“Chess helps you to concentrate, improve your logic. It teaches you to play by the rules and take responsibility for your actions, how to problem solve in an uncertain environment.”
--Garry Kasparov
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- The political combat in the Philippines can sometimes be compared to chess.
Both camps believe they will win and they will never entertain the possibility of losing.
They will lose only if they are “cheated”.
A defeat for most of them is a misnomer.
They run to win, not to lose.
In politics, however, there is no draw.
One must win and another must lose.
In chess, victory is achieved sometimes in a tie-break or after the full regular match like in the best-of-12-games format of the just-concluded FIDE World Championship in London.
-o0o-
I made a mistake when I posted on social media that “I have the gut feeling that the world will have a new world chess champion tomorrow (Wednesday, November 28, 2018)” several hours before the start of the FIDE World Chess Championship tie-breakers between defending champion Magnus Carlsen and Italian-American challenger Fabiano Caruana in London, which finally ended with the Norwegian world No. 1 retaining his title.
My “gut feeling” erred, this time.
Caruana, who would have been the first American world champion since Bobby Fischer won in 1972, lost to Carlsen in three time-limited games.
Carlsen, who has won the championship three times before and was the favorite to win the game, took a two-match lead and needed only a draw in the third tie-breaker to seal his victory.
-o0o-
My basis for picking Caruana in the tie-break was when Carlsen offered a draw in their last match prior to the tie-breakers which many experts, including former world champion Garry Kasparov, believed was a winning game.
They suspected that Carlsen was panicking and losing his nerves after the title match ended in deadlock at 6-all after 12 draws during the regular best-of-12 tussle.
It made Kasparov wondered in his Twit: “In light of this shocking draw offer from Magnus in a superior position with more time, I reconsider my evaluation of him being the favorite in rapids. Tiebreaks require tremendous nerves and he seems to be losing his.”
In the wild and oscillating Game 12, Carlsen, with the black pieces, and Caruana, with the white, began with the Sveshnikov Sicilian, just as they had in Game 8 and Game 10.
-o0o-
“Carlsen was the first to deviate from the earlier contests, perhaps a stratagem to take Caruana out of his seemingly excellent preparation for the championship, and to angle for a decisive result at last,” reported The Guardian. “By the 12th move, the two were in uncharted territory, looking at a board that that no two people had created before at this level of chess.1”
After Carlsen’s victory, Kasparov Twitted anew, this time in a different tune: “Carlsen’s consistent level of play in rapid chess is phenomenal. We all play worse as we play faster and faster, but his ratio may be the smallest ever, perhaps only a 15% drop off. Huge advantage in this format.”
Showing posts with label #FIDE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #FIDE. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
‘Protect yourselves at all times’
“The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.”
--Albert Einstein
By Alex P. Vidal
--Albert Einstein
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY --Now that the riding-in-tandem’s reign of terror has remained unabated in the Philippines, active cops and former colleagues of slain retired Iloilo City policeman Ronaldo “Apple” Alag in the Philippines included in the narco list of President Rodrigo R. Duterte should not let their guards down.
Even politicians, lawyers, judges, journalists, housewives, teachers, sidewalk vendors, and other civilians are not exempted from a man-made horror and terror.
As we tell the boxers before the start of a boxing bout, “protect yourselves as all times.”
There is no guarantee that the liquidation squad won’t strike anew.
There have been scores of characters linked to illegal drugs waylaid and executed by the notorious motorcycle-riding gunmen, but not a single assailant has been arrested or identified.
-o0o-
Except in the case of PO2 Dorben “Benjo Acap of the PNP Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit (RPHAU) based in Camp Delgado in Iloilo City, who survived an ambush attempt in Sitio Pajo, Brgy. Dulonan, Arevalo District on June 26, 2018 and managed to fire back and hit his shooter, PO2 Melvin Mocorro, all other crimes committed by the riding-in-tandem murderers have remained unsolved.
Even if Mocorro had been collared and charged in court, no one was expecting him to go to jail for Acap’s foiled murder.
Many people suspect Mocorro’s superiors will make sure he will be “off the hook.”
We remember that among those mentioned by President Duterte in his “narco list” were retired Iloilo cops Elvis Donasco and Remy Donasco.
The Donasco brothers have denied any involvement in any illegal activities, including drug trafficking.
They also denied they were protectors of drug traffickers operating in Western Visayas.
