Saturday, May 30, 2009
GM TORRE SINGS THE BLUES
It is a fact that GM Eugene Torre remains the second best player in the country today next to GM Wesley So but I did'nt know that he could also sing!
This video was taken during the celebration of Torre's 57th birth day (one month advance) and victory party after winning the 3rd PGMA Cup last year. I wonder what's the title of the song?.. Care to help?
Friday, May 29, 2009
NM ELWIN RETANAL TOPS KABASAN CHESS OPEN
NM Elwin Retanal of Malita, Davao del Sur defeated Ferdinand Leysa of Surallah, South Cotabato, to emerged as the champion of the 2009 edition of KABASAN CHESS OPEN, held at Camp Holiday, Babak, Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS). Retanal finished with 6.5 points in the 7 rounds competition. Jhonnel Balquin defeated Henry Lopez of Panabo to score 6 pts., the same scored posted by Jason Salubre who bested Dharim Bacus. Balquin grab 2nd place with a better tie break while Salubre was relegated to 3rd place.
Erwin Tubog Jr., on the other hand, scored 6 pts to top the Boys under 20 category. Rhonnel Alsado and Neptali Batucan had similar score of 5 points to bag second and third place. The distaff side was won by Rowelyn Joy Acedo with 6.5 points.
IGACOS Vice-Mayor Orly Amit together with Mr. Boy Tan, president of Igacos Chess Club, an affiliate of NCFP, awarded the medals, trophies and cash prizes during the awardin ceremonies..
Samal Open Chess Tournament
2009 Kabasan Nat'l Chess Open/Regional Eliminations(May 27-28 2009)
Final Ranking
Rank SNo. Name Rtg FED Pts BH. BH. SB.
1 2 NM RETANAL Elwin 2198 Mal 6½ 30½ 22½ 28.50
2 3 BALQUIN Jhonnel 2175 Mis 6 31½ 23 25.00
3 10 SALUBRE Jason 2099 Dvo 6 30 22 25.50
4 16 PASCO Sonny 2046 Ilo 5½ 29 21 21.75
5 8 NM PIALAN Fernandito 2109 Ili 5½ 24½ 18½ 18.25
6 4 LEYSA Ferdinand 2167 Sou 5 31 22½ 18.50
7 1 NM LUPIAN Alexander 2276 Dvo 5 30½ 22½ 18.00
8 6 LOPEZ Henry 2144 Pan 5 30 20½ 20.00
9 17 GANZON Rommel 2044 Ilo 5 29½ 20½ 18.50
10 18 YU Samuel 2040 Dvo 5 27 19 17.00
11 24 NUTTAL Ruel 1967 Dvo 5 25 18 18.00
12 22 ANDOY Jerwell 1992 Dvo 5 25 17 15.00
13 26 QUINONEZ Pao 1954 Dvo 4½ 30½ 23 17.75
14 11 BANGUIRAN Elias 2098 Gen 4½ 28½ 20½ 17.25
15 9 BACUS Dharim 2107 Dvo 4½ 28½ 20 13.75
16 62 SALAZAR Dominador 0 Gen 4½ 24 17 13.00
17 56 JABAJAB Jianni Jher 0 IGA 4½ 22½ 16½ 12.50
18 15 LAPUT Lito 2054 Dig 4 33 24 17.00
19 53 ENOBIO Cirilo 0 Dvo 4 31½ 22 16.00
20 25 SACAR Mohammad 1962 Dvo 4 29 21 14.50
21 21 APALLA Cesar 2009 Sou 4 29 20½ 14.75
22 31 NONLES Ronald 1892 kid 4 28 20 12.50
23 39 ENGAY Danilo Jr. 1730 Dvo 4 27 18 13.75
24 34 ARTIEDA Vic Michael 1832 Kid 4 26½ 19 12.50
25 65 TABADA Kenneth 0 Tag 4 26 18½ 12.00
26 14 NM MAGNO Cedric 2060 Pan 4 25½ 18 12.50
27 20 REYES Nofre 2013 Dvo 4 25 18½ 11.50
28 49 CAPATAN Joe Art 0 Com 4 24 18 8.50
29 12 QUINONEZ Reynaldo 2086 Dvo 4 24 17½ 11.00
30 61 ORBETA Sherwin 0 Dvo 4 24 17 13.00
31 38 DIMAKILING Adrian 1739 Dvo 4 23 16 12.00
32 41 OBERIO Aglipay 8 1677 IGA 3½ 27½ 20 12.00
33 23 CAVAN Gerald 1984 Pan 3½ 27½ 19 10.75
34 46 BASMAYOR Christopher 0 Kap 3½ 21 15 8.00
35 27 BULICATIN Jay 1951 Pan 3 29 21 9.00
36 43 ABA-A Reynaldo 0 Dvo 3 27½ 19 8.50
37 63 SELGUERA Ronnie 0 Sou 3 24½ 18½ 6.00
38 42 LITERATUS Austin Jacob 1535 Dvo 3 24 17 6.50
39 50 CUIZON Veljun 0 Dig 3 23 16½ 6.50
40 13 FERNANDEZ Eric 2085 Dvo 3 23 15½ 7.75
41 44 ACAS Cecilio 0 Dvo 3 22½ 16 5.50
42 29 BATUCAN John Ray 1925 Dvo 3 22 15½ 7.50
40 SURPOSA Kline 1730 Gen 3 22 15½ 7.50
44 47 BERMUDEZ Darwin 0 Pan 3 22 15 7.00
45 32 TABANAO Riflosaldy 1870 Dvo 3 20½ 15 5.50
46 58 LIMON Lloyd 0 Dig 3 19½ 14 6.50
47 48 BOYBOY Lito 0 Dvo 3 19½ 14 5.50
48 64 SERRANO Maria Fe 0 Dvo 3 18 12½ 5.50
49 57 JARLOC Santi 0 Dvo 2½ 26½ 19½ 10.00
50 59 MALIGMAT Edwin 0 Kid 2½ 19 14 3.00
51 35 BASMAYOR Jose Marie 1824 Kap 2 26 17½ 4.50
52 51 DE GRACIA Bartolome 0 Cot 2 22½ 15½ 4.50
53 36 REYES Roland 1809 Dvo 2 22½ 14½ 4.75
54 7 DANO Jimmy 2131 Dig 2 22 15 5.00
55 55 IBEA Jose Jr.. 0 Kid 2 18½ 13 2.00
56 66 VICENTE Quirino 0 IGA 2 16 12½ 2.50
57 54 EROY Carlito Jr. 0 Gen 2 15½ 11 2.00
58 28 BELOCURA John Ritter 1930 Dvo 1½ 23 16½ 5.25
59 5 TIDOY Peter 2156 Dvo 1 24 17 4.00
60 37 BONGATO Benny 1793 Ban 1 22½ 15½ 3.00
61 45 BARGO Sulpicio 0 IGA 1 20½ 15 2.00
62 19 BAYRON Perkins 2015 Dvo 1 20 13½ 2.50
63 60 MILAGROSA Jake 0 Dvo 1 19½ 14 3.00
64 33 PRADO Paolo 1859 Dvo 1 19 12½ 2.00
65 52 DELFIN Renato 0 Dvo 1 18 12½ 3.00
66 30 DONASCO Cyrus 1914 Tan 0 16 11½ 0.00
Samal Open Chess Tournament
2009 Kabasan Nat'l Chess Open/Regional Eliminations(May 27-28 2009)
Round 7
Bo. SNo. Name Pts Res. Pts Name SNo.
1 4 LEYSA Ferdinand 5 0 - 1 5½ NM RETANAL Elwin 2
2 3 BALQUIN Jhonnel 5 1 - 0 5 LOPEZ Henry 6
3 9 BACUS Dharim 4½ 0 - 1 5 SALUBRE Jason 10
4 11 BANGUIRAN Elias 4½ 0 - 1 4½ NM PIALAN Fernandito 8
5 26 QUINONEZ Pao 4½ 0 - 1 4½ PASCO Sonny 16
6 1 NM LUPIAN Alexander 4 1 - 0 4 REYES Nofre 20
7 17 GANZON Rommel 4 1 - 0 4 QUINONEZ Reynaldo 12
8 22 ANDOY Jerwell 4 1 - 0 4 NM MAGNO Cedric 14
9 15 LAPUT Lito 4 0 - 1 4 NUTTAL Ruel 24
10 53 ENOBIO Cirilo 4 0 - 1 4 YU Samuel 18
11 25 SACAR Mohammad 3½ ½ - ½ 4 SALAZAR Dominador 62
12 27 BULICATIN Jay 3 0 - 1 3½ JABAJAB Jianni Jher 56
13 43 ABA-A Reynaldo 3 0 - 1 3 APALLA Cesar 21
14 23 CAVAN Gerald 3 ½ - ½ 3 OBERIO Aglipay 8 41
15 49 CAPATAN Joe Art 3 1 - 0 3 BATUCAN John Ray 29
16 31 NONLES Ronald 3 1 - 0 3 LITERATUS Austin Jacob 42
17 63 SELGUERA Ronnie 3 0 - 1 3 ARTIEDA Vic Michael 34
18 38 DIMAKILING Adrian 3 1 - 0 3 CUIZON Veljun 50
19 39 ENGAY Danilo Jr. 3 1 - 0 3 LIMON Lloyd 58
20 61 ORBETA Sherwin 3 1 - 0 3 SURPOSA Kline 40
Under 20 Boys Category
2009 Kabasan Nat'l Chess Open/Eliminations(May 27-28 2009)
Final Ranking
Rank SNo. Name Rtg FED Pts BH. BH. SB.
1 4 TUBOG Erwin Jr. 1592 Dvo 6 28 21 24.00
2 2 ALSADO Rhonnel 1711 Pan 5 29 20½ 19.25
3 3 BATUCAN Neptali Iii 1711 Dvo 5 27 19 18.00
4 5 TOLERAN Ademar Jr. 1504 Dvo 5 26 18 16.00
5 13 BOLASA Rolindo 0 Dvo 5 22½ 17 14.50
6 11 AMAR Denzel John 0 Dvo 4 29 22½ 13.00
7 8 ACAS Adrian 0 Dvo 4 27½ 19½ 12.50
8 9 ACAS Alvin 0 Dvo 4 27 18½ 12.00
9 19 HERAMIL Dhervin 0 IGA 4 21 16½ 9.50
10 20 MELO Kenneth 0 Dvo 4 19½ 15 9.50
11 10 ACEDO John Gerald 0 Dvo 3½ 26 18½ 11.25
12 1 AUNSO John Carl 1808 Dvo 3½ 24 17 11.25
13 14 CANDIA Moncler 0 Dvo 3 30 21 12.50
14 18 GALINADA Arvin Benedict 0 Gen 3 26 19 8.00
15 12 BARCO Adrian 0 Tag 3 26 18½ 9.00
16 6 SUMAYAN Mark Bryan 1500 IGA 3 24½ 17 10.75
17 17 GALINADA Amadeo 0 Gen 3 21 15 9.50
18 7 PALENCIA Prestan Jay 1475 IGA 3 19½ 14 6.00
19 15 CORPUZ Samsonite 0 IGA 2½ 24½ 16½ 7.00
20 16 DULAY Redemson 0 Tag 2½ 18 12½ 5.00
21 22 TORION Melchor 0 Dvo 1 21½ 16 3.50
22 21 MIRANTES Raymondwil 0 Dvo 0 21½ 15 0.00
Under 20 Girls Category
2009 Kabasan Nat'l Chess Open/Eliminations(May 27-28 2009)
Final Ranking
Rank SNo. Name Rtg FED Pts BH. BH. SB.
1 2 ACEDO Rowelyn Joy 1700 Dvo 6½ 26½ 19 24.00
2 11 YNGAYO Nikki Erica 0 Dvo 5½ 30½ 21½ 20.00
3 3 APAO Exiquila 1650 Dvo 5 29 20 18.25
4 1 PALERO Mary Israel 1800 Dvo 5 27 19 15.50
5 7 LIWANAN Erna 0 Dvo 4 24½ 17½ 8.00
6 8 LONGHAS Princess Joy 0 IGA 4 21 15½ 8.00
7 6 LAGANG Jane 0 Dvo 3 27 20 5.50
8 9 RANOCO Jonna Liza 0 IGA 3 24 17 6.50
9 5 GONZALES Margielem 0 Dig 3 23½ 16½ 5.50
10 10 TORION Hazel Jane 0 Pan 2 19½ 14 4.00
11 4 ENRIQUEZ Noelyn 0 Dvo 1 17 13 3.50
Samal Under 12 Boys Category
2009 Kabasan Nat'l Chess Open/Eliminations( May 27-28 2009)
Final Ranking
Rank SNo. Name FED Pts BH. BH. SB.
