The Weekender

Hi there!

The Weekender by Mr. Manny Benitez:

WITH BITOON, CUNANAN AT THE HELM

Qualifying finals start this p.m. in Tagaytay

ELEVEN men and 10 women qualifiers from the preliminaries start battling this afternoon in the relatively cooler highland city of Tagaytay for the eight slots in the two teams to be sent to Macau for the Asian Indoor Games in late October this year.

The number of male qualifiers may rise if no grandmaster shows up at Tagaytay’s Convention Center today.

As of yesterday, the only one expected to take part was GM Joey Antonio who was last heard to be in California, where he tied for second place along with IM Enrico Sevillano in the Pacific Coast Open held at Agoura Hills near Malibu.

IM Richard Bitoon won on tiebreak over NM Alex Milagrosa for the top slot in the nine-round selection tournament held at the Marketplace in Mandaluyong City.

The two finished with 7.0 points each.

Bitoon who led the field with 6.5 points after the penultimate eighth had an easy sailing in the ninth and final round by halving the point after a few moves with top-seeded IM Wesley So.

Milagrosa, on the other hand, made a dramatic finish by upstaging the country’s No. 6 player, IM Oliver Dimakiling, in a hard-fought duel of wits.

Dimakiling who needed only a Draw mistakenly entered into complications created by Milagrosa, who desperately needed to win.

Although playing White, the Turin Olympiad veteran soon lost a pawn and gradually gave ground as Milagrosa capitalized on his material and positional advantage in the endgame.

As a result Dimakiling lost his chance to play in Macau, having landed the 19th slot with a mere 6.0 points.

Had he won, he would have likely topped the tournament as he had the highest tiebreak points entering the final round.

Ironically, both rivals are originally from Bohol, although Dimakiling grew up in Davao City.

Behind the two were NM Roderick Nava, IM Barlo Nadera, NM Rolando Nolte, FM Fernie Donguines. NM Emanuel Senador, IMs Ronald Bancod, Wesley So and Jayson Gonzales, and NM Mirabeau Maga.

Tournament director Willie Abalos announced that players next in rank had a good chance to enter this afternoon’s finals if not one of the grandmasters showed up in Tagaytay.

It was understood that No. 2 GM Eugene Torre had begged off because he was busy writing his book, and that neither GM Bong Villamayor nor Nelson Mariano II, who work as chess teachers and trainers in Singapore could come home for the finals.

The next in rank to the 11 qualifiers were Arlan Cabe and Jerome Bolico.

Among the women, 15-year-old WGM Kimberly Jane Cunanan won the top slot on tiebreak over 13-year-old Christy Lamier Bernales and WNM Shercila Cua. They had 6.5 points each.

Bernales is also Shell’s NCR kiddies champion and a veteran of the Asian Games held in Vietnam earlier this year.

Seven others qualified for the finals, namely, Sherily Cua, WIM Sheerie Joy Lomibao, Catherine Pereña, Ylem Rulp Jose, WIMs Cristine Rose Mariano, and Beverly Mendoza, and former age-group champion Chardine Cheradee Camacho.

IA Elias Lao Jr. served as chief arbiter with the assistance of NA Ilann Perez and NA Patrick Lee.

Joey Antonio. Sevillano tie for 2nd in California

FOUR Filipinos led by GM Joey Antonio finished among the leaders in the Pacific Coast Open held at Agoura Hills in California from July 19 to 22.

With Antonio in second to fifth was IM Enrico Sevillano, former Philippine and Asian junior champion from Cebu now based in California, followed by the third bracket of 4.0-pointers that included the Banawa brothers, Joel and Jouaquin, who are now based in Los Angeles.

California-based American GM Melikset Khachiyan (2580) took the first prize of $1,609 after outplaying GM Antonio (2573).

Antonio and Enrico pocketed $362 each along with GM Larsen Bo Larsen of Denmark and GM Suat Atalik of Turkey.

With the Banawas were American GM Alex Yemolinsky and FM Harutyun Akopian.

CALIFORNIA’S SEVEN-YEAR-OLD ‘CHESS QUEEN’

Filipino girl makes it big in US

REMEMBER this name: Arissa Jade Marasigan Torres. She may one day be the first Filipino women’s champion of America if not the world.