If the charges against all the suspects are based on falsehood and erratic intelligence data, they shouldn’t be harmed even with a ten-foot pole.
If the reports are accurate, file charges against them in court so they can defend themselves.
A big no to summary execution.
-o0o-
The Donasco brothers and other characters in the president’s “narco list” could be victims of jealousy and envy.
Unless the “intelligence” reports reaching President Duterte have been verified and substantiated, it’s not fair to eternally attach their names to unlawful activities.
Like all victims of extra-judicial killings (EJK), all other suspects should be given their day in court.
Just the same. They should not trust anyone who ride not just in motorcycle but also in cabs and even private cars who approach them or roaming around their neighborhood.
It’s better to be prepared and alert all the time than sorry.
With the climate of fear and impunity hovering around the horizon, it isn’t safe for anyone to trust anybody not part of our household.
Even some of our colleagues will sometimes kiss us like Judas to ensure our downfall and imminent death.
-o0o-
The boring FIDE world chess championship tussle between champion Magnus Carlsen and American challenger Fabiano Caruana in London will finally be decided in a tie-breaker on November 28, 2018.
Carlsen will play with the white pieces in the first game of rapid play-off after the drawing of lots is conducted.
The format will be: Best of four rapid games with 25 minutes for each player with an increment of 10 seconds after each move.
If still tied, they will play up to five mini-matches of two blitz games (five minutes for each player with a three-second increment).
If all five mini-matches are drawn, one sudden-death ‘Armageddon’ match will be played where White receives five minutes and Black receives four minutes. Both players will receive a three-second increment after the 60th move. In the case of a draw, Black will be declared the winner.
I won’t be surprised if on Wednesday, a new world chess champion will be crowned.
Even politicians, lawyers, judges, journalists, housewives, teachers, sidewalk vendors, and other civilians are not exempted from a man-made horror and terror.
As we tell the boxers before the start of a boxing bout, “protect yourselves as all times.”
There is no guarantee that the liquidation squad won’t strike anew.
There have been scores of characters linked to illegal drugs waylaid and executed by the notorious motorcycle-riding gunmen, but not a single assailant has been arrested or identified.
-o0o-
Except in the case of PO2 Dorben “Benjo Acap of the PNP Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit (RPHAU) based in Camp Delgado in Iloilo City, who survived an ambush attempt in Sitio Pajo, Brgy. Dulonan, Arevalo District on June 26, 2018 and managed to fire back and hit his shooter, PO2 Melvin Mocorro, all other crimes committed by the riding-in-tandem murderers have remained unsolved.
Even if Mocorro had been collared and charged in court, no one was expecting him to go to jail for Acap’s foiled murder.
Many people suspect Mocorro’s superiors will make sure he will be “off the hook.”
We remember that among those mentioned by President Duterte in his “narco list” were retired Iloilo cops Elvis Donasco and Remy Donasco.
The Donasco brothers have denied any involvement in any illegal activities, including drug trafficking.
They also denied they were protectors of drug traffickers operating in Western Visayas.
If the charges against all the suspects are based on falsehood and erratic intelligence data, they shouldn’t be harmed even with a ten-foot pole.
If the reports are accurate, file charges against them in court so they can defend themselves.
A big no to summary execution.
-o0o-
The Donasco brothers and other characters in the president’s “narco list” could be victims of jealousy and envy.
Unless the “intelligence” reports reaching President Duterte have been verified and substantiated, it’s not fair to eternally attach their names to unlawful activities.
Like all victims of extra-judicial killings (EJK), all other suspects should be given their day in court.
Just the same. They should not trust anyone who ride not just in motorcycle but also in cabs and even private cars who approach them or roaming around their neighborhood.
It’s better to be prepared and alert all the time than sorry.
With the climate of fear and impunity hovering around the horizon, it isn’t safe for anyone to trust anybody not part of our household.
Even some of our colleagues will sometimes kiss us like Judas to ensure our downfall and imminent death.
-o0o-
The boring FIDE world chess championship tussle between champion Magnus Carlsen and American challenger Fabiano Caruana in London will finally be decided in a tie-breaker on November 28, 2018.
Carlsen will play with the white pieces in the first game of rapid play-off after the drawing of lots is conducted.
The format will be: Best of four rapid games with 25 minutes for each player with an increment of 10 seconds after each move.
If still tied, they will play up to five mini-matches of two blitz games (five minutes for each player with a three-second increment).