1 20 RICARSE John Leonard Dvo 6½ 31½ 21½ 28.25
2 14 HONCULADA Kenneth Mis 6½ 30½ 21½ 27.25
3 16 LOPEZ Fritz Dig 5 29½ 20½ 19.00
4 13 GIMONY Bhing Joel Dvo 4½ 27½ 18½ 15.50
5 3 BERNADAS Mark Isaac Dvo 4½ 25 18 13.75
6 8 DAVAO Adam Daves Com 4 30 22½ 12.00
7 2 APAO James Dvo 4 30 20½ 15.00
8 10 DELA CRUZ Symon IGA 4 28½ 20 11.00
9 22 TALABOC Kervin IGA 4 28½ 19½ 14.25
10 26 YNGAYO Eric Jr. Dvo 4 27 19 13.75
11 4 CAJES Ernie John Pan 4 26 18½ 10.50
12 25 VARQUEZ Norman James Dvo 4 25½ 17 10.50
13 18 MIRANTES Raymondwil Dvo 4 25 18 13.00
14 7 DAVAO Ach James Com 3½ 26 17½ 10.00
15 24 VARQUEZ John Michael Dvo 3 24 17 9.00
16 21 SILAO Raymart Mal 3 21½ 17 6.50
17 15 LIWANAN Erbel Dvo 3 21 16½ 5.00
18 5 CASERIAL Mark Glyndel IGA 3 20½ 14 6.00
19 9 DEL CAMPO Kyl Revo IGA 3 20 15 5.00
20 11 DIMACALI John Pan 3 19 14½ 3.00
21 1 ALBERTO Zim IGA 2½ 30½ 21 8.25
22 23 TORION Clark James IGA 2 19 14½ 2.00
23 17 MANTILLA Earl Dvo 2 19 14½ 1.00
24 12 ENCISO Rommel Dvo 2 18 13½ 1.00
25 19 MORING Mark Jason IGA 1 18 14 0.00
26 6 CERVANTES Shaquille IGA 0 16 12 0.00
Samal Under 12 Girls Category
Final Ranking
Rank SNo. Name Rtg FED Pts BH. BH. SB.
1 1 YNGAYO Dhona 1650 Dvo 6 28 19½ 23.00
2 4 AMONCIO Hannah Joyce 1500 Dvo 5½ 28 20 20.00
3 3 MOULIC Ella Grace 1555 Dvo 5 30 21½ 18.50
4 10 GALINADA Quennie 0 Sou 5 26½ 19 17.00
5 2 GIMONY Joerlz 1622 Dvo 4½ 31 22½ 17.50
6 5 GIMONY Erlz Joe 1322 Dvo 4 25½ 18 13.00
7 9 FRIAS Carla Jane 0 IGA 4 22 14½ 8.00
8 6 BOTRON Elizabeth 0 Dvo 3½ 19½ 12 7.50
9 8 DAVAO Angel 0 Com 3 28 20½ 6.50
10 12 MONDEZ Jaira Mae 0 IGA 3 25½ 18 10.00
11 7 CABIGAS Bernadeth 0 IGA 3 25 17½ 6.00
12 11 MIRANTES Giddel 0 Dvo 3 22 15 7.00
13 15 LLANES Shaira Mae 0 IGA 2½ 21 14 6.50
14 14 VARQUEZ Mary Frances 0 Dvo 2 18 12½ 5.50
15 13 REYES Sheila Mae 0 Dvo 2 17½ 12 5.00
Monday, May 25, 2009
GLENN PACLAR - " TORIL'S PRIDE AND AVID CHESS SUPPORTER
Glenn Paclar (with blue t-shirt)together with MTCA Pres. Atty. Jong Guevarra Jr. and officials of Brgy. Toril Poblacion during the awarding of prizes of the 1st Cong. Ungab Toril Team Championships held recently at Toril gym on the occasion of its fiesta celebration
Receiving the trophy and cash prize for 3rd place together with the other members of Team Kasparov
Playing board 1 for Team Kasparov against Henry Fajardo of Team Alekhine in the recently concluded 1st Cong. Ungab Cup
By: Atty. Jong Guevarra Jr.
Glenn Paclar is one of those Toril breed chess players who made a name for themselves in the Davao chess scene, first as an active tournament player and now as an avid chess supporter.
He was 11 years old when he begun showing interest in the royal game. He learn to play the game by simply watching his neighbors play and taking note of the moves of the various chess pieces. In 1982 he played his first tournament, the Toril Class B chess tournament where he won 3rd place next to Dante dela Cruz(second place)and Engr. Rudy Tambagan (Champion).
Some of his chess achievements are as follows:
46th Araw ng Davao (Youth) - Champion
1989 Toril Open - Champion
Dacoville Open - Champion ( 1980's )
He was also a member of the vaunted University of Mindanao (UM) varsity chess team in the year 1982 to 1983 while taking up Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering in the said school.
His biggest chess achievement was a 7th place finish in the Far East Bank Region XI Chess championships in 1993 ahead of some of the leading chess players of the region where the top 10 qualified for the National finals in Manila. I could still vividly recall the said tournament where Glenn played a small kid in the 1st round. I advised him not to treat his kid opponent lightly as he was the reigning Kiddie champ of Davao City , but he just smiled at me and told me that there was nothing to worry. As the game unfold and to my horror, Glenn was thoroughly outplayed in the opening and was on the verged of losing. He was on pins and needles during the entire game which was one of those last to finish. Only his sheer tenacity and pride enable him to withstand the unslaught of his kid opponent. The game eventually lead to the end game where the kid was outplayed by his more experienced opponent. After the game, I had the last laugh as Glenn can only shake his head in disbelief. During the post- mortem, the kid informed Glenn that their game ( Sicilian Defense Schevenigen variation ) followed the recent Karpov-Kasparov world championship match and that Glenn played the opening badly. The small kid is no other than Oliver Dimakiling who is now an International Master with 2 Grandmaster Norms to boot. Oliver was only 13 years old at that time
Just recently he played Board 1 for Team Kasaparov which bagged 3rd place in the 1st Cong. Ungab Cup Toril Team Championships.
He is happpily married to the former Josie Cadavas. They have 4 children namely: Shehershane, Dale, Jaye and Andrade. He is now a successful businessman but from time to time, he could still play mean chess. Here is his win against the reigning ASEAN 12 and under Champion.
[ Event: 1st Cong. Ungab Cup Toril Team Chess Championships ]
[ Site: Guevarra Building, Toril, Davao City, Philippines ]
[Date "2008.10.03"]
[Round "10"]
[White "PACLAR, Glenn"]
[Black "BATUCAN, John Ray"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A05"]
[Annotator "Atmosfera and Reyes"]
With some notes from Caissa's Father
King's Indian Attack
1. Nf3!?
Glenn was known to be a an e4 player but decided not to test the French Defense of his youthful opponent. This game was played in the last round of the 1st Cong. Ungab Cup where Team Kasparov headed by Glenn Paclar was in dire need of points at it was in a neck to neck battle with Team Alekhine and Team Topalov for 2nd and 3rd place. This was also the first tournament for Glenn after a long hiatus thus he was still a bit rusty. He told me that the night before this game, he tried to prepare for the French Defense of John Ray Batucan but after studying his chessbook for almost an hour, he came to realized the daunting task of memorizing those lines and came to the conclusion to used the "Kunat variation" ala Torre to sidestep the prepared lines of his young opponent.
1... Nf6 2.g3 g6
3.Bg2 Bg7 4.O-O O-O
5.d3 d6 6. e4 e5
7.Nc3 h6 8. h3 Nc6
9.Be3 Be6 10.Kh2 Ne8
Black seems to be contented of just copying White's move. The last move varries with the idea of an early f5 push.
11. Nh4 Kh7 12. Qe1 f5
Deep Junior suggest 12... Nd4 13. Rc1 c6 14. f4 exf4 15. gxf4 Nc7 16. f5 Bd7 17.
Nf3 Nxf3+ 18. Rxf3 c5 19. fxg6+ with slight advantage for Black.
13. f4
Better is 13. exf5
13... Ne7 14.exf5 Nxf5
15.Nxf5 Bxf5 16. fxe5 Bxe5
17.d4 Bg7 18. g4 Bd7
( If 18... Bxc2 19. Rxf8 Bxf8 20. Qf2 and White wins )
19.Rxf8 Bxf8 20.Qf2 Bg7
( If 20... Qf6 21. Rf1 Qxf2 22. Rxf2 Bg7 23. Rf7 with advantage )
21. Bxb7?!
Best it seems is 21.g5 hxg5(if 21..h5 Qf7 )22.Ne4
21... Rb8 22. Be4
( If Bg2 Rxb2 23. Rf1 )
22... Nf6 23. Bd3 Bxg4?!
24. Rg1! Bh5 25. Ne2
{With the idea 26.Nf4}
25... d5 26. Nf4 Qd6
27. Kh1 Ne4 28. Qg2
( Also good is 28. Bxe4 dxe4 29. Nxh5 gxh5 30. Qf5+ Kh8 31. b3 )
28... Bxd4 29. Bxe4
(29. Nxd5!)
29... dxe4
(29... Bxe3 30. Nxd5 Bxg1 31. Qxg1 Rxb2 )
30. Qxe4 Bxe3 31. Qxe3 Qc6+
{ Here the position is now equal according to Deepjunior}
32. Kh2 Re8 33. Qg3
Jun Atmosfera suggested 33. Qd3 protecting the c2 pawn and threatening Nxh5
33... Qxc2+ 34. Rg2 Be2?
{Reyes suggested 34... Qf5 to maintain the balance. If 35.
Nxh5 Rf8 )
35. Nxg6 Qf5 36. Qxc7+ Kg8
37. Ne7+ Kf8 38. Nxf5
1-0
Replay the game using Caissa's Web PGN Viewer
Saturday, May 23, 2009
CAISSA'S FATHER MEETS KOYODENZO
( Caissa's Father, a.k.a Metrolirot playing blitz with chess buddies Engr. Jun Atmosfera and Nofre Reyes with new friend Koyodenzo (at the back with eye glass), of the Barangay Wesley So fame.
(Watching the 4th round game of GM Wesley So vs. GM Luldachev via internet using the illustration board of Chess Excellence Ltd. Co. )
Last Saturday May 16, 2009 I have the honor to met and talked with Koyodenzo, the brains behind the creation of the GM Wesley So website. He is an IT expert presently working in UAE. We came to know each other while kibitzing at the Barangay Wesley So (BWS) page at Chessgames. com where I am known as metrolirot. We had a brief chat where I learned that he was from Davao City and a 2003 Com. Sci. graduate from the University of Mindanao which incidentally is also my alma mater. When I learned that he will be having a brief vacation in Davao City, I contacted him and invited him to visit my office.
True to his word, Koyodenzo visited me in my office last Saturday and together with my chess friends Engr. Jun Atmosfera and Nofre Reyes we went to my house and watched in the internet the 4th round game of GM Wesly So against GM Luldachev of Uzbekistan in the Asian Intercontinental Chess Championships held in Subic and aired live at the NCFP website. I also had the opportunity to inquire from him some tips to improve this chess blog.
Ater the game, we proceeded to my favorite chess hang-out where we played blitz and talked about chess and life over grilled tuna belly, kinilaw, fish tinola(SUTOKIL) and ice cold beer although I later found out that Koyodenzo does'nt drink ( such a good boy ! he.he ). Koyodenzo, it turns out, was such a nice and down-to earth person. I was lucky to met him in person that day and the Barangay Wesley So is a lot luckier for having him as member.
Visit www.gmwesleyso.com to view the website he created with the help of other BWS members in honor of RP's No.1 chess player GM WESLEY BARBASA SO.
( CAISSA'S FATHER @ http://metrolirot.blogspot.com/ )
GM JOEY ANTONIO LONE PINOY QUALIFIER FOR THE WORLD CUP
Grandmaster Rogelio Antonio Jr. halved the point with GM Zhou Weiqi of China in just 12 moves of a Ruy Lopez Opening in the 11th and final round of the 2009 Asian Continental individual chess championship Saturday at the Subic Exhibition and Convention Center to emerged as the only Filipino chess player to qualify in the World Chess Cup scheduled in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia from November 20 to December 15, 2009.