Already, this seven-year-old Fil-American kid has made big waves in California by winning the under-eight title in the Susan Polgar World Open Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada, earlier this year and has been featured in the Californian community newspaper as well as on its website, Bakersfield.com.

Arissa Jade is the daughter of a former US Navy man, Rommel Torres, and the former Sheila Marasigan. Both came from the Philippines, met in Long Beach and now reside in Bakersfield, California.

Arissa is the younger of two daughters. She and her 11-year-old sister, Sabrina, both play chess but it looks like Arissa is more gifted and Sabrina is now her No. 1 fan. “She beats me a lot,” Sabrina told the Californian.

The Torres family was featured in the Californian and its website, Bakersfield.com, in an article written by Louis Medina, apparently a Fil-American staff writer.

“Arissa Jade Torres may be shy, soft-spoken and only 7 years old, but she has all the confident moves of a chess queen,” Medina wrote.

“The soon-to-be second-grader at Patriot Elementary School (in Bakersfield) has been playing the game seriously for only a year, but she has already competed in six tournaments, winning first place in one of them; she had a trophy that stands taller than she is and she beats most of the adult members of her extended family.”

Arissa was born to a chess-playing family. Medina quotes her mom, Sheila, as saying: “When she was 2, we bought a chess set and she would play with the pieces.” Her dad, Rommel, chimed in that at 4, she “actually came to us and asked us how to move them.”

She now trains under an American coach, John Marble, whom she met at a chess academy that she herself had read about in a brochure in school.

“He’s a great coach,” Sheila was quoted as saying. “We love him. He really propelled her because she loves him.”

Under Marble’s guidance, she topped the under-eight section of the Susan Polgar World Open last month, with Queena Deng and Bridget LeeSang as her runners-up.

Another Chinese-American girl, Sylvia Yang, won the main event for girls.

Marble said one of Arissa’s rivals in her age group was the state champion of Texas.

Arissa herself would not talk much about her victory. “I’m so shy,” she told Medina, adding: “I was very happy and my family was happy and I got up there and I felt very excited.”

Marble said Susan “invites only the best girls at each age limit to compete in an attempt to encourage chess for women in the United States.”

Readers will recall that Susan Polgar—she used to be known by her Hungarian name Zsuzsa—is a former women’s world champion from Hungary who now lives in the United States where she has become the foremost promoter of the game and trainer of gifted girls.

She led the US team that for the first time won the silver—she also won the individual gold—at the 2004 World Olympiad in Calvia, Spain..

Just recently, she was hired by the Texas Technological University as its head coach, with her husband and long-time business manager, Paul Truong, as her deputy.

Our thanks to journalist Ignaco Dee for submitting the original Bakersfield.com article to The Weekender.—Editor

GM Joey’s back in harness

FANS of the country’s top-rated player, Grandmaster Rogelio Antonio Jr., must be very much delighted to hear the news that “GM Joey” is back in harness, so to speak.

After almost a year of trying to shake off the cobwebs caused by a minor ailment and possibly a temporary loss of self-confidence, Joey (2539) is back there in the California ramparts battling wit for wit fellow grandmasters and lesser lights in an open tournament.

And he proved he still has got what it takes by tying for second place just half a point behind the eventual winner, American GM Melikset Khachiyan (2580), his only conqueror (story on page 1).

The event was the Pacific Coast Open in the rolling resort of the Agoura Hills, just beside the better-known “coastal village” that is home to the wealthy and the famous, Malibu.

Be that as it may, we hope this will be the start of an honest-to-goodness campaign for a super-GM rating by the country’s most ferocious and creative player.

Antonio, 45, is himself a late bloomer, having earned his GM spurs when he was in his late 20s. He has publicly credited Aaron Nimzowitsch’s My System with having propelled his phenomenal climb to the very top of the ladder after a rather late start.

Joey’s style of play is highly dynamic, aggressive and tactical, but with strict adherence to positional principles articulated by Nimzowitsch in his book, the bible of many a player of note, as the Filipino star’s most famous games will show.

