3 Pinoy GMs gear up for World Cup

GRANDMASTER Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. said he isn’t too confident of his chances when he joins the World Chess Cup slated on Nov. 20 to Dec. 15 in Russia.

“Thirty percent chance lang na manalo kay (Gata) Kamsky, pero lalaban tayo,” said Antonio.

Kamsky is the reigning world champion.

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The 12-time National Open champion Antonio is fresh from an impressive eight-win and one-draw performance in the 3rd Asian Indoor Games blitz chess competition in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Antonio first joined the World Chess Championships in 1999 in the US, where he lost in the second round of the playoff against eventual runner-up GM Vladimir Akopian of Armenia.

The first meeting between Antonio and Kamsky was in the 2005 HB Global Challenge in the US.

The game ended in a fighting draw after Antonio employed his pet line Caro-Khan defense with the black pieces.

Antonio is rated 2574,while Kamsky is 2695.

If Antonio pulls an upset against Kamsky, his second round opponent in this Fide knockout tournament will be the winner between GM Emil Sutovsky of Israel and GM Zhou Weiqi of China.

If Antonio wins his second round assignment, he could meet compatriot GM Wesley So in the third round if the latter also wins his first two matches.

So, rated 2640, will face GM Gadir Guseinov of Azerbaijan, rated 2625. A victory will pit him with either GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine and GM Alexei Bezgodov of Russia in the second round.

GM Darwin Laylo, the other member of the RP chess team, will face GM David Navara of the Czech Republic. (PR)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on November 13, 2009.

Pestaño: Family feud over Fischer’s inheritance

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

November 2009 FIDE Rating List

FIDE publishes 1st November 2009 Rating List.

World Chess Cup 2009 Pairings of Round 1

FIDE is publishing the pairings of the 1st round of the World Cup 2009.