Antonio’s success, however, turned out to be the only reason for celebration for the Filipinos as the country’s top two players— GM Wesley So and GM Eugene Torre suffered heartbreaking losses.
The 15-year-old So, the country’s brightest hope for international recognition, got walloped by GM Le Quang Liem of Vietnam in 34 moves of a Sicilian Defense Rossolimo variation when the former tried to be overly agressive in the opening.
And Torre, the country’s most-experienced player for more than four decades now, yieleded to top seed GM Krishan Sasikiran of India in 44 moves of the Nimzo-Indian.
The twin setbacks left So and Torre with only 6.5 points.
So, a high school student of St. Francis College (Bacoor), finished with 6.5 points on four wins, five draws and two losses.
Torre wound up with the same total on five wins, three draws and three losses.
GM Surya Shakhar Ganguly of India and GM Zhou Weiqi topped the 11-round tournamnet with identical scores of eight points.
Ganguly, one of 12 Indian players who saw action here, drew with GM Zhou Jianchao of China in only 16 moves of the Gruenfeld.
Ninth seed GM Hou Yifan of China and GM Parimarjan Negi of India also agreed to a draw in 27 points of the Sicilian while GM Chanda Sandipan of India and Yu Shaoteng of China also split the point in 14 moves of the Catalan to book their places in the Top 10 and a spot in the World Chess Cup.
Also making it to the prestigious competition is Le, whose dramatic, final-round triumph over the second-seeded So provided the biggest story for the day.
Final Ranking after 11 Rounds
Rk. Name FED Rtg Pts. TB1 TB2
1 GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar IND 2625 8,0 2546 2554
2 GM Zhou Weiqi CHN 2563 8,0 2505 2515
3 Yu Yangyi CHN 2433 7,5 2575 2582
4 GM Yu Shaoteng CHN 2504 7,5 2570 2585
5 GM Le Quang Liem VIE 2591 7,5 2545 2551
6 GM Antonio Rogelio Jr PHI 2518 7,5 2529 2544
7 GM Hou Yifan CHN 2590 7,5 2525 2535
8 GM Zhou Jianchao CHN 2635 7,5 2499 2506
9 GM Sandipan Chanda IND 2558 7,0 2577 2587
10 GM Sasikiran Krishnan IND 2682 7,0 2528 2536
11 GM Kunte Abhijit IND 2513 7,0 2510 2526
12 GM Gupta Abhijeet IND 2570 7,0 2508 2514
13 GM Negi Parimarjan IND 2592 7,0 2494 2502
14 GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son VIE 2588 7,0 2490 2497
15 GM Li Shilong CHN 2557 7,0 2489 2498
16 GM Kazhgaleyev Murtas KAZ 2626 7,0 2474 2481
17 GM Filippov Anton UZB 2584 7,0 2471 2479
18 GM Dao Thien Hai VIE 2546 6,5 2553 2569
19 Wan Yunguo CHN 2434 6,5 2536 2556
20 IM Al Sayed Moh Mad N QAT 2496 6,5 2535 2551
21 GM So Wesley PHI 2641 6,5 2520 2527
22 GM Torre Eugenio PHI 2561 6,5 2501 2511
23 Ding Liren CHN 2458 6,0 2596 2604
24 GM Rahman Ziaur BAN 2523 6,0 2549 2558
25 GM Iuldachev Saidali UZB 2497 6,0 2548 2569
26 GM Murshed Niaz BAN 2407 6,0 2548 2554
27 IM Toufighi Homayoon IRI 2478 6,0 2547 2567
28 GM Moradiabadi Elshan IRI 2526 6,0 2543 2559
29 GM Tu Hoang Thong VIE 2506 6,0 2525 2543
30 Gao Rui CHN 2500 6,0 2518 2532
31 Pak Evgeniy KAZ 2328 6,0 2512 2524
32 Gundavaa Bayarsaikhan MGL 2461 6,0 2504 2523
33 GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J IND 2482 6,0 2480 2497
34 GM Laylo Darwin PHI 2509 6,0 2477 2488
35 GM Al-Modiahki Mohamad QAT 2585 6,0 2464 2472
36 CM Nguyen Van Huy VIE 2423 6,0 2463 2483
37 GM Ghaem Maghami Ehsan IRI 2593 6,0 2458 2463
38 GM Wang Rui CHN 2434 6,0 2436 2446
39 GM Megaranto Susanto INA 2553 6,0 2434 2440
40 Xiu Deshun CHN 2422 5,5 2554 2560
41 IM Bitoon Richard PHI 2479 5,5 2532 2549
42 IM Harika Dronavalli IND 2474 5,5 2521 2550
43 FM Batchuluun Tsegmed MGL 2391 5,5 2515 2521
44 FM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi IND 2441 5,5 2513 2530
45 GM Mahjoob Morteza IRI 2498 5,5 2495 2514
46 GM Bui Vinh VIE 2522 5,5 2474 2481
47 IM Nolte Rolando PHI 2479 5,5 2468 2486
48 GM Nguyen Anh Dung VIE 2518 5,5 2450 2462
49 GM Hossain Enamul BAN 2531 5,5 2447 2453
50 GM Villamayor Buenaventura PHI 2474 5,5 2396 2405
51 IM Irwanto Sadikin INA 2447 5,0 2544 2551
52 IM Dimakiling Oliver PHI 2426 5,0 2537 2544
53 GM Gonzales Jayson PHI 2465 5,0 2532 2548
54 IM Ashwin Jayaram IND 2413 5,0 2514 2534
55 IM Sadorra Julio Catalino PHI 2451 5,0 2511 2528
56 IM Nguyen Thanh Son VIE 2448 5,0 2508 2528
57 FM Wahono Awam INA 2391 5,0 2503 2513
58 Zhang Ziyang CHN 2419 5,0 2478 2493
59 GM Gomez John Paul PHI 2538 5,0 2473 2480
60 Garma Edgardo PHI 2421 5,0 2470 2485
61 GM Paragua Mark PHI 2529 5,0 2462 2471
62 IM Akshayraj Kore IND 2404 5,0 2437 2451
63 IM Mas Hafizulhelmi MAS 2425 5,0 2414 2429
64 GM Kim Alexey KOR 2481 5,0 2388 2396
65 Yang Kaiqi CHN 2413 5,0 2384 2395
66 Wang Li CHN 2401 4,5 2498 2506
67 Lou Yiping CHN 2410 4,5 2481 2501
68 IM Hassan Abdullah UAE 2322 4,5 2479 2488
69 FM Priyadharshan K IND 2411 4,5 2462 2479
70 Garcia Jan Emmanuel PHI 2292 4,5 2447 2452
71 Yu Lie CHN 2307 4,5 2440 2444
72 FM Novita Anjas INA 2345 4,0 2484 2494
73 FM Alhuwar Jasem UAE 2293 4,0 2478 2485
74 FM Abu Sufian Shakil BAN 2378 4,0 2472 2477
75 Causo Deniel PHI 2367 4,0 2458 2463
76 FM Hoang Canh Huan VIE 2378 4,0 2455 2469
77 Jia Haoxiang CHN 2344 4,0 2451 2460
78 Pascua Haridas PHI 2359 4,0 2450 2468
79 IM Bancod Ronald PHI 2356 4,0 2446 2450
80 Olay Edgar Reggie PHI 2348 4,0 2423 2461
81 CM Nguyen Hoang Nam VIE 2281 4,0 2392 2426
82 Elorta David PHI 2372 3,0 2494 2508
83 IM Khamrakulov Dzhurabek UZB 2524 3,0 2481 2490
84 Chua Aaron MAS 2116 2,0 2400 2415
85 Celis Solomon B Iii MAC 2007 1,0 2388 2401
86 GM Dzhumaev Marat UZB 2552 0,0 0 0
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
ASIAN CONTINENTAL CHESS ROUND 1 - GM'S SASIKIRAN and SO LEADS EARLY WINNERS
(GM So vs. GM Zang Pengxiang in 1st round action in the China Chess League)
Picture courtesy of GM So's mother, Lenny So.
The Asia Continental Chess Championship, a qualification tournament for the World Cup 2009 and to the Women's World Championship next year, officially launched yesterday in Subic Freeport, Philippines. The importance of the Championship, and the rich prize fund of $50,000 in Men’s Division and $15,000 in Women’s Division, attracted nearly 50 Grandmasters and Women Grandmasters.
Already in the first round there were many surprises. Top GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev of Kazakhstan was stunned by the local Philippine IM Julio Catalino Sadorra. Chinese prodigy and Women's World Championship finalist, Yifan Hou, who opted to play in the open section, lost with White against her untitled compatriot Wan Yunguo.
A number of Grandmasters were forced to concede draws to the lower ranked opposition. Top seeded Krishnan Sasikiran and Wesley So routinely won their games. .
8th Asian Continental/Individual (Open)
Round 1 results:
GM Sasikiran Krishnan 1 - 0 GM Gonzales Jayson
Gundavaa Bayarsaikhan 0 - 1 GM So Wesley
GM Zhou Jianchao ½ - ½ Ding Liren
IM Sadorra Julio Catalino 1 - 0 GM Kazhgaleyev Murtas
GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar 1 - 0 IM Nguyen Thanh Son
IM Irwanto Sadikin ½ - ½ GM Ghaem Maghami Ehsan
GM Negi Parimarjan ½ - ½ FM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi
IM Wang Rui 0 - 1 GM Le Quang Liem
GM Hou Yifan 0 - 1 Wan Yunguo
Yu Yangyi ½ - ½ GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son
GM Al-Modiahki Mohamad ½ - ½ IM Dimakiling Oliver
IM Mas Hafizulhelmi 0 - 1 GM Gupta Abhijeet
GM Zhou Weiqi ½ - ½ CM Nguyen Van Huy
Xiu Deshun ½ - ½ GM Torre Eugenio
GM Sandipan Chanda 1 - 0 Garma Edgardo
Zhang Ziyang 0 - 1 GM Li Shilong
GM Megaranto Susanto 0 - 1 IM Ashwin Jayaram
Yang Kaiqi 0 - 1 GM Dao Thien Hai
GM Gomez John Paul 1 - 0 FM Priyadharshan K
Lou Yiping ½ - ½ GM Hossain Enamul
GM Paragua Mark ½ - ½ GM Murshed Niaz
IM Akshayraj Kore 0 - 1 GM Moradiabadi Elshan
GM Rahman Ziaur 1 - 0 Wang Li
FM Batchuluun Tsegmed 1 - 0 GM Bui Vinh
GM Antonio Rogelio Jr ½ - ½ FM Wahono Awam
FM Abu Sufian Shakil ½ - ½ GM Nguyen Anh Dung
GM Kunte Abhijit ½ - ½ FM Hoang Canh Huan
Elorta David 0 - 1 GM Laylo Darwin
GM Tu Hoang Thong ½ - ½ Causo Deniel
Pascua Haridas 0 - 1 GM Yu Shaoteng
Gao Rui 1 - 0 IM Bancod Ronald
Olay Edgar Reggie ½ - ½ GM Mahjoob Morteza
IM Al Sayed Moh Mad N 0 - 1 FM Novita Anjas
Jia Haoxiang ½ - ½ GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J
GM Kim Alexey ½ - ½ IM Hassan Abdullah
Yu Lie ½ - ½ IM Bitoon Richard
IM Nolte Rolando ½ - ½ FM Alhuwar Jasem
Garcia Jan Emmanuel ½ - ½ IM Toufighi Homayoon
GM Villamayor Buenaventura 1 - 0 CM Nguyen Hoang Nam
Chua Aaron 0 - 1 IM Harika Dronavalli
Celis Solomon B Iii 1 bye
( Originally posted at Chessdom.com )
Here is GM So's 1st round win as annotated by NM Glenn Bordonada (Originally posted at Barangay Wesley So page at Chessgames.com )
Slav Defense
Subic Rd. 1
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Bg4 6. Nbd2 Nbd7 7. g3 e6 8. Bg2 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Qb3 Nb6
(10... Qb6 11. Nc4 Qa6 12. Bg5 h6 13. Bxf6 Bxf6 14. e3 Rad8 15. Rfc1 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 e5 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Bxe5 19. Rc2 Qb6 20. Qxb6 axb6 21. Rd1 Rxd1+ 22. Bxd1 Rd8 23. Be2 h5 24. a3 g5 1/2-1/2, Hellsten Johan 2564 - Bareev Evgeny 2715, Rethymnon 2003 Cup European Club Final)
11. e3 c5 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Ne5 Be2 14. Re1 Ba6 15. Ndf3 Rc8 16. Bd2 Qe7 17. a4 Ne4 18. Ba5 Bd6 19. Bxb6 axb6 20. Rec1
(20. Qxb6 f6 21. Ng4 Bc7 (If 21... h5 22. Nh4 with a double attack: a) Bishop on Knight at e4; and b) the Knight jump to g6 forking Queen and Rook. ) 22. Qd4 f5 23. Nge5 Rcd8 24. Qa7 Ra8 25. Qd4 Rfd8 trapping the Queen.)