• Rogelio Antonio Jr. (2507) - Sergei Movsesian (2651)
35th World Olympiad, Bled, Slovenia 2002
Sicilian Defense (B22)

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.d4 cxd4 6.Bc4 e6 7.0–0 d6 Not 7...dxc3 because of 8.Bxd5 cxb2 9.Bxb2! 8.exd6 If 8.cxd4 Be7 Bxd6 9.cxd4 0–0 10.Nc3 Bb4 11.Qd3 Nce7 12.Bd2 Nb6 13.Bb3 Ng6 14.Qe4 Bd7 15.Qxb7 Rc8 16.Qe4 Bc6 17.d5 Bxc3 Missing the equalizing 17...Nxd5, e.g., 18.Bxd5 Bxd5 19.Qxb4 Bxf3 18.dxc6 Not 18.bxc3 Nxd5 19.Qd4 Qc7! Bxb2 19.Rab1 Bf6 20.Rfc1 Qc7 21.h4 Rfd8 22.h5 Ne5 23.Bf4 Nxf3+ 24.gxf3 Qe7 25.Rd1 Bg5 25...Rxd1+ may favor White: 26.Rxd1 Qc5 27.c7 Qxh5 28.Bc4! 26.Be5 Bf6 27.Bf4 27.Rxd8+ allows Black to equalize, e.g., 27…Rxd8 28.c7 Rf8! Qe8 27...Rxd1+ 28.Rxd1 Qc5 29.c7 Qxh5 30.Bc4 could favor White 28.Rxd8 Bxd8 29.Rc1 Bc7 30.Bg5 Bd8 If 30...Qf8 31.Be3, and the balance is kept 31.Bf4 Not 31.Be3 a5! Qe7 32.h6 Bc7 33.Qd4 e5 34.Qe4 Re8 35.Be3 g6 36.Rd1 Rd8 36...Qf6 37.Kg2 Kh8 38.Bxb6 Bxb6 39.Rd7 gives White a huge advantage 37.Rxd8+ Qxd8 38.a4 Qd6 39.a5 Nc8 40.Qc4 Qf6 Missing his best shot, 40...Qe7!, which would have reduced White’s lead 41.Qd5! White is now way ahead Bd6 42.Kf1 Stronger was 42.Bc4 Qf5 43.Ba6 Bc7 44.Bxc8 Qxc8 45.Bxa7! Kf8 43.Ke2 43.Bc4 Ke8 should give White great advantage Ke8 Not 43...Qe7 44.Bc4 Qc7 45.Kf1! 44.a6 Qe7 45.Qb5 Bc7? If 45...Qc7 46.Qb7! 46.Bc5 More precise was 46.Qb7! Qf6 47.Qc4 Bb6??

The fatal mistake. Better but inadequate was 47….Qf5. It’s downhill for Black from this point on, but for White’s occasional oversight.

48.Qd5 Qe6 49.Qxe6+ Overlooking 49.Qd1!, clinching the win, e.g., 49...Qxc6 50.Ba4 Bxc5 51.Bxc6+ Ke7 52.Qd7+ Kf6 53.Qxc8! fxe6 50.Bxb6 Nxb6 51.Bxe6 Ke7 52.Bg8 Na8?! 53.Kd3 Nc7 54.Ke4 Nxa6 55.Kxe5 Nc7 56.Bxh7 Kf7 57.f4 a5 58.f5 gxf5 59.Bxf5 a4 60.Bb1 Nb5 61.Bd3 Na7 62.c7 a3 63.Bb1 Nc8 64.Kd5 Na7 65.Kc5 Kg8 66.Kb6 Nc8+ 67.Kb7 Nd6+ 68.Kb8 68.Kc6 would have ended the debate: 68...Nc8 69.Bf5 Na7+ 70.Kb6! Kh8 68...a2 69.Bxa2+ Kh7 would still give White the point 69.c8=Q+! Black resigns, realizing the futility of further resistance: 69…Nxc8 70.Kxc8+-; 69.f4 a2 70.Bxa2! 1–0

• Rogelio Antonio Jr. (2513) - A Maltese (2174)
Rd, 1, Global Chess Challenge, Minneapolis 2005
Pirc Defense (B07)