If all five mini-matches are drawn, one sudden-death ‘Armageddon’ match will be played where White receives five minutes and Black receives four minutes. Both players will receive a three-second increment after the 60th move. In the case of a draw, Black will be declared the winner.
I won’t be surprised if on Wednesday, a new world chess champion will be crowned.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
In bocca al lupo, Fabiano
“Chess is ruthless: you've got to be prepared to kill people.” --Nigel Short
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- If Bobby Fischer were alive today, he would spearhead the applause on 25-year-old compatriot Fabiano Caruana.
The reclusive genius died at 64 in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2008 without seeing his dream to see another American-born chess grand master competing for the world chess championship.
When another American, Gata Kamsky (2677), battled and lost to Russia’s Anatoli Karpov (2623) for world championship in 1996, Fischer wasn’t impressed that another American after him was able to take a stab at the world chess crown.
Unlike Caruana (2784), who was born in Miami, Kamsky, 43, was born in Novokuznetsk, Russian and moved only to the United States in 1989.
Fischer, born in Chicago in 1943, was very particular about US-born chess world title candidates and challengers.
He also didn’t believe that that the world chess crown should remain in the hands of the Russians.
Although Caruana is Italian-American, he was born and raised in the US territory.
THIRD
By winning the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2018 in Berlin March 27, Caruana became officially the third American to battle for the world championship after Fischer in 1972 and Kamsky in 1996.
If Caruana will dethrone 27-year-old defending champion Magnus Carlsen (2843) of Norway in their 12-game match in London in November, he will only be the second American to win the global chess tiara since 1975, the year Fischer relinquished the title, three years after his epic win over Soviet star Boris Spassky in Reykjavik.
In Berlin during the Candidates Tournament 2018 that started on March 10, Caruana sent a strong message when he blasted fellow US player, Filipino Wesley So (2799), in a Catalan match in the opening day.
So finished solo seventh with six points.
In the 14th and last round on March 27, Caruana booked a ticket to London to face Carlsen when he trounced Alexander Grischuk (2767) in Petroff’s Defence, the only victory of the day in the eight-man tournament.
He wound up with nine points, a point ahead of second placer, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2809) who had eight points.
“I am absolutely thrilled,” Caruana, the world No. 3, said afterward.
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- If Bobby Fischer were alive today, he would spearhead the applause on 25-year-old compatriot Fabiano Caruana.
The reclusive genius died at 64 in Reykjavik, Iceland in 2008 without seeing his dream to see another American-born chess grand master competing for the world chess championship.
When another American, Gata Kamsky (2677), battled and lost to Russia’s Anatoli Karpov (2623) for world championship in 1996, Fischer wasn’t impressed that another American after him was able to take a stab at the world chess crown.
Unlike Caruana (2784), who was born in Miami, Kamsky, 43, was born in Novokuznetsk, Russian and moved only to the United States in 1989.
Fischer, born in Chicago in 1943, was very particular about US-born chess world title candidates and challengers.
He also didn’t believe that that the world chess crown should remain in the hands of the Russians.
Although Caruana is Italian-American, he was born and raised in the US territory.
THIRD
By winning the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2018 in Berlin March 27, Caruana became officially the third American to battle for the world championship after Fischer in 1972 and Kamsky in 1996.
If Caruana will dethrone 27-year-old defending champion Magnus Carlsen (2843) of Norway in their 12-game match in London in November, he will only be the second American to win the global chess tiara since 1975, the year Fischer relinquished the title, three years after his epic win over Soviet star Boris Spassky in Reykjavik.
In Berlin during the Candidates Tournament 2018 that started on March 10, Caruana sent a strong message when he blasted fellow US player, Filipino Wesley So (2799), in a Catalan match in the opening day.
So finished solo seventh with six points.
In the 14th and last round on March 27, Caruana booked a ticket to London to face Carlsen when he trounced Alexander Grischuk (2767) in Petroff’s Defence, the only victory of the day in the eight-man tournament.
He wound up with nine points, a point ahead of second placer, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2809) who had eight points.
“I am absolutely thrilled,” Caruana, the world No. 3, said afterward.
“Coming into today, I wasn’t sure what would happen and things couldn’t have gone better. A few days ago, I thought the tournament was already out of my hands, but somehow things just came together perfectly at the end. I really couldn’t be happier.”
In bocca al lupo, Fabiano or good luck, Fabiano.