20... Nc5 21. Qa2 f6 22. b4
(22. Nc4 Nd3 23. Rc3 Bb4 24. Nxb6 Rxc3 25. bxc3 Bxc3 26. Rb1 with an even game.)
22... Bxe5 23. Nxe5 fxe5 24. b5
(24. bxc5 bxc5 and the passed pawn gives Black the advantage.)
24... Bxb5 25. axb5
(White is hoping that at least in this variation, Black does not have a passed pawn.)
25... Rcd8 26. Rd1 Qf6 27. Qe2
(After 27. e4 Rd4 is very strong.)
27... e4
(Black's advantage has increased. He has the focal points f3 and d3.)
28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Rd1 Rd3 30. Rf1 h6?!
(Looks like a time-pressure blunder but I don't know if the players were under time pressure. Stronger is 30... Qe5 putting pressure on e3 with Rook and Queen, thus preventing the freeing f-pawn push. 31. Qc2 Qd5 and the centralized Black pieces dominate the game.)
31. Bxe4
(White snatches a pawn)
31... Rb3 32. Bg2
(Stronger is 32. Bc2, keeping an eye on h7 and cutting off Black's attack on the f2-pawn by Queen and Rook)
32... Rb2 33. Qc4 Kh8 34. h4 Qf5 35. Qd4 Qf6
(Here 35... Rxb5 36. Ra1 transposes to the game.)
36. Qc4 Qf5 37. Qd4 Rxb5 38. Ra1 Kh7 39. g4 Qc2 40. h5
(White slowly loses the thread of the game. Stronger is 40. Ra8 Rb1+ 41. Kh2 Qxf2 42. Kh3 Qf6 43. h5 (43. Be4+ Nxe4 44. Qxe4+ g6 45. Qxb1 Qf3+ with a perpetual.) 43... Rf1 44. Be4+ g6 45. hxg6+ Kg7 46. Qd6 Rf3+ and Black draws again.)
40... Rb1+
(Stronger is 40... Ra5 41. Bf3 Rxa1+ 42. Qxa1 b5 and Black's passed pawns start their march.)
41. Rxb1 Qxb1+ 42. Kh2 Qc2 43. Kg3 b5 44. f4 Qc4 45. Qe5
(45. Kf2!? keeps alive White's chances to hold the game.)
45... Nd7!
(A difficult move to find psychologically, as c5 seems to be already the ideal post for the Knight. But Wesley finds something better.)
46. Qd6 Nf6 47. Bf3
(47. Bxb7 b4 48. Bf3 b3 49. Qb8 Qc3 50. g5 hxg5 51. fxg5 and White might still have drawing chances.)
47... Ne4+
(The elimination of White's Bishop simplifies the game and makes winning easier.)
48. Bxe4+ Qxe4 49. Qc5 b4 50. Qb6 Qc4 51. f5 exf5 52. Qg6+ Kh8 53. Qxf5 b3 54. Qf8+ Qg8 55. Qb4 Qd5 56. Qf8+ Kh7 57. Qe8 Qd6+ 58. Kh3 Qc6 59. Qe5 Qf3+ 60. Kh2 Qxg4 61. Qb5 Qh4+
0-1
(After the King moves, 62...Qg5+ exchanges off the Queens.)
Monday, May 11, 2009
EXPERIMENTING WITH THE KING'S INDIAN ATTACK
( Team Fischer lead by board 1 player Engr. Jun Atmosfera vs. Team Topalov lead by board 1 player Atty. Jong Guevarra Jr. in 10th round action in the 1st Cong. Ungab Cup Toril Team championships' 2008. Also in photo are Erwin Tubog, Joebert Lumanta and Engr. Boy Ramirez for Team Fischer and Ali Jover, Dondon Ostaco and Raul Valle for Team Topalov )
By Engr. Jun atmosfera
1st Rep. Ungab Cup Inter-Team Chess Tourney
Round 10, board 1, Oct. 3, 2008 Time Control: one hour/player
Opening: King's Indian Attack
White: Engr. Jun Atmosfera
Black: Atty. Jong Guevarra Jr.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d3
(I suspected that Jong had a prepared line in the Sicilian Dragon so I chose the King's Indian Attack. I placed the d pawn at d4 but did not release it, then retreated it to d3, eliciting a smile from Jong. My suspicion was confirmed after the game when Jong admitted that he prepared the Chinese Dragon variation: 1.e4 c5
2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 0-0 8.Qd2 Nc6 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rb8 [the Chinese Dragon, popularized by Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen with some success]).
3... g6 4.g3 Bg7 5.Bg2 e5 6.0-0 Nge7
7.Be3 Nbc6 8.c3 h6 9.h4 Bg4 10.Nbd2 Qd7
11.Qb3 Be6 12.Qd1 0-0 13.Nh2 Bh3 14.f4 Bxg2
15.Kxg2 f5 16.Ndf3 c4! 17.h5 cxd3 18.Qxd3 fxe4
19.Qxe4 d5 20.Qa4 b5! 21.Qc2 e4 22.Nh4 Nf5
23.Nxf5 gxf5 24.Rfd1 Qf7 25.Bc5 Rfd8 26.Qe2 Rac8
27.Nf1 d4 28.cxd4 Bxd4 29.Qxb5 Qd5 30.Rac1 e3+
31.Kh2 Rb8 32.Nxe3?!
A desperate move, but this was the move which Jong did not expect and took him by surprise, leading him to blunder on his 33rd move.
32...Rxb5 33.Nxd5 Rxc5?
Bxc5 wins a piece in any variation.
34.Ne7+!
The zwichenzug which Jong missed.
34...Nxe7 35.Rxc5 Bxc5 36.Rxd8+ Kf7 37.Rh8
Maybe even better is 37.Rb8 with the idea of advancing the Q-side pawns starting with b4.
37...Ng8 38.Rh7+ Ke6 39.Rg7 Nf6 40.Kg2 Nxh5
41.Rg6+ Nf6 42.Rxh6 Kf7 43.Rh8
1/2 - 1/2
At this point both of us have 5 minutes left in our clocks and Jong offered a draw which I accepted, although I thought I had a slightly better position and chances of winning in the endgame due to my 2-pawn advantage. However, the team championship was already in the bag, being 2.5 points over our closest pursuer, so there was no point in playing further. I was just lucky to escape Jong's attacking and tactical prowess. I think my KI Attack opening needs a lot of improvement.
Replay the game using CAISSA'S WEB PGN Viewer
ASIAN CONTINENTAL CHESS, SUBIC' 2009 -GM'S SASIKIRAN, SO, and JIANCHAO TOP SEEDED
( First posted at Chessdom website )
The Asia Continental Chess Championship is going to take place in Subic Freeport, Philippines. The championship starts on May 12 and it is the qualification for the World Cup scheduled 20 Nov. to 15 Dec. 2009 in Khanty Mansiysk (Russia), and to the Women's World Championship next year. At stake in the tournament is a total of $50,000 in cash prizes for the top 40 places in the Men’s Division and $15,000 in cash prizes for the top 20 in the Women’s Division.
Expect daily coverage and reports on Chessdom.com.
Forum discussion about the Asia Continental Championship
Here are the participant lists in the men and women events.
Participants (men)
1 GM Sasikiran Krishnan 2682 IND
2 GM So Wesley 2641 PHI
3 GM Zhou Jianchao 2635 CHN
4 GM Kazhgaleyev Murtas 2626 KAZ
5 GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar 2625 IND
6 GM Ghaem Maghami Ehsan 2593 IRI
7 GM Negi Parimarjan 2592 IND
8 GM Hou Yifan 2590 CHN
9 GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son 2588 VIE
10 GM Al-Modiahki Mohamad 2585 QAT
11 GM Filippov Anton 2584 UZB
12 GM Gupta Abhijeet 2570 IND
13 GM Zhou Weiqi 2563 CHN
14 GM Torre Eugenio 2561 PHI
15 GM Sandipan Chanda 2558 IND
16 GM Li Shilong 2557 CHN
17 GM Megaranto Susanto 2553 INA
18 GM Dzhumaev Marat 2552 UZB
19 GM Dao Thien Hai 2546 VIE
20 GM Gomez John Paul 2538 PHI
21 GM Abdulla Al-Rakib 2532 BAN
22 GM Hossain Enamul 2531 BAN
23 GM Paragua Mark 2529 PHI
24 GM Moradiabadi Elshan 2526 IRI
25 IM Khamrakulov Dzhurabek 2524 UZB
26 GM Rahman Ziaur 2523 BAN
27 GM Bui Vinh 2522 VIE
28 GM Antonio Rogelio Jr 2518 PHI
29 GM Nguyen Anh Dung 2518 VIE
30 GM Neelotpal Das 2514 IND
31 GM Kunte Abhijit 2513 IND
32 GM Laylo Darwin 2509 PHI
33 GM Tu Hoang Thong 2506 VIE
34 GM Yu Shaoteng 2504 CHN
35 Gao Rui 2500 CHN
36 GM Xu Jun 2498 CHN
37 GM Mahjoob Morteza 2498 IRI
38 GM Iuldachev Saidali 2497 UZB
39 GM Kim Alexey 2481 KOR
40 IM Bitoon Richard 2479 PHI
41 IM Nolte Rolando 2479 PHI
42 IM Toufighi Homayoon 2478 IRI
43 GM Villamayor Buenaventura 2474 PHI
44 GM Gonzales Jayson 2465 PHI
45 Gundavaa Bayarsaikhan 2461 MGL
46 Ding Liren 2458 CHN
47 IM Sadorra Julio Catalino 2451 PHI
48 IM Nguyen Thanh Son 2448 VIE
49 IM Irwanto Sadikin 2447 INA
50 FM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi 2441 IND
51 IM Dableo Ronald 2441 PHI
52 IM Wang Rui 2434 CHN
53 Wan Yunguo 2434 CHN
54 Yu Yangyi 2433 CHN
55 IM Dimakiling Oliver 2426 PHI
56 IM Mas Hafizulhelmi 2425 MAS
57 IM Barbosa Oliver 2425 PHI
58 CM Nguyen Van Huy 2423 VIE
59 Xiu Deshun 2422 CHN
60 Garma Edgardo 2421 PHI
61 Zhang Ziyang 2419 CHN
62 Yap Kim Steven 2419 PHI
63 Yang Kaiqi 2413 CHN
64 IM Ashwin Jayaram 2413 IND
65 IM Tu Hoang Thai 2412 VIE
66 FM Priyadharshan K 2411 IND
67 Lou Yiping 2410 CHN
68 GM Murshed Niaz 2407 BAN
69 IM Akshayraj Kore 2404 IND
70 Wang Li 2401 CHN
71 IM Nadera Barlo A 2400 PHI
72 FM Nava Roderick 2396 PHI
73 Fernandez Ernesto 2395 PHI
74 Dela Cruz Noel 2392 PHI
75 FM Wahono Awam 2391 INA
76 FM Batchuluun Tsegmed 2391 MGL
77 Ballecer Dino 2390 PHI
78 FM Abu Sufian Shakil 2378 BAN
79 FM Hoang Canh Huan 2378 VIE
80 FM Donguines Fernie 2373 PHI
81 IM Roca Petronio 2372 PHI
82 Elorta David 2372 PHI
83 FM Tologontegin Semetey 2369 KGZ
84 Causo Deniel 2367 PHI
85 Tolentino Rustum 2362 PHI
86 Senador Emmanuel 2360 PHI
87 Pascua Haridas 2359 PHI
88 IM Chiong Luis 2358 PHI
89 Legaspi Rhobel 2358 PHI
90 IM Bancod Ronald 2356 PHI
91 Nouri Hamed 2350 PHI
92 Olay Edgar Reggie 2348 PHI
93 FM Novita Anjas 2345 INA
94 Jia Haoxiang 2344 CHN
95 Carlos Leonardo 2337 PHI
96 Andador A 2336 PHI
97 Pak Evgeniy 2328 KAZ
98 IM Garma Chito 2327 PHI
99 IM Hassan Abdullah 2322 UAE
100 Yu Lie 2307 CHN
101 Habla Jony 2300 PHI
102 FM Alhuwar Jasem 2293 UAE
103 CM Nguyen Hoang Nam 2281 VIE
104 Celis Solomon B Iii 2007 MAC
105 CM Prasad Calvin 1912 FIJ
The Asia Continental Chess Championship is going to take place in Subic Freeport, Philippines. The championship starts on May 12 and it is the qualification for the World Cup scheduled 20 Nov. to 15 Dec. 2009 in Khanty Mansiysk (Russia), and to the Women's World Championship next year. At stake in the tournament is a total of $50,000 in cash prizes for the top 40 places in the Men’s Division and $15,000 in cash prizes for the top 20 in the Women’s Division.