1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Bg5 Bg7 5.f4 h6 6.Bxf6 Bxf6 7.e5 Bg7 8.Qf3 0–0 9.0–0–0 c6 10.g4 Qa5 11.Bc4 c5 12.exd6 exd6 13.dxc5 dxc5 Missing 13...Bxc3!?, which would have equalized, e.g., 14.Qxc3 Qxc3 15.bxc3 dxc5 14.Rd6 Nc6 15.Rxg6 Nd4 16.Qe4 Be6 17.Bxe6 Nxe6 18.Rxg7+ Nxg7 19.Nf3 Better than 19.Qxb7 Rab8 20.Qf3 Ne6! Qb4 20.Qxb4 cxb4 21.Nd5 a5 22.g5 22.Nf6+ Kh8 23.Ne5 would have given White a distinct lead h5? Better was 22...Rfd8!, e.g., 23.Nf6+ Kf8 24.gxh6 Nf5, with equal chances 23.Nf6+ Kh8 24.Ne5 Rac8 25.Nfd7 Rfe8 26.Nxf7+ Kh7 27.Nd6 Kg6 27...Red8 would also let White surge ahead: 28.Nf6+ Kg6 29.Nxc8 Rxc8 30.Re1, and White is winning 28.Nxc8 Even stronger was 28.Rd1! Rxc8 29.Re1 Rc7 29...Re8 won’t alter the course of events, e.g.,30.Rxe8 Nxe8 30.Re7!

Showing Black the door 1–0

BOBBY ANG’S BUSINESSWORLD COLUMN, CHESS PIECE (1)

Fantastic Shirov

THERE are some games which really make an impression. Way back in the ’80s I had retired from chess to concentrate on my work, but when I saw this Tal combination the excitement once again consumed my being, and there was no way the chess sets and books in the back cabinets could be kept hidden away anymore:

Tal,Mihail (2605) - Hjartarson,Johann (2555)
Reykjavik, 1987

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0–0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0–0 8.c3 d6 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 Bd7 13.Nf1 cxd4 14.cxd4 Rac8 15.Ne3 Nc6 16.d5 Nb4 17.Bb1 a5 18.a3 Na6 19.b4 g6 20.Bd2 axb4 21.axb4 Qb7 22.Bd3 Nc7 23.Nc2 Nh5 24.Be3 Ra8 25.Qd2 Rxa1 26.Nxa1 f5 27.Bh6 Ng7 28.Nb3 f4 29.Na5 Qb6 30.Rc1 Ra8 31.Qc2 Nce8 32.Qb3 Bf6 33.Nc6 Nh5 34.Qb2 Bg7 35.Bxg7 Kxg7 36.Rc5 Qa6 37.Rxb5 Nc7 38.Rb8 Qxd3 39.Ncxe5 Qd1+ 40.Kh2 Ra1 41.Ng4+ Kf7 42.Nh6+ Ke7 43.Ng8+ 1–0

Or how about this? Shirov’s 49th move was one of the most incredible moves ever played.

Topalov,Veselin (2740) - Shirov,Alexei (2710)
Linares 15th (10), 04.03.1998

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Bb5+ c6 8.Ba4 0–0 9.Ne2 Nd7 10.0–0 e5 11.f3 Qe7 12.Be3 Rd8 13.Qc2 Nb6 14.Bb3 Be6 15.Rad1 Nc4 16.Bc1 b5 17.f4 exd4 18.Nxd4 Bg4 19.Rde1 Qc5 20.Kh1 a5 21.h3 Bd7 22.a4 bxa4 23.Ba2 Be8 24.e5 Nb6 25.f5 Nd5 26.Bd2 Nb4 27.Qxa4 Nxa2 28.Qxa2 Bxe5 29.fxg6 hxg6 30.Bg5 Rd5 31.Re3 Qd6 32.Qe2 Bd7 33.c4 Bxd4 34.cxd5 Bxe3 35.Qxe3 Re8 36.Qc3 Qxd5 37.Bh6 Re5 38.Rf3 Qc5 39.Qa1 Bf5 40.Re3 f6 41.Rxe5 Qxe5 42.Qa2+ Qd5 43.Qxd5+ cxd5 44.Bd2 a4 45.Bc3 Kf7 46.h4 Ke6 47.Kg1 Bh3 48.gxh3 Kf5 49.Kf2 Ke4 50.Bxf6 d4 51.Be7 Kd3 52.Bc5 Kc4 53.Be7 Kb3 0–1

Recently I saw another masterpiece from Shirov, and I had just GOT to show it to BusinessWorld readers.