World Cup 2009 Round 1
Table White Fed Black Fed

1 1 GM Gelfand, Boris ISR - 128 IM Obodchuk, Andrei RUS
2 2 GM Gashimov, Vugar AZE - 127 IM Sarwat, Walaa EGY
3 3 GM Svidler, Peter RUS - 126 IM Hebert, Jean CAN
4 4 GM Morozevich, Alexander RUS - 125 IM Abdel Razik, Khaled EGY
5 5 GM Radjabov, Teimour AZE - 124 IM Ezat, Mohamed EGY
6 6 GM Ivanchuk, Vassily UKR - 123 GM Bezgodov, Alexei RUS
7 7 GM Ponomariov, Ruslan UKR - 122 GM El Gindy, Essam EGY
8 8 GM Grischuk, Alexander RUS - 121 IM Sriram, Jha IND
9 9 GM Jakovenko, Dmitry RUS - 120 GM Rizouk, Aimen ALG
10 10 GM Wang, Yue CHN - 119 GM Kabanov, Nikolai RUS
11 11 GM Eljanov, Pavel UKR - 118 GM Al Sayed, Mohamad N. QAT
12 12 GM Karjakin, Sergey UKR - 117 GM Rodriguez Vila, Andres URU
13 13 GM Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar AZE - 116 GM Kosteniuk, Alexandra RUS
14 14 GM Shirov, Alexei ESP - 115 GM Kunte, Abhijit IND
15 15 GM Dominguez Perez, Leinier CUB - 114 GM Smerdon, David AUS
16 16 GM Movsesian, Sergei SVK - 113 GM Yu, Yangyi CHN
17 17 GM Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime FRA - 112 GM Yu, Shaoteng CHN
18 18 GM Alekseev, Evgeny RUS - 111 IM Pridorozhni, Aleksei RUS
19 19 GM Tomashevsky, Evgeny RUS - 110 GM Ivanov, Alexander USA
20 20 GM Wang, Hao CHN - 109 GM Friedel, Joshua E USA
21 21 GM Navara, David CZE - 108 GM Laylo, Darwin PHI
22 22 GM Malakhov, Vladimir RUS - 107 GM Amin, Bassem EGY
23 23 GM Bacrot, Etienne FRA - 106 GM Nijboer, Friso NED
24 24 GM Rublevsky, Sergei RUS - 105 GM Morovic Fernandez, Ivan CHI
25 25 GM Jobava, Baadur GEO - 104 IM Robson, Ray USA
26 26 GM Motylev, Alexander RUS - 103 GM Hess, Robert L USA
27 27 GM Kamsky, Gata USA - 102 GM Antonio, Rogelio Jr PHI
28 28 GM Vitiugov, Nikita RUS - 101 GM Gupta, Abhijeet IND
29 29 GM Bologan, Viktor MDA - 100 GM Adly, Ahmed EGY
30 30 GM Naiditsch, Arkadij GER - 99 GM Hou, Yifan CHN
31 31 GM Bu, Xiangzhi CHN - 98 GM Pelletier, Yannick SUI
32 32 GM Polgar, Judit HUN - 97 GM Pavasovic, Dusko SLO
33 33 GM Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter ROU - 96 GM Lupulescu, Constantin ROU
34 34 GM Sargissian, Gabriel ARM - 95 GM Li, Chao b CHN
35 35 GM Onischuk, Alexander USA - 94 GM Flores, Diego ARG
36 36 GM Cheparinov, Ivan BUL - 93 GM Kryvoruchko, Yuriy UKR
37 37 GM Efimenko, Zahar UKR - 92 GM Milos, Gilberto BRA
38 38 GM Sutovsky, Emil ISR - 91 GM Zhou, Weiqi CHN
39 39 GM Najer, Evgeniy RUS - 90 GM Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan IRI
40 40 GM Tiviakov, Sergei NED - 89 GM Iturrizaga, Eduardo VEN
41 41 GM Areshchenko, Alexander UKR - 88 GM Corrales Jimenez, Fidel CUB
42 42 GM Sasikiran, Krishnan IND - 87 GM L'Ami, Erwin NED
43 43 GM Smirin, Ilia ISR - 86 GM Ehlvest, Jaan USA
44 44 GM Baklan, Vladimir UKR - 85 GM Shabalov, Alexander USA
45 45 GM Ganguly, Surya Shekhar IND - 84 GM Filippov, Anton UZB
46 46 GM Fier, Alexandr BRA - 83 GM Khalifman, Alexander RUS
47 47 GM Fressinet, Laurent FRA - 82 GM Sjugirov, Sanan RUS
48 48 GM Meier, Georg GER - 81 GM Petrosian, Tigran L. ARM
49 49 GM Grachev, Boris RUS - 80 GM Bartel, Mateusz POL
50 50 GM Caruana, Fabiano ITA - 79 GM Bruzon Batista, Lazaro CUB
51 51 GM Sokolov, Ivan NED - 78 GM Fedorchuk, Sergey A. UKR
52 52 GM Milov, Vadim SUI - 77 GM Negi, Parimarjan IND
53 53 GM Timofeev, Artyom RUS - 76 GM Leitao, Rafael BRA
54 54 GM Inarkiev, Ernesto RUS - 75 GM Gustafsson, Jan GER
55 55 GM Savchenko, Boris RUS - 74 GM Shulman, Yuri USA
56 56 GM Kobalia, Mikhail RUS - 73 GM Sandipan, Chanda IND
57 57 GM Tkachiev, Vladislav FRA - 72 GM Le, Quang Liem VIE
58 58 GM Tregubov, Pavel V. RUS - 71 GM Akobian, Varuzhan USA
59 59 GM So, Wesley PHI - 70 GM Guseinov, Gadir AZE
60 60 GM Granda Zuniga, Julio E PER - 69 GM Sakaev, Konstantin RUS
61 61 GM Laznicka, Viktor CZE - 68 GM Papaioannou, Ioannis GRE
62 62 GM Andreikin, Dmitry RUS - 67 GM Nyback, Tomi FIN
63 63 GM Mamedov, Rauf AZE - 66 GM Zhou, Jianchao CHN
64 64 GM Amonatov, Farrukh TJK - 65 GM Volkov, Sergey RUS

SALCEDA CUP (Bicol Chess Tournament)

The Governor Joey Salceda Cup scheduled this November 12-18, 2009 has been postponed and will be re schedule according to NCFP Executive and Events Director Wilfredo Abalos. The dates will be announce later.
NCFP Secretariat

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.