Final Standings: 1st Caruana 9 pts, 2nd Mamedyarov 8 pts, 3rd Karjakin 8 pts, 4th Ding Liren 7.5 pts, 5th Kramnik 6.5 pts, 6th Grischuk 6.5 pts, 7th Wesley So 6 pts, 8th Aronian 4.5 pts
In bocca al lupo, Fabiano or good luck, Fabiano.
Final Standings: 1st Caruana 9 pts, 2nd Mamedyarov 8 pts, 3rd Karjakin 8 pts, 4th Ding Liren 7.5 pts, 5th Kramnik 6.5 pts, 6th Grischuk 6.5 pts, 7th Wesley So 6 pts, 8th Aronian 4.5 pts
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
How Torre, So raise Filipinos’ pride in World Chess
“The place of chess in the society is closely related to the attitude of young people towards our game.”
--Boris Spassky
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- Carlos “Sonny” Padilla Jr. was the toast of Philippine sports in 1975 when he earned praises from Don King, among other top honcos of world boxing, for his impressive handling of the Ali vs Frazier “Thrilla in Manila” in October.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos rejected the three American referees brought by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA) and insisted on “inexperienced” 42-year-old Padilla to be the third man in the ring.
In summer the following year, however, the loud cheer did not only shift from boxing to chess, it transferred from Padilla to 24-year-old chess sensation Eugene Torre, Asia’s first Grandmaster (GM).
In the 1976 Marlboro-Loyola Kings Challenge chess tournament held in Manila, Torre (2505) made history by becoming the first chess player in the world to finish clear first ahead since Anatoly Karpov (2695) had become FIDE World Chess champion.
Torre, who notched his full GM norm at 22 in the 1974 Nice Chess Olympiad, did not only top the tournament, he also whipped the Russian world champion and two other GMs--Yugoslavia’s Ljubomir Ljubojevic (2620) and United States’ Walter Browne (2585).
MOMENT
Torre’s shining moment came seven years later in Alicante, Spain when he became the first Filipino to qualify for the Candidates Matches, a tournament that would decide the next FIDE World Championship challenger.
From April 4 to 26, 1983, the Filipinos followed Torre’s struggle against GM Zoltan Ribli of Hungary.
With no Internet then, I followed the results in the Manila Bulletin and its sister publication, Tempo, which had access to the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
There were six qualifiers from three Interzonal tournaments plus two seeds for a total of eight with the winner facing Karpov in 1984.
Robert Ang, accounting professor in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, recalled that “there were very unhappy circumstances before Torre’s departure for Alicante when he faced the prospect of being unable to leave for Spain due to lack of support. Financial difficulties hounded him every day and played havoc on his physical and mental preparation for the match. Finally, on literally the last minute the President of the Philippine Chess Federation Federico Moreno managed to come up with the tickets for Spain.”
After nine rounds, Ribli, older by only one month to Torre, crushed the Filipino, 6-4. The Hungarian, a two-time European Junior Champion and is now an international arbiter, was ousted in the next round by GM Vasily Smyslov, 6.5-4.5.
Smyslov, who died eight years ago at 89 in Moscow, was clobbered by future World Champion Garry Kasparov, 8.5-4.5
Smyslov, who lost to GM Mikhail Botvinnik in the 1953 World Chess Championship in Moscow, advanced to the semifinal round over GM Robert Huebner of West Germany.
STAGE
Torre’s highest accomplishment was the same stage reached by 24-year-old Filipino Wesley So (2799), formerly the world No. 2 player who is now representing the United States.
So could eclipse Torre if he wins the Candidates Tournament 2018 that would determine 27-year-old World Champion Magnus Carlsen’s next challenger.
The tournament romped off on March 10 and winds up on March 28 in Berlin, Germany.
So, the highest-rated Filipino GM, was at the bottom with two defeats and a draw after three rounds of an eight-player double round robin chess tournament.
So is in the league with GM Sergey Karjakin (2763), GM Levon Aronian (2794), GM Ding Liren (2769), GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2809), GM Alexander Grischuk (2767), GM Fabiano Caruana (2784), GM Vladimir Kramnik (2800).
Like Torre in Alicante, Spain, So needs the moral support of his countrymen as he struggles in Berlin. Although So now plays for the US, his battle is also our battle; his pride is also our pride; whether he wins or loses, So has already lifted the spirit of Filipinos by this scintillating performance of reaching the Candidates Tournament, a feat no other Filipino chesser in international chess competitions has achieved, except Torre, now 66.