Expect daily coverage and reports on Chessdom.com.
Forum discussion about the Asia Continental Championship
Here are the participant lists in the men and women events.
Participants (men)
1 GM Sasikiran Krishnan 2682 IND
2 GM So Wesley 2641 PHI
3 GM Zhou Jianchao 2635 CHN
4 GM Kazhgaleyev Murtas 2626 KAZ
5 GM Ganguly Surya Shekhar 2625 IND
6 GM Ghaem Maghami Ehsan 2593 IRI
7 GM Negi Parimarjan 2592 IND
8 GM Hou Yifan 2590 CHN
9 GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son 2588 VIE
10 GM Al-Modiahki Mohamad 2585 QAT
11 GM Filippov Anton 2584 UZB
12 GM Gupta Abhijeet 2570 IND
13 GM Zhou Weiqi 2563 CHN
14 GM Torre Eugenio 2561 PHI
15 GM Sandipan Chanda 2558 IND
16 GM Li Shilong 2557 CHN
17 GM Megaranto Susanto 2553 INA
18 GM Dzhumaev Marat 2552 UZB
19 GM Dao Thien Hai 2546 VIE
20 GM Gomez John Paul 2538 PHI
21 GM Abdulla Al-Rakib 2532 BAN
22 GM Hossain Enamul 2531 BAN
23 GM Paragua Mark 2529 PHI
24 GM Moradiabadi Elshan 2526 IRI
25 IM Khamrakulov Dzhurabek 2524 UZB
26 GM Rahman Ziaur 2523 BAN
27 GM Bui Vinh 2522 VIE
28 GM Antonio Rogelio Jr 2518 PHI
29 GM Nguyen Anh Dung 2518 VIE
30 GM Neelotpal Das 2514 IND
31 GM Kunte Abhijit 2513 IND
32 GM Laylo Darwin 2509 PHI
33 GM Tu Hoang Thong 2506 VIE
34 GM Yu Shaoteng 2504 CHN
35 Gao Rui 2500 CHN
36 GM Xu Jun 2498 CHN
37 GM Mahjoob Morteza 2498 IRI
38 GM Iuldachev Saidali 2497 UZB
39 GM Kim Alexey 2481 KOR
40 IM Bitoon Richard 2479 PHI
41 IM Nolte Rolando 2479 PHI
42 IM Toufighi Homayoon 2478 IRI
43 GM Villamayor Buenaventura 2474 PHI
44 GM Gonzales Jayson 2465 PHI
45 Gundavaa Bayarsaikhan 2461 MGL
46 Ding Liren 2458 CHN
47 IM Sadorra Julio Catalino 2451 PHI
48 IM Nguyen Thanh Son 2448 VIE
49 IM Irwanto Sadikin 2447 INA
50 FM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi 2441 IND
51 IM Dableo Ronald 2441 PHI
52 IM Wang Rui 2434 CHN
53 Wan Yunguo 2434 CHN
54 Yu Yangyi 2433 CHN
55 IM Dimakiling Oliver 2426 PHI
56 IM Mas Hafizulhelmi 2425 MAS
57 IM Barbosa Oliver 2425 PHI
58 CM Nguyen Van Huy 2423 VIE
59 Xiu Deshun 2422 CHN
60 Garma Edgardo 2421 PHI
61 Zhang Ziyang 2419 CHN
62 Yap Kim Steven 2419 PHI
63 Yang Kaiqi 2413 CHN
64 IM Ashwin Jayaram 2413 IND
65 IM Tu Hoang Thai 2412 VIE
66 FM Priyadharshan K 2411 IND
67 Lou Yiping 2410 CHN
68 GM Murshed Niaz 2407 BAN
69 IM Akshayraj Kore 2404 IND
70 Wang Li 2401 CHN
71 IM Nadera Barlo A 2400 PHI
72 FM Nava Roderick 2396 PHI
73 Fernandez Ernesto 2395 PHI
74 Dela Cruz Noel 2392 PHI
75 FM Wahono Awam 2391 INA
76 FM Batchuluun Tsegmed 2391 MGL
77 Ballecer Dino 2390 PHI
78 FM Abu Sufian Shakil 2378 BAN
79 FM Hoang Canh Huan 2378 VIE
80 FM Donguines Fernie 2373 PHI
81 IM Roca Petronio 2372 PHI
82 Elorta David 2372 PHI
83 FM Tologontegin Semetey 2369 KGZ
84 Causo Deniel 2367 PHI
85 Tolentino Rustum 2362 PHI
86 Senador Emmanuel 2360 PHI
87 Pascua Haridas 2359 PHI
88 IM Chiong Luis 2358 PHI
89 Legaspi Rhobel 2358 PHI
90 IM Bancod Ronald 2356 PHI
91 Nouri Hamed 2350 PHI
92 Olay Edgar Reggie 2348 PHI
93 FM Novita Anjas 2345 INA
94 Jia Haoxiang 2344 CHN
95 Carlos Leonardo 2337 PHI
96 Andador A 2336 PHI
97 Pak Evgeniy 2328 KAZ
98 IM Garma Chito 2327 PHI
99 IM Hassan Abdullah 2322 UAE
100 Yu Lie 2307 CHN
101 Habla Jony 2300 PHI
102 FM Alhuwar Jasem 2293 UAE
103 CM Nguyen Hoang Nam 2281 VIE
104 Celis Solomon B Iii 2007 MAC
105 CM Prasad Calvin 1912 FIJ
Saturday, May 9, 2009
GM ADIANTO ELECTED SENATOR IN INDONESIA
( GM Adianto teaching chess while campaigning )
By Casto Abundo, Deputy President, Asian Chess Federation
The Indonesian Parliament is divided into two lines, similar to the Congress and Senate in the United States. Elections for the new 560-member legislature were held April 9th. GM Adianto belongs to the Partai Demokrasi Indonesia-Perjuangan, headed by former President Madame Megawati Soekarnoputri
"Hopefully, with this position, I can raise Chess to a better horizon in Indonesia, and for most people I shall do my utmost to bring them a better life!" Adianto said.
Born 16 March 1965 in Jakarta, Utut Adianto Wahyuwidayat holds a degree in Political Science. Married to Dr. Tri Hatmanti, they have one daughter. As chess champion, he is immensely popular in Indonesia and was voted Sportsman of the year 1995. Utut became Indonesia's youngest national chess champion at the age of 17. He earned his IM title in 1985 and his GM title the following year. He was Olympiad gold medalist on board 1 in the Istanbul Olympiad in 2000.
HENRY LOPEZ - " BEATING THE ODDS " PART I
( Henry Lopez receiving the trophy and cash prize for the Davao del Norte team that tied for 4th/5th place at the Handurawan Nat'l Chess Team Championships held at Dapitan City,Zamboanga. Also in photo are teammates NM Cedric Magno, James Bulicatin, Jay Bulicatin Lyndon Sombilon and Team Manager Darwin Bermudez ) ,
Henry Roger Iligan Lopez was born on November 27, 1980 at A.O. Floreindo, Panabo City. Henry is a polio victim since childhood but this supposed handicap did not deter him to pursue his dreams in life, which includes chess. He learn to play chess at the age of 11 and since then he had accumulated a number of chess achievements, some of them are as follows:
Gold Medalist - SMRAA Meet 1999, Isulan, Sultan Kudarat
Gold Medalist in Board 1, PRISAA Meet 2000-2004
Champion, Araw ng Davao, 2000
Gold Medalist Board 1, 3rd Mindanao Friendship Games,2002 , Cagayan de Oro City
1ST PICHAY CUP, 2005- GOLD
ARAW NG DABAW,2002- GOLD
ARAW NG DABAW,2004-GOLD
ARAW NG DABAW,2006-GOLD
KABASAN CHESSFEST,2007 -GOLD
2005 ASEAN PARAGAMES(PHIL.) - 4 GOLDS, 2 SILVERS
2OO8 ASEAN PARAGAMES(THAILAND)- 1 GOLD,1 SILVER
Henry cosider his experiences in playing for the Phil. national team in the two ASEAN Paragames as among his greatest achievements so far as well as beating Grand Master (GM) Mark Paragua in the 2008 Pichay Sr. Memorial Chess Tournament. At present, he is busy pursuing his law course at the University of Mindanao (UM) of which he is an incoming senior, as he also aspire to be a lawyer someday.
We feature below his game of ala-Petrosian style versus the raging bull of Philippine chess. The attacking player who is known in chess circle as "chinese killer", NM Alex Milagrosa. Alex got this name after beating in succession the visiting chinese national players in the Far East Bank International Open in the 1990's. Incidentally, almost of the games were Sicilian Defense, a defense which Alex is familiar because of his obsession to his idol, Bobby Fischer.
( This game was originally posted at Mindanao Chess website http.//www.freewebs.com/mindanaochess/index.htm as annotated by Rey C. Urbiztondo, NCFP Region X Coordinator ).
White: Henry Lopez
Black: NM Alex Milagrosa
Round 6, September 26, 2004
Iligan City Chess Open
Moderm Defense transposed to Kings Indian Defense
1.d4 g6 2.Nf3 Bg7
3.c4 d6 4.Nc3 Nf6
5.e4 O-O 6.Be2 Bg4
7.Be3 Nc6 8.d5 Bf3
9.Bf3 Ne5 10.Be2 c6
11.O-O a6
Main line is 11.... Re8 12 Rc1 e6 13. dc Nc6 14. Qb3 Qe7 15. Rfd1 Red8 16 Rd2 Rd7 17. Rcd1 Rad8 18 Qa3 += as in Dorfman-Balashov, USSR Championship 1984
12.f4 Ned7 13.Rc1 cd5
14.ed5 Qa5 15.Qd2 Rfc8
16.Rfd1 Nc5 17.b3 b5?!
This is the dubious move. Better is to prepare for the pawn move by 17.... Rab8, then b5.
18.cb5 ab5 19.Bxb5 Ng4
20.Bc6 Bxc3 21.Qxc3 Qxc3
22.Rxc3 Ne4 23.Rcd3 Ra2
24.b4! Rb2 25.Bd4! Ra2
26.h3 Ngf2 27.Bf2 Nf2
28.R3d2 Nd1 29.Ra2 Rb8
30 Ra8 Ra8 31.Bxa8 Nb2
32.Bc6 e6 33.Kf1 Kf8
34.de6 fe6 35.Bb5 Nd1
36 Bc6 Resigns..
1 - O
( To be continued... Part II will feature Henry's games against IM Salor Sitanggang of Indonesia, GM John Paul Gomez and GM Mark Paragua.)
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
CURACAO 1962 REVISITED - PART I
It is quite appropriate to revisit Curacao 1962 as a tribute to one of its
protagonist GM Miloslav Filip who died on April 27, 2009.
The 1962 Candidates' Tournament in Curaçao was one of the fiercest chess battles of all time. At the height of the Cold War, eight players contested the right to challenge World Champion Mikhail Botvinnik. The format of the tournament was a gruelling quadruple round-robin. Twenty-eight games were to be played on the tropical island, in a contest that lasted two months. The air trembled with drama and intrigue. One of the favourites, the brilliant Mikhail Tal,was taken to hospital after 21 rounds and had to withdraw. Three other players from the Soviet Union, Keres, Petrosian, and Geller, were making suspiciously short draws when playing each other. The two American players came to blows over the services of the second they were supposed to share. Bella Kortchnoi, whose husband took an early lead in the tournament, was a puppet in the hands of the scheming Rona Petrosian, the wife of the later winner. And one of the favourites was a lanky 19-year-old boy from Brooklyn, Bobby Fischer, who openly accused the Soviets of collusion and was later proven right. In the end, Tigran Petrosian was the winner and went on to become the new World Champion the following year. But such was the impact of Fischer's accusations that this was the last time such a battle was organised. Henceforth the challenger to the highest crown was determined in a series of matches. Curaçao 1962 was the last Candidates' Tournament.