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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)

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).

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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.

London given option for World Championship 2012

The Executive Board in Halkidiki, Greece gave an option to London to organise the World Chess Championship in 2012. The Organizing Committee requested the option for Olympic Games year in London and they have until February 15th 2010 to exercise the option which must include the offer of a prize fund similar to that for the match between champion GM V. Anand and GM V. Topalov next April. If the option is not exercised then FIDE will open the bidding procedure.

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.

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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.

Mchedlishvili, Ghaem win 5th Pichay Cup

GMs Mikhail Mchedlishvili of Georgia and Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran tied for first in the $30,000 Prospero A. Pichay Jr. Cup held 2-7 October 2009 at LUWA in Quezon City, Philippines. Filipino GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. prevailed in the tie break to finish in third place.

Top Filipino player GM Rogelio Antonio receives his trophy from National Chess Federation of the Philippines chairman/president Prospero A. Pichay Jr. and Secretary General Mayor Abraham Tolentino. Other NCFP officials are, from left, FIDE Delegate Casto Abundo, Treasurer Red Dumuk, Executive Director Wilfredo Abalos and Board members Val Rosabal and Edmund Legaspi.

The Pichay Cup, now in its 5th year, was immediately preceded by the $40,000 President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Cup also in Manila. The strong field of 20 Grandmasters saw action in both tournaments.

Antonio tied at 6.5 points apiece with GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam and GM Zhang Zhong of Singapore. GMs Darwin Laylo of Philippines, Dao Thien Hai of Vietnam and Neelotpal Das of India trailed with 6 points each. Go to chess-results.com for final standings.

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.

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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.

Shell chess grand final slated

MANILA, Philippines - Forty four players, making up the country’s future chess stars, gear up for the big battle on the chess board next week when the Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship (Shell Chess) holds its grand finals on Oct. 10-11 at the SM Megamall Event Center.

They are all primed up, each raring to dish out their best and hoping to join the ranks of great names in RP chess that the annual chess event has produced, including Grand masters Nelson Mariano II, Mark Paragua, Darwin Laylo and the country’s current top player Wesley So.

Laylo shares lead in Butch Pichay Cup

CEBU, Philippines - World Cup-bound GM Darwin Laylo outdueled compatriot IM Richard Bitoon in the third round and then drew with top seed GM Mikhail Mchedlishvili of Georgia in the fourth to gain a share of the lead in the Prospero Pichay Cup International Chess Championship at the LWUA Bldg. in Katipunan Ave., Quezon City over the weekend.

The victory and the draw hiked Laylo’s output to 3.5 points as he joined Mchedlishvili and Iranian GM Ehsan Ghaemmaghami in the lead with five rounds left in the nine-round tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) in cooperation with the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA).

Mchedlishvili trounced GM Li Shilong of China in the third round while Ghaemmaghami beat No. 25 Tirto of Indonesia in the third round and No. 15 GM John Paul Gomez in the fourth.

Twelve players, led by newly crowned President Arroyo Cup champion GM Anton Filippov of Uzbekistan, Filipino bets GM Rogelio Antonio Jr., Eugene Torre and Bitoon, shared fourth place with three points each.

Filippov, hoping to become the first player to sweep the two tournaments, halved the point with GM Mark Paragua in the third round and Antonio in the fourth round.