--Boris Spassky
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- Carlos “Sonny” Padilla Jr. was the toast of Philippine sports in 1975 when he earned praises from Don King, among other top honcos of world boxing, for his impressive handling of the Ali vs Frazier “Thrilla in Manila” in October.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos rejected the three American referees brought by the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA) and insisted on “inexperienced” 42-year-old Padilla to be the third man in the ring.
In summer the following year, however, the loud cheer did not only shift from boxing to chess, it transferred from Padilla to 24-year-old chess sensation Eugene Torre, Asia’s first Grandmaster (GM).
In the 1976 Marlboro-Loyola Kings Challenge chess tournament held in Manila, Torre (2505) made history by becoming the first chess player in the world to finish clear first ahead since Anatoly Karpov (2695) had become FIDE World Chess champion.
Torre, who notched his full GM norm at 22 in the 1974 Nice Chess Olympiad, did not only top the tournament, he also whipped the Russian world champion and two other GMs--Yugoslavia’s Ljubomir Ljubojevic (2620) and United States’ Walter Browne (2585).
MOMENT
Torre’s shining moment came seven years later in Alicante, Spain when he became the first Filipino to qualify for the Candidates Matches, a tournament that would decide the next FIDE World Championship challenger.
From April 4 to 26, 1983, the Filipinos followed Torre’s struggle against GM Zoltan Ribli of Hungary.
With no Internet then, I followed the results in the Manila Bulletin and its sister publication, Tempo, which had access to the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.
There were six qualifiers from three Interzonal tournaments plus two seeds for a total of eight with the winner facing Karpov in 1984.
Robert Ang, accounting professor in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Manila, recalled that “there were very unhappy circumstances before Torre’s departure for Alicante when he faced the prospect of being unable to leave for Spain due to lack of support. Financial difficulties hounded him every day and played havoc on his physical and mental preparation for the match. Finally, on literally the last minute the President of the Philippine Chess Federation Federico Moreno managed to come up with the tickets for Spain.”
After nine rounds, Ribli, older by only one month to Torre, crushed the Filipino, 6-4. The Hungarian, a two-time European Junior Champion and is now an international arbiter, was ousted in the next round by GM Vasily Smyslov, 6.5-4.5.
Smyslov, who died eight years ago at 89 in Moscow, was clobbered by future World Champion Garry Kasparov, 8.5-4.5
Smyslov, who lost to GM Mikhail Botvinnik in the 1953 World Chess Championship in Moscow, advanced to the semifinal round over GM Robert Huebner of West Germany.
STAGE
Torre’s highest accomplishment was the same stage reached by 24-year-old Filipino Wesley So (2799), formerly the world No. 2 player who is now representing the United States.
So could eclipse Torre if he wins the Candidates Tournament 2018 that would determine 27-year-old World Champion Magnus Carlsen’s next challenger.
The tournament romped off on March 10 and winds up on March 28 in Berlin, Germany.
So, the highest-rated Filipino GM, was at the bottom with two defeats and a draw after three rounds of an eight-player double round robin chess tournament.
So is in the league with GM Sergey Karjakin (2763), GM Levon Aronian (2794), GM Ding Liren (2769), GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2809), GM Alexander Grischuk (2767), GM Fabiano Caruana (2784), GM Vladimir Kramnik (2800).
Like Torre in Alicante, Spain, So needs the moral support of his countrymen as he struggles in Berlin. Although So now plays for the US, his battle is also our battle; his pride is also our pride; whether he wins or loses, So has already lifted the spirit of Filipinos by this scintillating performance of reaching the Candidates Tournament, a feat no other Filipino chesser in international chess competitions has achieved, except Torre, now 66.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
'Mansion'
"The place of chess in the society is closely related to the attitude of young people towards our game."
--Boris Spassky
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- An avid reader of my blogs and other news websites from Manila in the Philippines once asked this writer, "Where is that mansion? What kind of mansion?"
She was referring to the "mansion" mentioned in a series of chess articles I wrote early this year about a place on Britton Street in the Queens' Elmhurst neighborhood here.
In the mind of any reader, the word mansion conjures a large dwelling house derived from the Latin word manio "dwelling" through Old French, an abstract noun derived from the verb manere "to dwell".
The English word "manse" originally defined a property large enough for the parish priest to maintain himself, but a mansion is no longer self-sustaining in this way.
