty of followers, yet no one will watch it on TV. The invention of the pocket camera has made poker the fastest
growing game in the world today.
The action is at its highest at the All-in poker club at the Waterfront Hotel where there is a guaranteed P50,000 tournament everyday and cash games all the time.
A lot of chess players including Cepca members play here.
Tomorrow at 2:30 p.m., there will be a P1-million guaranteed tournament with a freezeout format. The buy-in is only P10,000 plus P500 registration.
The club manager is Bryan Lo, and the assistant is Cathy Dagiso. Antonio “Mario” Lo Jr. is the Chairman-CEO of the Vanskaps Management Group that operates the poker club.
If you think you are good ,this is your chance to play this once in a lifetime competition .Contact Bryan at 3181101 or 0917-7256756.
(frankpestano@yahoo.co,www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 9, 2009.
Chessmoso
CONTRARY to what you know, most chess players have a regular occupation aside from playing chess. Almost everybody knows that very few people can make a living out of the game. Here are the selected professions of some players, all of them are grandmasters.
Edmar Mednis was a chemical engineer, a profession closest to my heart. He who played a simul tournament with Cepca members here in Cebu in the late 90s.
"The Manny Pacquiao Blog". Click here for stories and updates on the Filipino boxing champ.
Mikhael Botvinnik was a three-time world champion who was an electrical engineer. His famous pupils include world champions Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov and Vladimir Kramnik.
Max Euwe was not only a world champion but was also a past president of Fide. He was a professor and had a doctorate in mathematics.
Paul Morphy was considered by Bobby Fischer to have been the greatest player of all time and an unofficial world champion. He was a lawyer by profession and was known to have memorized the complete Louisiana book of code and laws.
William Lombardy gained fame by being the second of Bobby Fischer in the match of the century against Boris Spassky in 1972. He was a former Roman Catholic priest.
Miguel Najdorf was a Polish-born Argentine chess grandmaster of Jewish origin, famous for his Najdorf Variation. He was an insurance underwriter and once played communist revolutionary Che Guevara to a draw.
John Nunn is one of England’s strongest players and once belonged to the world’s top 10. He is also a college instructor in mathematics.
Reuben Fine was one of the strongest chess players in the world from the mid- 1930s through the 1940s and is a psychoanalyst.
Samuel Reshevsky, considered by many to have been the best player after Bobby Fischer and Paul Morphy, was an accountant. He was a contender for the World Chess Championship from 1935 to the mid-1960s.
Mark Taimanov has the distinction for being one of the top 100 players of all time in chess and piano.
Siegbert Tarrasch was one of the strongest players and most influential chess teachers of the late 19th century and early 20th century. He was a doctor.
Andrew Solis is considered one of the most prolific chess writers, having authored or co-authored around 30 books. Soltis is a journalist and a weekly columnist for the New York Post. He was named “Chess journalist of the year” by the Chess Journalists of America in 1988.
Alex Yermolinsky won the US championship in 1993 and 1996 and is a chemist.
MILLION POT. Poker has grown tremendously over the last three or four years, including here in Cebu. It’s a game that largely attracts the same people as chess. Poker is a lot similar to chess in that beneath its seemingly simple surface lurks a deep sea of advanced theoretical concepts that give skilled players a great advantage over occasional ones
Chess is a game like golf, tennis or boxing, it has plenty of followers, yet no one will watch it on TV. The invention of the pocket camera has made poker the fastest
growing game in the world today.
The action is at its highest at the All-in poker club at the Waterfront Hotel where there is a guaranteed P50,000 tournament everyday and cash games all the time.
A lot of chess players including Cepca members play here.
Tomorrow at 2:30 p.m., there will be a P1-million guaranteed tournament with a freezeout format. The buy-in is only P10,000 plus P500 registration.
The club manager is Bryan Lo, and the assistant is Cathy Dagiso. Antonio “Mario” Lo Jr. is the Chairman-CEO of the Vanskaps Management Group that operates the poker club.
If you think you are good ,this is your chance to play this once in a lifetime competition .Contact Bryan at 3181101 or 0917-7256756.
(frankpestano@yahoo.co,www.chessmoso.blogspot.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on October 9, 2009.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Pestaño: The oldest chess club in the world
Frank “Boy” Pestaño
Chessmoso
THE Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association has been in existence for 19 long years and it seems like a lifetime.
Aside from Chessmoso, the founders were Art Ynclino, the late Sonny Sollano and Gerry Tomakin, Loy Minoza, Danny Pestaño,Nicnic Climaco and Alex Tolentino.
The Manhattan Chess club was founded in 1877 at Gafe Logeling (The club transferred to other sites including Carnegie Hall and the Central Opera house) in New York and is the second oldest chess club in America. It is historic in the sense that it frequently hosted the United States Championship .
Women were not allowed to join the club until 1938. In 1955 Bobby Fischer joined the club.
The oldest chess club in America in existence is the Mechanics Chess Institute in San Francisco established in 1854.
The Institute has also been visited by many world champions including Emanuel Lasker, José Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Max Euwe, Bobby Fischer, Vasily Smyslov, Tigran Petrosian and Anatoly Karpov.
All of these pales in comparison to the oldest club in the world and which is still going strong—the Schachgesellschaft Zürich. It was founded in 1809.
Although London and Paris had their first chess clubs from the 1770s onwards including the famous Café dela Regence in Paris—where Napoleon, Rousseau Robiespierre played—organized chess was still very rare in 1809 when the Schachgesellschaft Zürich was founded.