Gelfand,Boris (2733) - Shirov,Alexei (2735)
3rd Pivdenny Bank Chess Cup Odessa UKR (7), 06.07.2007

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Nf3 c5 8.Rb1
Both protagonists are experts in this Gruenfeld line. In fact, in the 80s and 90s, they were the ones who, together with Khalifman, Chernin and later Kramnik who popularized this move in conjunction with Nf3. The idea is to discourage ...Bg4 because the b7 pawn is attacked. Another advantage is that the rook is off the long diagonal and so White can play d4-d5 without losing his rook.

8...0–0 9.Be2 cxd4 10.cxd4 Qa5+ 11.Bd2

White has to sacrifice a pawn if he wants to win. After 11.Qd2 Qxd2+ we get a comfortable position for Black and White's center pawns can be made into weaknesses.

11...Qxa2 12.0–0

This is now regarded as the Modern Main Line of the Gruenfeld Exchange Variation.

12...Bg4 13.Be3

Why can't White take the b-pawn? Well, after 13.Rxb7 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 Bxd4 Black recovers the pawn. But wait! Cox has carried the variation further and now claims that 15.Bb4 Rd8 16.Qc1 e5 17.Be7 Re8 18.Qh6 wins for White. Well, IM John Watson has recommended sacrificing the queen with (18.Bf6 Qa6! 19.Re7 Nd7 20.Bg5 Nc5 Black is OK) 18...Qe6! 19.Bg4 Qxe7! 20.Rxe7 Rxe7 Black has rook, bishop and pawn for the queen, a dangerous outside passed pawn on the a-file, and a powerful bishop on d4.

13...Nc6 14.d5 Na5 15.Bg5 b6

The “normal” move is 15...Qa3. The alternative 15...Bxf3 was dealt with drastically by Kramnik in Linares 1999: 16.Bxf3 Rfe8 17.e5! Nc4 (17...Bxe5 18.d6! Bxd6 (18...exd6 19.Bd5 Qa3 20.Bd2 threatening Bb4. Black's position is under pressure) 19.Ra1 Qc4 20.Rxa5 Bxh2+ 21.Kh1! White has the upper hand.) 18.d6 Nxe5 19.Bd5! Qa3 20.Bxe7 Bf8 21.Bxb7 Bxe7 (21...Rab8 22.d7!) 22.Bxa8 Bxd6 23.Bd5 White has won an exchange and the opposite color bishops actually helps him as it exerts pressure on f7. Kramnik,V (2751)-Svidler,P (2713)/ Linares 1999 1–0 (33).

16.Bxe7 Rfe8 17.d6 Nc6 18.Bb5 Nxe7 19.h3

A new move. Gelfand vs Van Wely in Wijk aan Zee 2006 continued 19.Bxe8 Rxe8 20.dxe7 Qa3! 21.h3 Bxf3 (21...Be6 is also possible.) 22.Qxf3 Qxf3 23.gxf3 Rxe7 The endgame is quite satisfactory for Black and the game drawn on the 26th move.

19...Bxf3

19...Red8?! looks like a nice tactical shot, however Black manages to outwit himself. After 20.hxg4 Qe6 White wins a piece via 21.e5! Bxe5 22.Nxe5 Qxe5 23.Re1]

20.Qxf3 Qe6 21.Bxe8 Rxe8 22.dxe7 Rxe7!?

Black is not doing so badly - bishop and pawn vs rook is not so bad if you have two passed pawns on the queenside. Shirov handles the following play quite impressively.

23.Rfe1 Bd4 24.Rbd1 Qe5 25.Rd3 a5 26.Qd1 Bc5 27.Re2 Re6 28.g3 Rd6! 29.Kg2 Rxd3

30.Qxd3 a4 31.Rd2 a3 32.Qc4 Kg7 33.Rd7 Qf6 34.f4!?