The mansion in our subject matter here is neither a large dwelling nor a Roman medieval villa, or a haunted house frequented by ghosts and dead spirits like in Hollywood movies.
APARTMENT
It is a modest three-storey apartment, its basement the mecca where dreams are--and still--being made; where talent is abundantly brimming; where brilliancy is executed with head-turning incredulity; and where comradeship is forged and strengthened over bowls and plates of native pulutan (appetizers like shark and tuna meats, spaghetti, adobo, Chinese pancit taken with beer or fruit juice) amid card games and friendly chess matches.
Mansion's main conclave is the 30-square meter wide wi fi-powered basement frequented by a coterie of Filipino chess kibitzers and serious players, considered as the strongest in New York and the East Coast, if not the best in the entire United States.
Its amenities include a kitchen, dining table and chairs, study/playing area with a large TV set, freezer, toilet room, and four collapsible beds.
"We are open (only to invited guests and chess players) every Thursday and Saturday evening," enthuses Rainier Labay, Mansion's de facto chief and official chef.
The place has been a regular venue of "underground" clashes by Filipino non-masters, national masters, FIDE masters, grand masters, "has been-masters" and "also-masters."
Non-Filipino hustlers are welcome to participate, Labay confirms.
When matches romp off, the main door isn't locked so that those who come late can sneak in without interrupting the players' concentration.
Games can be accessed "live" from Labay's Facebook account so that players still in workplaces and unable to participate can monitor and join the heckling in the running commentary.
SHOWDOWN
Meanwhile, the July 22 blitz showdown, or a chess match with a fixed time (usually three minutes per game), was ruled by Grandmaster Mark Paragua (Fide 2520) with seven points.
He was followed jointly by Labay, a former coach of the De La Salle University in Manila and the only player to convincingly whip Paragua in the first match, and Fide Master William Aramil with four points each.
Other top finishers were Fide Master Rico Salimbagat, Philippine National Master Mario Rebano, Albert Riviera, Cesar Apalla, and Gerson Caballero.
Aramil, 2004 American Collegiate Championship winner and a regular New York visitor, came all the way from Chicago to join the Mansion chessfest.
"Gusto ni Rico (Salimbagat) mag invite ng ibang masters galing sa ibang states para magkaroon ng challenge ang tournament at mag improve and upgrade ang skills namin lahat (Rico Salimbagat wants to invite masters from other states to join us in the tournament from time to time so we can upgrade and improve our kills)," sighs Rebano, who is based in New Jersey.
STRONG
Some of the strong players who missed the recent tournament but are regular habitues of the mansion were: Anthony Gallon, Gilbert Gonzales, Leo Buencocillo, Vincent Umayan, Bert Labuac, Jan Vincent Paragua, Mike Adarlo, Gerry Salazar, and Manuel Jurado.
GM Oliver Barbosa and 2017 World Open Under-2200 champion Ramon Manon-og were absent.
Before mansion became their official chess hub, Pinoy players gathered every Monday evening for the "Ilonggo Night" at the residence of Elmhurst Chess Club founder and godfather Camelo "Jun" Galinea on Elmhurst Street.
Salimbagat, a highest rated player like Labay, also occasionally hosts the gathering of Pinoy woodpushers in his residence across the park.
When they don't play via individual knockout system, they tangle as team against team: "Britton boys versus Hampton boys" or "Tagalogs versus Ilonggos."
The former is composed of players who live in the mansion: Salimbagat, Labay, Labuac, Caballero, Riviera, Adarlo; the latter is composed of players who live on neighboring Hampton Street composed of Rebano, Gallon, Apalla, Umayan, Gonzales, Buencocillo.
The spirit of professionalism, brotherhood, and sportsmanship is always best exhibited and further enhanced by their active participation, cooperation and discipline like phalanx which became Alexander's anvil when he conquered Darius III in the Battles of Issus and Gaugamela.
If the World Chess Olympiad is held in the United States and the Philippines is hard-pressed to send a team, the talented Elmhurst boys can always fill in the blanks; and possibly give some of the world chess superpowers like USA, Russia, China, Germany, and Ukraine a run for their money.
--Boris Spassky
By Alex P. Vidal
NEW YORK CITY -- An avid reader of my blogs and other news websites from Manila in the Philippines once asked this writer, "Where is that mansion? What kind of mansion?"
 |
| THE MANSION on Britton Street |
In the mind of any reader, the word mansion conjures a large dwelling house derived from the Latin word manio "dwelling" through Old French, an abstract noun derived from the verb manere "to dwell".