In Curaçao 1962, Jan Timman returns to this clash of giants and takes a fresh look at the games. Timman describes the course of the tournament and annotates the most important games (including 16 of Fischer's!) in his usual lucid and instructive style. Curaçao 1962 revives a tradition of great tournament books, such as Alekhine's New York 1927 and Bronstein's Zurich 1953.
Curaçao 1962
The Battle of Minds That Shook the Chess World
by Jan Timman
Reviewed by Prof. Nagesh Havanur
(Originally posted at Chessville Reviews )
New in Chess, 2005
More than four decades after Curacao 1962, the passionate debate over the tournament that changed the course of chess history rages as fiercely as ever. Not the least because some of its protagonists like Fischer, Korchnoi and Benko are still in our midst. It all began with Fischer's article: The Russians Have Fixed World Chess which appeared in Sports Illustrated magazine soon after the Curacao event. It was reprinted in Life Magazine later. The thrust of his accusations was that the Soviet GMs Petrosian, Keres and Geller made suspiciously short draws among themselves and aligned themselves against him. [Editor's Note: See also: Did the Soviets Collude?: A Statistical Analysis of Championship ...]
Jan Timman’s book supports the main point of Fischer’s allegations, while pointing out that Bobby's other charges, like Korchnoi throwing his games to his compatriots, were wide of the mark.
What is not so well-known today (Timman also seems unaware of it) is that Keres did make a belated response in passing to Fischer's accusations of Soviet collusion in his Thoughts On The Current Chess Scene in the May 1964 issue of Chess, Sutton Coldfield Magazine. In the article Keres denied all the allegations. Indeed, he pooh-poohed Fischer's claim that he posed a serious challenge to the Soviets.
Unfortunately, Keres's own record and the tournament score table belied his claims. He lost only two games, to Fischer and Benko. In the last round he failed to win against Fischer. A victory would have enabled him to win the Candidates' Tournament and challenge Botvinnik. He had been striving for it since 1948.
What is more, contrary to his denials, the Soviets did take Fischer’s challenge seriously. He had won the Stockholm Interzonal ahead of them. Indeed, it was Petrosian who let the cat of the bag in a candid admission:
"During the flight from Moscow to Curacao, Keres and I spoke about Fischer, and we arrive at the shared conclusion that the most the young American could count on at this moment was third place. Geller was of the same opinion. The results of the tournament showed that we had not been far from the truth." (Russians versus Fischer, Edited By Plisetsky and Voronkov, p.83.)
( To be continued.. )
CZECH GM MIROSLAV FILIP DIES AT 80
( ChessBase News )
03.05.2009 – At six foot nine inches Miroslav Filip was an imposing presence at the chess board. But he became a world force in the 50s and 60s, represented his country in 12 consecutive Chess Olympiads and inflicted defeat on no fewer than three world champions (Euwe, Smyslov and Tal). Filip was born in Prague on October 27, 1928, and died there on April 27, 2009. Obituary by Raymond Keene.
GM Miroslav Filip, 1928–2009
Miroslav Filip, the Czech chess grandmaster, devoted his professional career to many aspects of the game, as player, author, journalist and arbiter. In every sphere he achieved world class results, though by modern standards he was something of a late starter, his prospects being hampered by the fact that his formative years coincided with the Nazi occupation of his home country and the various deprivations caused by the second world war.
Filip was born in Prague in 1928, and like his fellow grandmaster to be Ludek Pachman, Filip benefited from the occasional presence of the world champion Alexander Alekhine in the Prague competition during the early 1940's. It was, however, not until the age of twenty five that Filip began to make a serious mark on the post war international chess scene, earning the title of international master from FIDE, the world chess federation, in 1953. His growing prowess had already become clear from his victories in the Czech national championships of 1950 and 1953.
It was during the seven years from 1955 to 1962 that Filip, at six foot nine inches in height an imposing presence at the chess board, truly became a world force. During this period he twice achieved the notoriously arduous feat of qualifying for the Candidates Tournaments for the World Championship, at Amsterdam 1956 and again at Curacao, 1962. Thus Filip was automatically propelled into the upper echelons of the world elite. It was in this happy time that Filip inflicted defeat on no fewer than three world champions, Dr Max Euwe in 1955, Vassily Smyslov (the reigning champion) in 1957 and former world champion Mikhail Tal in 1962.
( GM Miroslav Filip playing GM Mikhail Tal
Filip also won the international tournaments at his home city of Prague in 1956, again at Marienbad 1960 and Buenos Aires 1961. In spite of his glittering achievements and wins against the world's best in individual encounters, Filip failed in his ultimate ambition to challenge for the world title. Indeed, in his second appearance in the candidates tournament at Curacao 1962, despite scoring a fine counter-attacking victory against Mikhail Tal, he was generally outclassed, both by the established Soviet grandmasters and the new force represented by Bobby Fischer, the mercurial young American. Therafter, Filip grew less enthusiastic about tournament play, becoming more concerned with avoiding defeat, at which he was an adept, than in scoring wins. As a result he turned his professional hand ever more to authorship, journalism and arbiting.
He was selected by the World Chess Federation to be arbiter for six subsequent world championship contests, including the controversial Karpov v Korchnoi match at Baguio 1978. He conducted the chess column in the Prague daily sports paper "Denik Sport" with great distinction, and wrote books on the candidates tournament of 1956, the world championship of 1978 and the Lucerne Chess Olympiad of 1982.
His prowess as a player was further confirmed by his results for Czechoslovakia in the Chess Olympiads , where he represented his country on a remarkable twelve occasions, three of those on top board, scoring 114 points from 194 games for a 58.76 percentage. In 1970 he won the individual gold medal for his performance in the Kapfenberg European Team Championship.
Miroslav Filip was a worthy successor to the tradition of the Prague School, which numbered amongst its alumni Wilhelm Steinitz, the first "official" world champion, Richard Reti, the pioneeer of hypermodernism and Oldrich Duras , the great tournament competitor. Filip was born in Prague on October 27, 1928, and died there on April 27, 2009.
03.05.2009 – At six foot nine inches Miroslav Filip was an imposing presence at the chess board. But he became a world force in the 50s and 60s, represented his country in 12 consecutive Chess Olympiads and inflicted defeat on no fewer than three world champions (Euwe, Smyslov and Tal). Filip was born in Prague on October 27, 1928, and died there on April 27, 2009. Obituary by Raymond Keene.
GM Miroslav Filip, 1928–2009
Miroslav Filip, the Czech chess grandmaster, devoted his professional career to many aspects of the game, as player, author, journalist and arbiter. In every sphere he achieved world class results, though by modern standards he was something of a late starter, his prospects being hampered by the fact that his formative years coincided with the Nazi occupation of his home country and the various deprivations caused by the second world war.
Filip was born in Prague in 1928, and like his fellow grandmaster to be Ludek Pachman, Filip benefited from the occasional presence of the world champion Alexander Alekhine in the Prague competition during the early 1940's. It was, however, not until the age of twenty five that Filip began to make a serious mark on the post war international chess scene, earning the title of international master from FIDE, the world chess federation, in 1953. His growing prowess had already become clear from his victories in the Czech national championships of 1950 and 1953.
It was during the seven years from 1955 to 1962 that Filip, at six foot nine inches in height an imposing presence at the chess board, truly became a world force. During this period he twice achieved the notoriously arduous feat of qualifying for the Candidates Tournaments for the World Championship, at Amsterdam 1956 and again at Curacao, 1962. Thus Filip was automatically propelled into the upper echelons of the world elite. It was in this happy time that Filip inflicted defeat on no fewer than three world champions, Dr Max Euwe in 1955, Vassily Smyslov (the reigning champion) in 1957 and former world champion Mikhail Tal in 1962.
( GM Miroslav Filip playing GM Mikhail Tal
Filip also won the international tournaments at his home city of Prague in 1956, again at Marienbad 1960 and Buenos Aires 1961. In spite of his glittering achievements and wins against the world's best in individual encounters, Filip failed in his ultimate ambition to challenge for the world title. Indeed, in his second appearance in the candidates tournament at Curacao 1962, despite scoring a fine counter-attacking victory against Mikhail Tal, he was generally outclassed, both by the established Soviet grandmasters and the new force represented by Bobby Fischer, the mercurial young American. Therafter, Filip grew less enthusiastic about tournament play, becoming more concerned with avoiding defeat, at which he was an adept, than in scoring wins. As a result he turned his professional hand ever more to authorship, journalism and arbiting.
He was selected by the World Chess Federation to be arbiter for six subsequent world championship contests, including the controversial Karpov v Korchnoi match at Baguio 1978. He conducted the chess column in the Prague daily sports paper "Denik Sport" with great distinction, and wrote books on the candidates tournament of 1956, the world championship of 1978 and the Lucerne Chess Olympiad of 1982.
His prowess as a player was further confirmed by his results for Czechoslovakia in the Chess Olympiads , where he represented his country on a remarkable twelve occasions, three of those on top board, scoring 114 points from 194 games for a 58.76 percentage. In 1970 he won the individual gold medal for his performance in the Kapfenberg European Team Championship.
Miroslav Filip was a worthy successor to the tradition of the Prague School, which numbered amongst its alumni Wilhelm Steinitz, the first "official" world champion, Richard Reti, the pioneeer of hypermodernism and Oldrich Duras , the great tournament competitor. Filip was born in Prague on October 27, 1928, and died there on April 27, 2009.
NOFRE REYES - A GENTLEMAN ON AND OFF THE 64 SQUARE BOARD
( Nofre Reyes in action against GM Joey Antonio during the 1994 Davao Open held at the Victoria Plaza Mall. Also in photo are IM Candidate Reggie Olay, Bernie Malate who acted as Arbiter and GM Candidate Rolando Nolte )
I have known Nofre Reyes in the late 1980's when he was still a struggling junior player trying to create a name in the Davao chess scene. We became close friends when he joined the University of Mindanao (UM)Varsity chess team. I played board 1 while he played board 4 next to Nonoy Jabilles and the late Danilo Sanchez during the 1992 National PRISSAA Games where we created a stir by defeating the defending champion University of the East thereby depriving them of the chance to repeat as champion. Both of us won during that memorable match. I admire Nofre for being a gentleman on and off the board.
He was a member of the UM Chess Varsity team from 1988 to 1993 while taking up a course in Civil Engineering. He was the champion of the Bonguyan's Cup-Toril Open in 1994 and second placer in the 2nd Pelagio Guevarra Memorial Chess Challenge in 2003. He was a member of the Davao City Chess Team to the National Inter-cities and Municipalities Team Tournament in the year 2005 and 2006. He also tied for first place in the 2005 Davao City Open. At present, he still occasionally plays in tournaments but is also a noted chess arbiter and tutor of Davao City. Below is a sample of his game.
2005 Davao Open
White: Nofre Reyes (2009)
Black: Henry Lopez (2135)
Evans Gambit C52
( Annotations by Atty. Jong Guevarra Jr.)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.b4
The start of the Evans Gambit which was quite popular in the late
18th and early 19th century which was the romantic era of attacking
chess.
4.. Bxb4 5.c3 Be7 6.d4 Na5 7.Be2 exd4 8.Qxd4 d5
Black deviates from the Game Kasparov-Anand, Riga 1995 where
black played 8..Nf6. The game continued 9.e5 Nc6 10.Qh4 Nd5
11. Qg3 g6 12. o-o with slight advantage for white who later
on won in 25 moves.
9. exd5 Nf6 10. c4 c5 11.Qf4!?
Fritz suggested 11. Qb2
11.. o-o 12.o-o Nxd5?!
An interesting but dubious sacrifice. Nofre instead suggested
12.. b5 in order to break the pawn chain.
13.cxd5 Bf6
Black was relying on this move when he made the sacrifice as it
seems that he is on his way of regaining his sacrificed piece.
The succeeding moves proved otherwise.
14.Ne5 Qd6 15.Bb2 Re8 16. Bh5!?