Gelfand is taking a risk to generate winning chances. After the safe 34.Qa2 b5 35.Rd5 Qc3 36.Rd7 we are headed for the draw.

34...Qb2+ 35.Kf3 Qf2+ 36.Kg4 h5+ 37.Kh4 g5+!

Shirov had seen all of this, of course, as otherwise he is mated starting with Qxf7+.

38.fxg5 Kg6!

Shirov now threatens the diabolical 39...Qf4+!! 40.gxf4 Bf2 checkmate!

39.Qc3?

Also bad is 39.e5? Qf5; After the game, with the benefit of computer analysis, it was determined that 39.Rd3! followed by Qd5! is White's best defence, generating threats against the opponent's king.

39...f6!? 40.Rd5

A better chance was 40.gxf6, but on the other hand, 40.Qxf6+? allows a spectacular finish 40...Qxf6 41.gxf6 a2 42.Ra7 a1Q 43.Rxa1 Be3! This position deserves a diagram.

There is mate either via Bg5 or Bf2.

40...a2 41.Rf5?

After 41.Rf5

Stronger was 41.Rxc5 bxc5 42.Qe5 with the point that 42...fxe5 is stalemate. However, after getting over his shock Shirov will probably continue 42...fxg5+! and he will still win when White runs out of checks. Look at the position above. Do you know what Shirov would play?

41...Qf4+! 42.gxf4

If 42.Rxf4 fxg5# mate!

42...Bf2+ 43.Qg3 Bxg3+ 44.Kxg3 a1Q 45.Rxf6+ Kg7 46.e5
[46.Rxb6?? Qg1+]

46...b5 47.Kh4 b4 48.Kxh5 Qd1+ 49.Kh4 b3 50.e6 b2 51.Rf7+ Kg8 52.Rb7 b1Q 53.Rxb1 Qxb1 54.Kg4 Qe4 0–1

Wasn’t that great?

Reader comments and/or suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com.

This column was first published in BusinessWorld on Monday, July 23, 2007.
Chess quote

“Half the variations which are calculated in a tournament game turn out to be completely superfluous. Unfortunately, no one knows in advance which half.”—GM Jan Tinman, former Dutch champion and publisher of New in Chess.

BOBBY ANG’S BUSINESSWORLD COLUMN, CHESS PIECE (2)

Chinese still rising

WE here in the Philippines have already gotten used to the fact that we are no longer No. 1 in Asia. Even if we don’t count the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, both China and India have far outstripped us. Need I remind you that in the 2006 Asian Games we were in 8th (!) place behind India, China, Iran, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Qatar and Bangladesh?

We are having troubles holding our own now against our Southeast Asian rivals Vietnam, Indonesia, Myanmar and, coming soon, Singapore.

The bad news is that whereas we are at best standing still the Chinese have not yet stopped improving. If you look at the latest FIDE Rating List (July 2007) you will see them consistently going up the ladder. 20-year old Chinese GM Wang Yue gained 40 points from the Calvi Open in France (a scorching 6/7), Cappelle la Grande (7/9) and the Philippines (7/9). His FIDE rating is now 2696, which puts him at No. 22 in the world and No. 1 in China, although Grandmasters Bu Xiangzhi, with 2685 (No. 25), and Ni Hua at 2681 (No. 31), are not far behind. Here are all of China's super-GMs (the number in parenthesis is their respective ages):

GM Wang Yue (20) 2696
GM Bu Xiangzhi (22) 2685
GM Ni Hua (24) 2681
GM Zhang Pengxiang (27)2649
GM Zhang Zhong (29) 2634
GM Ye Jiangchuan (47) 2632
GM Wang Hao (18) 2624

If you really want to weep compare this against the Philippines’ top five:

GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. (45) 2539
GM Eugene Torre (56) 2536
GM Mark Paragua (23) 2525
IM Wesley So (14) 2516
IM Oliver Dimakiling (27) 2500

You will also notice that the Chinese have undergone another generation change. In the 80s their top players were Qi Jingxuan, Liu Wenzhe and Chen Te. All three have since retired and the latter is the current coach of the national team. In the 90s it was Wang Zili, Xu Jun, Ye Jiangchuan and Ye Rongguang who took over the top, and by the early 2000s it was Peng Xiaomin, Zhang Zhong and Wu Wenjin.