Antonio, who will join Laylo and GM Wesley So as the country’s representatives to the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia next month, trampled IM Rolando Nolte in the third round before halving the point with Filippov.

Torre, out to atone for his lackluster showing in the PGMA Cup last week, dumped Ali Branzuela and GM-elect Ronald Dableo, while Bitoon, who is seeking his third and last GM norm, bounced back from his third-round setback to Laylo as he subdued Denil Causo.

Also moving up in contention with three points are GMs Dao Thien Hai of Vietnam, Tigran Kotanjian of Armenia, Abhijeet Gupta of India, Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam, Das Neelotpal of India, Zhang Zhong of Singapore, Merab Gagunashvili and Pyotr Kostenko of Kazakhstan.

Kotanjian drew with Nguyen, Gupta halved the point with Dao, Zhang nipped Paragua, Gagunashvili outclassed FM Fernie Donguines, Das downed IM Chito Garma and Kostenko humbled FM Leonardo Carlos.

Rolando Andador toppled GM Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor, GM Jayson Gonzales drew with Alcon John Datu, and Alex Milagrosa split the point with Nolte to lead five other players with 2.5 points.

Wong draws with Bitoon, stays on top

MANILA, Philippines - Standings after five rounds: (RP unless stated)

4.5 - M.K. Wong (Singapore)

4 - N.T., Nguyen (Vietnam), T. Kotanjian (Atmenia), R., Bitoon

3.5 - A. Filippov (Uzbekistan), R. Dableo, M. Mchedlishvili (Georgia), E. Ghaemmaghami (Iran), R., Antonio, J. Gomez, M. Gagunashvili (Georgia), D. Laylo, G. Nayanan (India), T.H., Dao (Vietnam)

International Master Richard Bitoon battled GM Meng Kong Wong of Singapore to a draw in their fifth-round encounter to keep his hopes alive in the fourth President Arroyo Cup international chess championship at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Parañaque.

Bitoon, the pride of Medelin, Cebu, drew with Wong with the white pieces to remain in a three-way tie for second to fourth places with GMs Nuyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam and Tigran Kotanjian of Armenia with four points with still four remaining in this tough, nine-round tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

Nguyen subdued No. 13 seed GM Anuar Ismagambetov of Kazakhstan while Kotanjian outplayed No. 16 GM Pyotr Kostenko of Kazakshtan to boost their chances for the title and the top prize of $6,000 put up by NCFP president Prospero “Butch” Pichay.

Ten players, led by top seed GM Mikhael Mchedlishvili of Georgia and World Cup-bound GMs Rogelio Antonio Jr. and Darwin Laylo, shared fifth to 14th places with 3.5 points.

Mchedlishvili, the highest-rated player here with an ELO of 2613, bounced back from a stunning fourth-round loss to Bitoon by humbling No. 15 seed GM Mark Paragua.

Antonio and Laylo, who will represent the country in the World Cup scheduled in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia starting Nov. 21, halved the point with compatriot GM John Paul Gomez and GM Anton Filippov of Uzbekistan, respectively.

GM-elect Ronald Dableo, who dropped out of the lead after defaulting his fourth-round match against Wong due to widespread flooding spawned by typhoon “Ondoy”, drew with No. 9 GM Dao Thien Hai of Vietnam to remain in contention with 3.5 points.

Also moving up the standings with 3.5 points are second seed GM Gopal Nayanan of India, who outdueled compatriot GM Das Neelotpal; fifth seed GM Ehsan Ghaemmaghami of Iran, who subdued GM Jayson Gonzales.; and sixth seed GM Merab Gagunashvili of Georgia, who outwitted GM Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor.

Defending champion GM Eugene Torre settled for his fifth straight draw against FM Leonardo Carlos to remain in the lower half of the 56-player tournament.

Torre, who finished in a three-way tie for first place with GM Li Shilong of China and GM Zhang Zhong of Singapore last year, also drew his first four matches against lower-rated Filipino rivals.