According to Nofre, he spent more than 10 minutes before playing
this move. During the post-mortem analysis both players agreed
that 16. Qa4 was a much stronger move. However, the move played
was instrumental inwinning the game although black could have
offered a longer resistance.
16.. g6?
Better is 16.. Rxe5 with counter play. The moved played simply
losses as it gives white a tremendous attack.
17.Re1 gxh5 18.Nd2 Bd7 19.Qg3 + Bg4
The only move to prevent the loss of black's Queen or mate but it
merely delayed the inevitable.
20.Nxg4!
Black resigns.
1-0
Replay the game below..
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
PRESIDENT PACMAN
By Rina Jimenez-David
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:43:00 05/06/2009
President Manny Pacquiao stood by the window of Malacañang Palace, looking out at the garden with its big, old gnarled trees, the elegant gates, and the angry mob just outside them, shouting invectives he mercifully could not hear.
He wondered briefly why the Presidential Security Group had allowed the protesters to come so near to the Palace. Then he remembered: Buboy, his defense secretary, had just turned against him, showing up at the makeshift stage on EDSA, along with most members of his Cabinet. The soldiers who had vowed to protect his life with theirs had probably decided it wasn’t worth sacrificing their lives for a President who was on his way out, on the wrong side of history. In a way, he’d been knocked out, and he worried how he would ever stand up from the countdown that had just begun.
Involuntarily, a smile played on his lips, brightening the face that still showed signs of the battering he had suffered in the ring. He never had illusions that he was a handsome man, but his smile and his playful eyes proved irresistible to women: the smile, the eyes and the millions he had to his name, he thought bitterly.
The smile faded even before it could reach his eyes. He had always loved boxing metaphors, and it was the allusions to his storied career, and how he would use his own fists to do battle against the greedy and the corrupt, that, he still believed, had led to his election to the highest post in the land.
President Manny Pacquiao. President Pacman. The mere sound of it used to bring tears to his eyes. If only his Nanay Dionesia had lived long enough to savor the moment when he took his oath of office at the Araneta Coliseum where he had won his earliest victories. He would have loved to hold the ceremony at the MGM Grand, or at Mandalay Bay, but those spoilsports, the nationalists, raised a howl and he had to scrap the idea.
Now, when people said “President Pacman,” they did so in a sarcastic way, hinting at stories and rumors about his unexplained wealth. Unexplained wealth? They wanted to know where he got his money? They only needed to look at his face, listen to his slurred speech, to realize how he had earned his billions. But they wouldn’t know exactly how he had come so close to losing all of it…
* * *
PRESIDENT Pacquiao’s silent reverie was broken by a military aide, one of the few who had stayed behind. “Sir,” said the aide, “Ambassador Roach is here to see you.”
Manny turned just in time to note the entry of Freddie Roach, now hobbling about with a cane, though the same lopsided smile was still in evidence. Manny genuinely loved the man. Too bad he was American, and the title of “Ambassador” was a mere honorific, but the President had come to respect him, and to value his friendship. These days when most of “Team Pacquiao” had either fled to exile or joined his enemies, the President also looked forward to sharing Roach’s company, one of the few men he could talk to in all frankness.
“Things are looking bad, Manny, but I guess you’d know that by now,” Roach rasped out, and the President had to cock his ears to catch the man’s words. Having Freddie around was a comfort, but at such a time, he yearned for the advice of people like Lito, Chavit and Bing, men who had plotted his rise to power, who showed him how to use his popularity to attain victories they could not achieve for themselves. And who exploited him for their own uses, he thought with some anger.
“Don’t bother yourself with those guys,” Roach butted in, surprising Manny with his perception. He never could hide anything from the man who had turned him from a young, hungry brawler to a ring tactician. “I always told you those guys were just using you,” Roach drawled, and Manny had to agree once again.
In the beginning, of course, he thought they were genuine friends, accompanying him in all his fights, and staying around to celebrate, staging welcome tours and introducing him to the highest officials, the wealthy and well-bred, and to countless beautiful, hot babes.
* * *
AT THE THOUGHT, President Pacquiao wondered where his family was at this moment. Jinkee had long vacated the Palace, announcing that she had endured her husband’s serial infidelity for years but that his decision to throw a grand party for his 16-year-old mistress’ high school graduation—a party to which all his friends came—was a public insult and a declaration of war.
Just the other day, he had called up one of his sons in the States, and the young man, speaking in a clipped American accent he could barely make out, was curt and dismissive. “I’m an embarrassment to them,” he reflected, for by then the foreign press was making much of the corruption and violence that marked the Pacquiao regime. But how could I tell him that most of the money had gone to the pockets of my friends? the President wondered. And how could I confess that while I knew about their shenanigans, I kept quiet because they were giving me a cut of the income?
Pacman, the “best pound-for-pound fighter in the world” in his prime, abruptly stood up and marched once more to the window overlooking the Malacañang gates. He slumped against the bulletproof glass, remembering other days when crowds of loyalists waved pennants and posters, crying and screaming just to catch a glimpse of him. Suddenly, he caught sight of the angry mob outside parting to make way for a fire truck, gearing up for an assault on the Palace.
Manny turned to look back at Roach, who, seeing the look of panic on his former protégé’s face, stood up, striding across the room to put a weary arm around his shoulders.
“It’s time, Manny,” mumbled Roach. “It’s time to give an old piece of advice: Cut and cut cleanly. It’s time to throw in the towel.”
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:43:00 05/06/2009
President Manny Pacquiao stood by the window of Malacañang Palace, looking out at the garden with its big, old gnarled trees, the elegant gates, and the angry mob just outside them, shouting invectives he mercifully could not hear.
He wondered briefly why the Presidential Security Group had allowed the protesters to come so near to the Palace. Then he remembered: Buboy, his defense secretary, had just turned against him, showing up at the makeshift stage on EDSA, along with most members of his Cabinet. The soldiers who had vowed to protect his life with theirs had probably decided it wasn’t worth sacrificing their lives for a President who was on his way out, on the wrong side of history. In a way, he’d been knocked out, and he worried how he would ever stand up from the countdown that had just begun.
Involuntarily, a smile played on his lips, brightening the face that still showed signs of the battering he had suffered in the ring. He never had illusions that he was a handsome man, but his smile and his playful eyes proved irresistible to women: the smile, the eyes and the millions he had to his name, he thought bitterly.
The smile faded even before it could reach his eyes. He had always loved boxing metaphors, and it was the allusions to his storied career, and how he would use his own fists to do battle against the greedy and the corrupt, that, he still believed, had led to his election to the highest post in the land.
President Manny Pacquiao. President Pacman. The mere sound of it used to bring tears to his eyes. If only his Nanay Dionesia had lived long enough to savor the moment when he took his oath of office at the Araneta Coliseum where he had won his earliest victories. He would have loved to hold the ceremony at the MGM Grand, or at Mandalay Bay, but those spoilsports, the nationalists, raised a howl and he had to scrap the idea.
Now, when people said “President Pacman,” they did so in a sarcastic way, hinting at stories and rumors about his unexplained wealth. Unexplained wealth? They wanted to know where he got his money? They only needed to look at his face, listen to his slurred speech, to realize how he had earned his billions. But they wouldn’t know exactly how he had come so close to losing all of it…
* * *
PRESIDENT Pacquiao’s silent reverie was broken by a military aide, one of the few who had stayed behind. “Sir,” said the aide, “Ambassador Roach is here to see you.”
Manny turned just in time to note the entry of Freddie Roach, now hobbling about with a cane, though the same lopsided smile was still in evidence. Manny genuinely loved the man. Too bad he was American, and the title of “Ambassador” was a mere honorific, but the President had come to respect him, and to value his friendship. These days when most of “Team Pacquiao” had either fled to exile or joined his enemies, the President also looked forward to sharing Roach’s company, one of the few men he could talk to in all frankness.
“Things are looking bad, Manny, but I guess you’d know that by now,” Roach rasped out, and the President had to cock his ears to catch the man’s words. Having Freddie around was a comfort, but at such a time, he yearned for the advice of people like Lito, Chavit and Bing, men who had plotted his rise to power, who showed him how to use his popularity to attain victories they could not achieve for themselves. And who exploited him for their own uses, he thought with some anger.
“Don’t bother yourself with those guys,” Roach butted in, surprising Manny with his perception. He never could hide anything from the man who had turned him from a young, hungry brawler to a ring tactician. “I always told you those guys were just using you,” Roach drawled, and Manny had to agree once again.
In the beginning, of course, he thought they were genuine friends, accompanying him in all his fights, and staying around to celebrate, staging welcome tours and introducing him to the highest officials, the wealthy and well-bred, and to countless beautiful, hot babes.
* * *
AT THE THOUGHT, President Pacquiao wondered where his family was at this moment. Jinkee had long vacated the Palace, announcing that she had endured her husband’s serial infidelity for years but that his decision to throw a grand party for his 16-year-old mistress’ high school graduation—a party to which all his friends came—was a public insult and a declaration of war.
Just the other day, he had called up one of his sons in the States, and the young man, speaking in a clipped American accent he could barely make out, was curt and dismissive. “I’m an embarrassment to them,” he reflected, for by then the foreign press was making much of the corruption and violence that marked the Pacquiao regime. But how could I tell him that most of the money had gone to the pockets of my friends? the President wondered. And how could I confess that while I knew about their shenanigans, I kept quiet because they were giving me a cut of the income?
Pacman, the “best pound-for-pound fighter in the world” in his prime, abruptly stood up and marched once more to the window overlooking the Malacañang gates. He slumped against the bulletproof glass, remembering other days when crowds of loyalists waved pennants and posters, crying and screaming just to catch a glimpse of him. Suddenly, he caught sight of the angry mob outside parting to make way for a fire truck, gearing up for an assault on the Palace.
Manny turned to look back at Roach, who, seeing the look of panic on his former protégé’s face, stood up, striding across the room to put a weary arm around his shoulders.
“It’s time, Manny,” mumbled Roach. “It’s time to give an old piece of advice: Cut and cut cleanly. It’s time to throw in the towel.”
CHINA CHESS LEAGUE UPDATE - ITS A DRAW FOR GM SO IN THE 2ND ROUND
May 6, 2009 6:30 A.M
GM Wesley So (2641) settled for a draw using the black pieces against GM Zhao Jun (2560) of China in 2nd round action of the ongoing China Chess League. He lost his 1st round game against GM Zhang Pengxiang (2638)of China. On May 8 ( Thursday) at 1 pm, "Gentle Mauler" will handle white against GM Wu Wenjin (2412). Let's pray for the best!!! Go Wesley fight! Go! Fight!
Here's Wesley's 2nd round game vs Jun Zhao:
[Date "2009.05.06"]
[Round "2"]
[White "GM JUN ZHAO"]
[Black "GM WESLEY SO"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
( Annotations by NM Glen Bordonada. First posted at Barangay Wesley So Page )
Slav Chepanenko
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6
Popularized by Chepanenko. It is currently very popular in top echelon chess. Black gets a cramped but solid game.
5. a4 e6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. e3 Qa5 8. Nd2 Bb4= 9. Qc2 c5 10. Nb3
A previous game went this way: 10. Be2 cxd4 11. exd4 dxc4 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. Nxc4 Qc7 14. Qb3 Bd6 15. a5 O-O 16. Qb6 Rd8 17. Bf3 Rb8 18. O-O-O Nd5 19. Qxc7 Bxc7 20. Rhe1 Nb4 21. Nb6 Bxb6 22. axb6 Rd6 23. d5 Rxb6 24. Bg4 Kf8 25. dxe6 Bxe6 26. Bxe6 fxe6 27. Rd7 Rc8 28. Re3 Nd5 29. Rg3 Ne7 but Black eventually lost ...1-0, Beliavsky Alexander - Piket Jeroen, Madrid 1997.
10... Qc7 11. Bxf6?!
Possibly a novelty but there does not seem to be much to it. The move often played here is 11. dxc5 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Bxc5 (Gyimesi - Almasi, Magyarorzag 2000) 13. Be2 O-O 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 15. Bh4 b6 16. O-O Bb7 17. Rfd1 Rac8 18. Rac1 and White has the advantage of the Bishop pair.
11... Nxf6 12. dxc5 dxc4 13. Bxc4 Bxc5 14. Nxc5 Qxc5 15. Be2 Bd7 16. Bf3 Bc6 17. Bxc6+ Qxc6 18. O-O O-O 19. Rfd1 Rfd8 20. h3 h6 21. Qb3 Rac8 22. a5 Ne4 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Nxe4 Qxe4 25. Qa4 Qe5 26. b4?!