Now it is Wang Yue, Bu Xiangzhi and Wang Hao, and the first two are on the verge of becoming the first Chinese players to reach the stratospheric ELO 2700 plateau.

In contrast the top player of the Philippines in the 70s and even now is still the same – Eugene Torre!

Wang Yue was born on the 12th of March 1987 in Taiyuan, China. Yes, that’s the place where they have these regular international chess events. In 1999 he got his first world title – the Under-12 Championship in Oropesa del Mar. This might not sound much, but consider that his rivals in that section were the former US champion Hikaru Nakamura, and Russian finalists Evgeny Tomashevsky and Evgeny Romanov.

Bu Xiangzhi was born two years earlier, on December 10, 1985. He became an International Grandmaster in 1999 at the age of 13 years, 10 months, and 13 days, at that time the youngest GM in chess history. He was later on overtaken at the "youngest" list by Sergey Karjakin of Ukraine.

Bu played played first board in the 2006 Turin Chess Olympiad, where the Chinese team finished in second place. He won four games and drew eight, including his games against top Grandmasters Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand and Levon Aronian.

On the other hand Wang Yue has gone on a rampage starting 2006. He scored 10/12 points at the 37th Chess Olympiad (2006) in Turin, Italy, helping China to second place and winning the fourth-board gold medal in the process.

His next success was joint second place at 6th Aeroflot Festival (2007) and joint first at Cappelle la Grande (2007).

Both events were very strong.

In particular, the former had 75 GMs and you had to be at least 2500 before you could sign up!

The two of them have similar styles: pragmatic rather than forceful, counterattacking instead of aggressive, accurate in preference to brilliant.

Some would say they play boring chess. That may be true, but always with a touch of poison:

Bu Xiangzhi (2656) - Rensch,Daniel (2382) [A32]
Canadian Open Ottawa (6), 11.07.2007

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 d5 6.Bf4 Be7 7.e3 0–0 8.Be2 Nc6 9.0–0 a6?!

Black was taking the opening lightly and White rapidly takes advantage.

10.Bf3! h6?

The second inaccuracy. He should have tried to defuse the situation in the center with 10...Nxd4 11.Qxd4 dxc4 12.Qxc4.

11.Rc1 Bd6 12.cxd5 exd5 13.Nxd5 Nxd5 14.Bxd5 Bxf4 15.Bxc6 Bxe3 16.fxe3 bxc6 17.Nxc6 Qg5

White is a pawn up with superior development. The ending is quick.

18.Qd4 Re8 19.Rf3 Qg4? 20.Ne7+! Kf8 21.Rcf1! Qe6 22.Qd6! Rxe7 23.Rxf7+ Qxf7 24.Rxf7+ Kxf7 25.Qd5+ 1–0

That is exactly what I am telling you. These guys are not flashy, but they hardly ever make a mistake. On the other hand, you err, they pounce.

Li Shilong (2539) - Wang Yue (2598) [B33]
Ch-CHN Wuxi CHN (9), 04.07.2006

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Bg5 a6 8.Na3 b5 9.Nd5 Be7 10.Bxf6 Bxf6 11.c4

An aggressive line favored by the Ukrainian IM Artur Frolov, bringing his other knight into action fast. The drawback is the weakness of the d4-square.

11...b4 12.Nc2 a5 13.Be2 0–0 14.0–0 Bg5 15.Qd3 Be6 16.Rad1 Bxd5 17.Qxd5 Qb6 18.Qb5 Qc7 19.c5 dxc5 20.Qxc5 Rac8 21.Bg4 Ne7 22.Qxc7 Rxc7 23.Ne3 g6 24.Rd7

Who would have thought that placing his rook on the all-powerful 7th rank would be the cause of his troubles?