The English word "manse" originally defined a property large enough for the parish priest to maintain himself, but a mansion is no longer self-sustaining in this way.
The mansion in our subject matter here is neither a large dwelling nor a Roman medieval villa, or a haunted house frequented by ghosts and dead spirits like in Hollywood movies.
APARTMENT
It is a modest three-storey apartment, its basement the mecca where dreams are--and still--being made; where talent is abundantly brimming; where brilliancy is executed with head-turning incredulity; and where comradeship is forged and strengthened over bowls and plates of native pulutan (appetizers like shark and tuna meats, spaghetti, adobo, Chinese pancit taken with beer or fruit juice) amid card games and friendly chess matches.
Mansion's main conclave is the 30-square meter wide wi fi-powered basement frequented by a coterie of Filipino chess kibitzers and serious players, considered as the strongest in New York and the East Coast, if not the best in the entire United States.
Its amenities include a kitchen, dining table and chairs, study/playing area with a large TV set, freezer, toilet room, and four collapsible beds.
 |
| (L-R) Demetrio Lopez, Rainier Labay, Alex P. Vidal, Gerson Caballero, NM Mario Rebano |
"We are open (only to invited guests and chess players) every Thursday and Saturday evening," enthuses Rainier Labay, Mansion's de facto chief and official chef.
The place has been a regular venue of "underground" clashes by Filipino non-masters, national masters, FIDE masters, grand masters, "has been-masters" and "also-masters."
Non-Filipino hustlers are welcome to participate, Labay confirms.
When matches romp off, the main door isn't locked so that those who come late can sneak in without interrupting the players' concentration.
Games can be accessed "live" from Labay's Facebook account so that players still in workplaces and unable to participate can monitor and join the heckling in the running commentary.
SHOWDOWN
Meanwhile, the July 22 blitz showdown, or a chess match with a fixed time (usually three minutes per game), was ruled by Grandmaster Mark Paragua (Fide 2520) with seven points.
He was followed jointly by Labay, a former coach of the De La Salle University in Manila and the only player to convincingly whip Paragua in the first match, and Fide Master William Aramil with four points each.
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| SALIMBAGAT VS RIVIERA |
Aramil, 2004 American Collegiate Championship winner and a regular New York visitor, came all the way from Chicago to join the Mansion chessfest.
"Gusto ni Rico (Salimbagat) mag invite ng ibang masters galing sa ibang states para magkaroon ng challenge ang tournament at mag improve and upgrade ang skills namin lahat (Rico Salimbagat wants to invite masters from other states to join us in the tournament from time to time so we can upgrade and improve our kills)," sighs Rebano, who is based in New Jersey.
STRONG
Some of the strong players who missed the recent tournament but are regular habitues of the mansion were: Anthony Gallon, Gilbert Gonzales, Leo Buencocillo, Vincent Umayan, Bert Labuac, Jan Vincent Paragua, Mike Adarlo, Gerry Salazar, and Manuel Jurado.
GM Oliver Barbosa and 2017 World Open Under-2200 champion Ramon Manon-og were absent.
Before mansion became their official chess hub, Pinoy players gathered every Monday evening for the "Ilonggo Night" at the residence of Elmhurst Chess Club founder and godfather Camelo "Jun" Galinea on Elmhurst Street.
Salimbagat, a highest rated player like Labay, also occasionally hosts the gathering of Pinoy woodpushers in his residence across the park.
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| SALIMBAGAT VS LABAY |
The former is composed of players who live in the mansion: Salimbagat, Labay, Labuac, Caballero, Riviera, Adarlo; the latter is composed of players who live on neighboring Hampton Street composed of Rebano, Gallon, Apalla, Umayan, Gonzales, Buencocillo.
The spirit of professionalism, brotherhood, and sportsmanship is always best exhibited and further enhanced by their active participation, cooperation and discipline like phalanx which became Alexander's anvil when he conquered Darius III in the Battles of Issus and Gaugamela.
If the World Chess Olympiad is held in the United States and the Philippines is hard-pressed to send a team, the talented Elmhurst boys can always fill in the blanks; and possibly give some of the world chess superpowers like USA, Russia, China, Germany, and Ukraine a run for their money.
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