This unnecessarily weakens White's pawn structure and gives Black some winning chances. More precise is 26. Qb4 which is easier to draw.
26... Qb2 27. Ra2 Qc1+
(Start of long analysis)
Superior is 27... Qb1+ 28. Kh2 Qe4. The Queen is centralized and the b-pawn is prevented from pushing. 29. Rc2 Qd5 (Another try is 29... g5 30. Qb3 Qe5+ 31. g3 Qe4 32. Qb2 (with the idea of checking at c8 if Black's Rook leaves the backrank) 32... e5 33. Rc1 Qf3 34. Kg1 Rd5 35. Qc2 Kg7 36. Rf1 h5 37. Qc7 Rb5 38. Qd8 Qf5 39. Qe7? (39. e4! Qf6 40. Qd2 holds for White) 39... Qf6! 40. Qxf6+ Kxf6 41. Rb1 b6 42. axb6 a5 43. b7 axb4 and Black is winning.
30. Rc5 Qd6+ 31. Kg1 Qd2 (Threatening 32...Qe1+) 32. g4 Qe1+ 33. Kg2 g5 (To defend against a backrank check) 34. Rc7 Kg7 (If at once 34... Rd2 35. Qe8+ leads to mate.) 35. Rd7 Rxd7 36. Qxd7 Qxb4 and Black is a pawn up.
(End of long analysis)
28. Kh2 Qf1 29. Rc2 Kh7
Here possibly stronger is 29... Qd3 (Stopping 30.Rc7 because of 30...Qd6+. At the same time, Black prevents White from pushing the b-pawn.) 30. Rb2 Rc8 31. b5 Rc4 32. Qa2 Qe4 (Threatening 33...Qe5+.) 33. bxa6 bxa6. Black retains the initiative. There are threats like a backrank mate, Ra4 followed by winning the a-pawn, and control of the central squares. It may not be enough with best defense but Black must find the right moves.
30. Qa2 Rd7 31. Rd2 Rc7 32. Rc2 Rd7 33. Rd2 Rc7 34. Rc2 1/2-1/2
Monday, May 4, 2009
IM MARLO MICAYABAS AND THE 2008 BRADLEY OPEN- PART I
Four-Way Tie at Bradley Open
By GM Michael Rohde
( August 12, 2008 Chesslife Online )
It was another weekend at the office for GM Sergei Kudrin and GM Alexander Ivanov, as they tied for first along with IM Marlo Micayabas, and myself at the Bradley Open, August 8-10. Each of us scored 4-1 and received $500 for our efforts. The Bradley Open was held at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley Airport, just north of Hartford, CT. Current Grand Prix standings show Kudrin in second place and Ivanov in third, so both gained ground on the leader GM Mark Paragua, who has been cleaning up lately in New York City.
Continental Chess Association offered both a 3-day and a 2-day schedule for this event, and all the GMs opted for the 2-day, which had a faster time control for rounds 1 and 2. In round 2 I lost to Kudrin, but in round 3, Kudrin gave up a draw to talented New Jersey teenager Andrew Ng, and then in round 4, Kudrin and Ivanov drew. The pairings for Round 5 were Ivanov - Micayabas (both had 3.5), Max Enkin - Kudrin (both with 3) and Rohde - John Riddell (we both had 3). Kudrin prevailed as Black with a queenside attack in a Qxd4 Sicilian; Ivanov got into his famous time pressure as White in a Scheveningen Sicilian against Micayabas but bailed into a draw, and I had a wild game against John Riddell, a very experienced master from Westchester County in New York:
Below is the detailed account of the tournament by IM Micayabas as e-mailed to Engr. Jun Atmosfera.
It's already August and I haven't played a single tournament yet in 2008. Since my part-time comeback starting 2005, I had been able to play at least twice a year. Both my USCF and FIDE ratings had been spiraling downwards.Without any preparations, I decided to take the 140 miles trip to Connecticut not caring about further decline in my ratings. I needed to play to maintain active status. I took the three-day schedule while all the GM's took the two-day option with faster time controls in the first two games with their games starting the following morning.
I arrived at the venue-- Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport--at around three-thirty in the afternoon giving me ample time to get settled and calm down my nerves. The first game was to start at seven in the evening.It's Friday, August 8, 2008, at around 7:05PM. I showed up a little late for the game, shook my opponents hand, and simply said "Thank you" in reply to his "Good luck". I wondered later on if this was unsportsmanlike on my part since in the game, only I had the luck and he didn't.
13th Bradley Open, Round 1,
Board 1White: IM Marlo Micayabas (2339)
Black: Andres Castaneda (2067)
Closed Sicilian
(Annotations by IM Marlo Micayabas. The same was made without the aid of a chess engine}.
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.Bxc6 dxc6
Deviating early from Micayabas-Goldin, Foxwoods Open 2007 which
went 4...bxc65.f4 Bg7 6.Nf3 Nh6 7.0-0 0-0 8.d3 f5 9.e5 1-0 in
27 moves.
5.f4 Bg7 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.0-0 0-0 8.d3 Bg4
The point to Black's fourth move, exchanging off White's most active piece with Black's passive piece.
9.Qe1 ...
Initiating White's standard attack with Qh4, f5, Bh6, and Ng5.
9... Bxf3 10.Rxf3 c4
And now Black is also able to get rid of his doubled pawns. His strategy is falling into place.
11.Kh1 cxd3 12.cxd3!? ...
Risking a backward pawn with hopes of continuing the attack on the king-side.The more principled 12.Rxd3 could lead to more exchanges along the open d-file.
12... Nd7 13.Be3 f5 14.Rd1 Qa5 15.Bd2 e5 16.exf5 Rxf5?
An inaccuracy. Correct was 16... gxf5 holding off White's f-pawn. Now, White is able to get his king-side attack going.
17.g4! Rf7 18.f5 h5?
Another bad luck? Anyway, 18... gxf5 is strongly met by 19.Qh4! with a strong attack threatening Rh3. If 19... fxg4, then 20.Rxf7 Kxf7 21.Qxh7 followed by Rf1.
19.gxh5! Rxf5 20.Rxf5 gxf5 21.Qg3 Kh8 22.Rg1 Bf6 23.Qg6
With mate to follow, Black resigned. I was off to a good start.
( To be continued.... )
Replay the game below:
PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT INCLUDES CHESS IN SCHOOLS CURRICULUM
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo approved inclusion of chess in schools curriculum in primary and secondary schools across the country. National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President Prospero Pichay and Department of Education Secretary Jesli A. Lapus signed the Memorandum of Agreement the other day launching the National Chess Academy. Witnessing the signing were NCFP secretary-general Mayor Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino, NCFP Director Brother Roly Dizon, NCFP Executive Director Willie Abalos and Department of Education officials.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (center) graced the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) President Prospero Pichay (seated right), witnessed by NCFP Secretary General Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino and NCFP Executive Director Willy Abalos, and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Jeslie Lapus (seated left) with DepEd officials.
Posing after the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement. At far left is Brother Roly Dizon, former president of the De La Salle University in Manila and member of the NCFP Board.
The NCFP Chess in Schools Committee, clockwise from left: FIDE Delegate Casto Abundo, Brother Roly Dizon, Committee Chairman Saturnino Belen, IA Bobby Bautista, GM Bong Villamayor and Coordinator Jessie Sanchez.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo issued the Executive Order to encourage children to play chess in accordance with the Grassroots Program of the Philippine Sports Commission.
Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Jesli A. Lapus issued a memorandum entitled "Strengthening the Development of Higher Order Thinking Skills and Values Among Children Through Chess."
Secretary Lapus said that children exposed to chess learn faster and get better grades. He has ordered the integration of chess into the curriculum of grade school and high school students.
"Chess is a game that improves individual organizational and analytical skills. Children when exposed to this game at an early age achieve academically better, or even faster than those who have not been engaged in the game. Likewise, chess is among the activities that help build memory skills, concentration, self-confidence, self-esteem and in making disciplined decisions. Playing chess provides opportunities to practice such values as perseverance, honesty, and sportsmanship," Secretary Lapus stated in the Memorandum.
The Department of Education (DepEd) shall adopt chess as another strategy to promote the development of higher order thinking skills and values among Grades 3 to 6 in the Physical Education department. Chess will continue at the secondary level.
Brother Rolando Dizon, former president of the De La Salle University and member of the NCFP Board of Directors, said that the DepEd and NCFP shall conduct "Chess Training Seminar/Workshops for DepEd Coordinators" at the First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities (FAITH) in Tanauan City in Batangas. FAITH president Saturnino G. Belen, Jr. who is also a member of the NCFP Board was tapped by Prospero Pichay to head the NCFP Chess in Schools Committee. Belen is also a member of the FIDE Commission on Chess In Schools.
Coordinator Jessie Sanchez announced that the seminars will be on May 7-9 and 10-12 in Tanauan; May 14-16 in Bacolod City and May 19-21 in Davao City.
Grandmaster Bong Villamayor shall lead the team of accredited lectures and supervise the examination for instructors.
In the Philippine public school system, there are around 35,000 Grade Schools and some 6,000 High Schools. There are over 2,000 private High Schools. Brother Dizon said they aim to train 35,000 chess teachers by November 2009.
Tournaments and Matches will be conducted among school children. NCFP Executive Director Willy Abalos said that the National Inter-Collegiate Championship shall be held 18-22 August at the Central Luzon State University (CLSU) in Munoz, Nueva Ecija.
Brother Dizon said that the Philippine University Games shall be held October 23 to 26, 2009 in Bacolod City.
The Committee met with Asian Chess Federation Deputy President Casto Abundo to map out the strategy. Key to the program are training and licensing of instructors, review and endorsement of chess equipment and publications, nationwide series of tournaments and matches between schools and establishment of chess clubs throughout the archipelago.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
MANNY PACQUIAO - " THE BULLDOZER "
I waked-up early this morning eagerly anticipating the much hyped Pacquiao vs. Hatton boxing match for the pound for pound best boxer of the world title. The other night I dreamed about the fight whereby I saw the referee stopping the fight after the 3rd round and Pacquiao declared as the winner. Maybe that dream was influence by Manny's coach/trainer Freddie Roach prediction that the fight will not go beyond the 3rd round. At exactly 8:30 A.M I together with my brother Dandan and my father went to Jansar Vidoeoke Bar where my friend Dante and Engr. Jun had a reserved table for the pay per view coverage of the fight. The entrance fee was P 200.00 with free pack lunch. My wife arrived later accompanied by her friends and relatives who were all excited to watch the fight live. Previously, boxing in the Philippines was exclusively a man's game but due to Pacquiao's emmense popularity even the women are now also eagerly anticipating his fights.
At around 11:00 A.M the main event started. The place was full to the rafters, so to speak and was oven hot. In the first round, RIcky Hatton was dropped to the canvass twice to the delight of the predominantly Pacquiao crowd although some dehadista placed their bet on Hatton because of the doblado odds. Some were even shouting and jumping at the stage. In the second round, Hatton seems to regain his bearings and traded punches with Manny in the center of the ring. However, with less than a minute remaining of the 2nd round, a left cross of Manny hit Hatton squarely in the jaw causing him to drop like a log and he remained motionless for over a minute. Hell broke loose and everybody were congratulating and hugging each other except for the few dehadistas who were shaking their heads in disbelief.
I have no doubt that Manny would defeat Hatton but I did not imagine that kind of whipping. I had been transformed into a self-proclaimed boxing expert just like thousands of Manny Pacquiao's fans although modesty aside I was into boxing literature way back when I was still in high school as I had a weekly subscription of the Philippine Sports Weekly Magazine where all the boxing champions were posted. During that time I could memorize the different boxing champions in the different weight category as there were only two boxing bodies to reckoned with, the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Association (WBA)and the weight categories were not that many. My heroes then were the likes of Sugar Rey Leonard, Roberto Duran, Tommy " The Hitman " Hearns and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. It was also the prime of Rolando Navarrete " The Bad Boy from Dadiangas ", and Luisito " Lindol " Espinosa.
With that kind of performance there is no more doubt that Manny Pacquiao is the true pound for pound king as even Floyd Mayweather Jr. was not able to inflict that kind of punishment to Ricky Hatton when they fought. To MANNY " THE BULLDOZER " PACQUIAO ", CONGRATULATIONS!! MABUHAY KA!!
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