In other notable fifth-round results, little-known Reggie Olay upset IM Tirto of Indonesia, IM Oliver Dimakiling outplayed Edgardo Garma, Randy Segara surprised IM Rolando Nolte, IM Chito Garma whipped Roel Abelgas, Ric Portogalera stopped Efren Bagamasbad, Ali Branzuela beat Nicomedes Aliangco, Voltaire Sevillano edged Richard de la Cruz and Haridas Pasacua beat Glidel Gabica.

Bitoon stuns top seed, moves up to second

MANILA, Philippines - GM-candidate Richard Bitoon posted the first major upset win in the storm-hit fourth President Arroyo Cup International Chess Championship, beating top seed GM Mikhael Mchedlishvili of Georgia at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Parañaque yesterday.

Bitoon handled the black pieces with aplomb to pull the rug from under the highly rated Mchedlishvili and gain solo second place behind surprise leader GM Meng Kong Wong of Singapore.

The 17th-seeded Bitoon now has 3.5 points on three wins and one draw in the tough, nine-round tournament organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

Wong, the lone participant from Singapore, won by default over erstwhile co-leader GM-elect Ronald Dableo.

World Cup-bound GMs Rogelio Antonio Jr. whipped IM Oliver Dimakiling and Darwin Laylo outclassed Emmanuel Senador while GM John Paul Gomez crushed Edgardo Garma to share third with five others with three points.

Third seed GM Anton Filippov of Uzbekistan drew with fourth seed GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam and No. 8 GM Tigran Kotanjian demolished Tirto of Indonesia to stay in the hunt for the top prize of $6,000 with three points apiece.

Fifth seed GM Ehsan Ghaemaghami of Iran halved the point with GM Bong Villamayor, while sixth seed GM Merab Gagunashvili of Georgia split the point with GM Mark Paragua for 2.5 points. Also in the group are Paragua, Villamayor, GM Jayson Gonzales and FM Leonardo Carlos.

But defending champion GM Eugene Torre failed to gain headway, settling for his fourth straight draw, this time with No. 34 seed Reggie Olay.

Torre also drew his first three matches against Ali Branzuela, Allan Macala and Deniel Causo.

Floods spawned by typhoon Ondoy forced the postponement of the fourth-round match late Saturday. But seven other players still failed to show up for their matches early Sunday, including Dableo, who lost by default with Wong in their top board match.

Dableo, who nailed his third and last GM norm during the Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur last month, swept his first three assignments.

The other players who missed their fourth round matches were IM Barlo Nadera, Deniel Causo, Ali Branzuela, Edmundo Legaspi, Conrado Diaz and Albert Rivera.

4th PGMA Cup Reels Off in Manila

Duty Free Philippines Deputy General Manager Lorenzo Formoso (right) making the ceremonial moves with GM Mkhael Mchedlishvili to open the 4th President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Cup in Manila, Philippines. Looking on are National Chess Federation of the Philippines officials, from left, Executive Director Wilfredo Abalos, Auditor Edmund Legaspi, President and Chairman Prospero A. Pichay, Jr., Treasruer Red Dumuk and FIDE Delegate Casto Abundo, Deputy President of the Asian Chess Federation.

20 GMs, 7 IMs and other title holders in a field of 56 players competing for $40,000 in cash prizes. Top seed at 2613 is GM Mikhael Mchedlishvili of Georgia.

Davao to host Shell chess

MANILA, Philippines - The Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship (Shell Active Chess) wraps up its seven-leg nationwide eliminations in Davao on Sept. 19-20 with a stellar field tipped to clash for top honors in two divisions at the SM City Davao Event Center.

Due to the expected big number of participants, organizers of the event have staked four berths each in the kiddies and juniors divisions, one more than what the past six legs had offered.

The top four players in both the 20-and-under and 14-and-under categories will advance to the national finals on Oct. 10-11 at the SM Megamall.