Ever since the club’s first day, membership has been highly diverse. The founders were Sigmund Spöndli (the State cashier of Zurich), Leonhard Ziegler (a paper manufacturer), Johann Escher (a grocer) and the three painters Heinrich Maurer, Carl Schulthess and Heinrich Schulthess.
This month, the club will be celebrating its 200th jubilee with a big bang. Last Aug. 22, 200 amateurs played against eight world champions: Viswanathan Anand, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Viktor Korchnoi, Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Spassky, Ruslan Ponomariov and Veselin Topalov. Each of them faced 25 players for 200 games altogether, one for every year of the club’s history.
The next day, another group of eight champions —Viswanathan Anand, Werner Hug, Anatoly Karpov, Alexander Khalifman, Vladimir Kramnik, Judit Polgar, Ruslan Ponomariov and Veselin Topalov—played one another in rapid format.
The winner was Kramnik. He was followed by Anand and, in joint third and fourth, Topalov and Ponomariov.
There was also an open tournament from Aug. 9 to 15. It attracted 600 players, including 45 GMs and 48 IMs. Alexander Areshchenko took the title with a superior tie-break over Boris Avruth with 7.5 points.
SELMA CUP. The Mayor Selma Cup, organized by Engr. Blas Hipulan, was played last weekend at the Minglanilla Sports Complex with three divisions.
The top three winners in the open division were Joel Pacuribot, Venancio Loyola Jr. and William Retanal Jr., respectively.
In the Kiddies, the champion was Marq Balbona. He was followed by Renzi Kyle Sevillano, Felix Shaun Balbona, Harold Dave Pones,Jeremy Pepito,James Andrew Balbona and Markeno Czar Manzanares.
The Executives division was ruled by Cepca members, led by former president Manny Manzanares (champion).
He was followed by Rafael Perez, Maggie Dionson and another former prexy Mandy Baria.
There will be a kiddies tournament tomorrow and Sunday at the San Roque Barangay Hall, Talisay City starting at 9:30 a.m.
The format is seven rounds Swiss with 25 minutes time control and registration at P25. Register by text to 0915-7206457.
Tournament arbiters are Marvin Ruelan and Tony Cabibil.
Chessmoso
THE Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association has been in existence for 19 long years and it seems like a lifetime.
Aside from Chessmoso, the founders were Art Ynclino, the late Sonny Sollano and Gerry Tomakin, Loy Minoza, Danny Pestaño,Nicnic Climaco and Alex Tolentino.
The Manhattan Chess club was founded in 1877 at Gafe Logeling (The club transferred to other sites including Carnegie Hall and the Central Opera house) in New York and is the second oldest chess club in America. It is historic in the sense that it frequently hosted the United States Championship .
Women were not allowed to join the club until 1938. In 1955 Bobby Fischer joined the club.
The oldest chess club in America in existence is the Mechanics Chess Institute in San Francisco established in 1854.
The Institute has also been visited by many world champions including Emanuel Lasker, José Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine, Max Euwe, Bobby Fischer, Vasily Smyslov, Tigran Petrosian and Anatoly Karpov.
All of these pales in comparison to the oldest club in the world and which is still going strong—the Schachgesellschaft Zürich. It was founded in 1809.
Although London and Paris had their first chess clubs from the 1770s onwards including the famous Café dela Regence in Paris—where Napoleon, Rousseau Robiespierre played—organized chess was still very rare in 1809 when the Schachgesellschaft Zürich was founded.
Ever since the club’s first day, membership has been highly diverse. The founders were Sigmund Spöndli (the State cashier of Zurich), Leonhard Ziegler (a paper manufacturer), Johann Escher (a grocer) and the three painters Heinrich Maurer, Carl Schulthess and Heinrich Schulthess.
This month, the club will be celebrating its 200th jubilee with a big bang. Last Aug. 22, 200 amateurs played against eight world champions: Viswanathan Anand, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov, Viktor Korchnoi, Vladimir Kramnik, Boris Spassky, Ruslan Ponomariov and Veselin Topalov. Each of them faced 25 players for 200 games altogether, one for every year of the club’s history.
The next day, another group of eight champions —Viswanathan Anand, Werner Hug, Anatoly Karpov, Alexander Khalifman, Vladimir Kramnik, Judit Polgar, Ruslan Ponomariov and Veselin Topalov—played one another in rapid format.
The winner was Kramnik. He was followed by Anand and, in joint third and fourth, Topalov and Ponomariov.
There was also an open tournament from Aug. 9 to 15. It attracted 600 players, including 45 GMs and 48 IMs. Alexander Areshchenko took the title with a superior tie-break over Boris Avruth with 7.5 points.
SELMA CUP. The Mayor Selma Cup, organized by Engr. Blas Hipulan, was played last weekend at the Minglanilla Sports Complex with three divisions.
The top three winners in the open division were Joel Pacuribot, Venancio Loyola Jr. and William Retanal Jr., respectively.
In the Kiddies, the champion was Marq Balbona. He was followed by Renzi Kyle Sevillano, Felix Shaun Balbona, Harold Dave Pones,Jeremy Pepito,James Andrew Balbona and Markeno Czar Manzanares.
The Executives division was ruled by Cepca members, led by former president Manny Manzanares (champion).
He was followed by Rafael Perez, Maggie Dionson and another former prexy Mandy Baria.
There will be a kiddies tournament tomorrow and Sunday at the San Roque Barangay Hall, Talisay City starting at 9:30 a.m.
The format is seven rounds Swiss with 25 minutes time control and registration at P25. Register by text to 0915-7206457.
Tournament arbiters are Marvin Ruelan and Tony Cabibil.
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