24...Rxd7 25.Bxd7 Rd8

If White withdraws the bishop to b5 then 26.Bb5 Bxe3 27.fxe3 f5 28.Bc4+ Kh8 29.exf5 Nxf5 and he has difficulties. On the other hand 26.Ba4 Rd4 27.Bc2 Kg7 leaves him in a passive position. So White decides to keep the bishop where it is.

26.Rd1 Bxe3 27.fxe3 Nc8

Threatening 28...Nb6. The bishop cannot go to a4 because of the knight, and after 29.Bg4 Rxd1+ 30.Bxd1 Nc4 wins a pawn.

28.Rc1 Nd6 29.Bc6 Rc8

Pinning the bishop again.

30.Rc2 Nb5 31.Rc4 Nd6 32.Rc2 Nb7 33.Kf2?

After 33.Kf2

Missing the "drop of poison"

33...b3!

[33...Nd8 34.Ba4]

34.axb3 Nd8 (Winning the bishop) 35.b4 Rxc6 0–1

A month ago, much was made of the gold medal that Haridas Pascua won the ASEAN youth competition. Haridas' victory is of course laudable, but has anyone pointed out that the Philippines only finished 3rd in Southeast Asia? Vietnam won a total of 143 medals (75 gold, 29 silver, 39 bronze), Singapore was second with 52 medals (12 gold, 23 silver, 17 bronze) and Philippines had 41 medals (8 gold, 10 silver, 23 bronze).

We've got a lot to do to catch up.

Reader's comments and/or suggestions are urgently solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com.

This column was first published in BusinessWorld on Friday, July 27, 2007.

FROM MY SWIVEL CHAIR

Video games behind poor play?

READER Norlito Bersamina has written us to say that a possible addiction to video games, in particular what is popularly known as DOTA, may have caused the deterioration of the performance of local players, some of them the country’s strongest masters.

He also sent me a recent news feature by the Associated Press, quoting a report by the council of the American Medical Association seeking the inclusion of addiction to video games as a psychiatric disorder in the manual of the American Psychiatric Association.

The AMA council warns that about five million American youngsters may now be addicted to video games.

Citing his own experience as a student in his younger days, Bersamina says it is possible that thousands of Filipino kids are similarly addicted considering the proliferation of game centers in Metro Manila and other cities all over the country.

It was his habit of playing video games that knocked him out of the honor roll in his university class and that the after-effects had been such that he found it impossible to regain the academic honors that he had lost.

Bersamina was reacting to a Weekender report that leading players in the country have suddenly found it difficult to maintain their standing, with some of them on a steady and even rapid decline in their ratings.

A check with people in the know within chess circles confirmed that several leading players are known to be habitually playing DOTA, so much so that they even hold katuwaan tournaments among themselves.

Another possibly addictive game is ironically one that was invented by a Filipino. It’s called oil strike, and it has among its habitual players for fun or for wagers several highly rated and ranked masters.

In the AP report, the AMA council warns that video games “can be as powerfully addictive as heroin” to kids.

A 21-year-old shot himself in a suicide that was apparently caused by his addiction to video games, says a support group.

Several adults have pleaded for help in their postings, saying that their addiction to video games had cost them their jobs, their self-esteem and family life.

—0—

WITH Red Dumuk as delegation head, four young stars will fly to Singapore on Saturday, August 4, to take part in the Under 16-Olympiad. They are IM Wesley So, Karl Victor Ochoa, Haridas Pascua and Franz Grafil.

Letters I treasure

Dear Manny,

I really admire your generosity in sharing news materials with chess aficionados. Your altruism is rare to find. You are a gem to mankind.
Keep up the good work.

Congrats for a job well done.

Warm regards.
Ros

(From Judge Rosendo Bandal Jr., RTC, Dumaguete City. He is a former national champion—Ed)

—0—

I’ve just received your copy of The Weekender. It's great to know that you are still at it after all these years. Wish you continue your good work for the sake of chess. …I now appreciate the saying “....once a chess player, forever a chess player.” Many times I’ve tried to quit chess but to no avail! Good luck!

Thank you.
IM Petronio Roca

The Weekender

Quezon Memorial Circle
Quezon City
Manuel O. Benitez
Editor & Publisher
Alfredo V. Chay
Circulation Manager

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Till then!